U13's v Reading Abbey

Results: Team 1= 35-15 to Abbey
Team 2= 30-25 to Abbey

On a glorious Sunday morning Bracknell U13's took two teams over to our hosts Abbey for what was the boys first feel of junior rugby after making the transition for Mini's over the summer break.
Due to how early this fixture was arranged both clubs took the approach of making this fixture a practice/training game where the boys could use it to find their feet in readiness for the upcoming season. Both Bracknell sides took this a little to lightly and got off to slow starts but soon got in the swing of things and finished strong.

Below are both match reports:

Game 1: Reading Abbey 35-15 Bracknell

Initially, the team got off to a slow start, conceding four tries in the first half and being caught still half asleep. Too many tackles were missed and possession was not being retained consistently in the rucks and mauls - plus we lost Charlie to injury. However, the 6-man scrum, whilst uncontested, looked stable and secure and will provide a good basis moving forward.

During the half-time break, the boys came together and had a rethink using what they had learnt from the first half.

The second half started more positively with the ball in hand and tackles being made more regularly, with Taylor leading the charge. We conceded two more tries and Lucas took a knock, having to leave the field briefly.

When Lucas came back on, suddenly something changed and the boys had fire in their bellies. A penalty near the 5-meter line, taken quickly by Samuel, resulted in the two props, Lucas and Benedict, combining and showing great hands to score the first try. Abbey were a bit shocked for a moment before they stormed ahead with their 7th try.

However the boys had Abbey figured out now, and Tom finally found a gap and ran on to score our 2nd. Just before full-time, we scored our 3rd try. The ball finally made its way out to the wings and we were able to exploit the space. Sam M ran straight at the defence, drawing them in and offloading beautifully to Joe, who was rewarded for his patience throughout the match with a try.

35-15 final score - that's right folks, 5 points for a try now.

It was a hard game, frustrating at times for the boys, but the team spirit was clear throughout and we finished with a very respectful atmosphere as both teams clapped each other off the pitch.

Game 2, Reading Abbey 30 v 25 Bracknell:

Abbey is renowned for its dry pitches and in the blazing September sun they were harder than ever. Maybe it was this or the fact the boys were a little nervous about the new format of proper games of rugby on a massive pitch that caused them to start off slow and a little frightened of what they were about to face.

Abbey started well with some good passing which created space for them to run in 4 unanswered scores in the first 15mins of the game. Some of the Bracknell boys were showing a great passion to play and were chasing everything but, on a pitch this big, they soon realised it needs a whole team effort to win games. After the 4th try went in the coaches were expecting all the kids to lose heart, sit back and except defeat . Instead a fire kicked into those that were a little hesitant and they started to make an account of themselves too. Not only for themselves, but for the sake of the team.
With a few minutes left in the half, Owen scored Bracknell's first try of the day, showing some great pace to finish off a well worked try. At half time the boys got together and without any prompting from the coaches starting to discuss ways of beating Abbey.

The second half got under way and Bracknell came out hard. The pressure in their defensive line increased. Not only was it Harrison applying pressure in the backs, like he had all game, but now the whole back line were stepping up. a big mention must go to Harry, Sean, Jack T and George who all must have stopped a try scoring opportunity at least twice. Oh and not to forget, Caylian's ground shaking impacts that he was putting in.
With all this pressure in defence Abbey started making mistakes and the boys capitalised on them. More try's were scored by Bracknells Dylan Barry, Alfie Elmes and Harry Fairclough before Jack T scored a great solo try from the base of a defensive scrum, where as scrum half he picked up and ran the length of the pitch to score. Unfortunately Abbey managed a couple of scores too in this half through basic errors Bracknell made so when the final whistle blew the boys were disappointed they hadn't won but were smiling from ear to ear knowing that the game was fun and there's a lot more to come.

Overall, both Bracknell teams had a great first experience into the world of junior rugby and with the added bonus of the changing rooms, showers and post game lunch it made for a very enjoyable day and only helped bring the boys closer together. We think the whole of Reading heard the boys singing while changing!!

Thanks must go out to Abbey for making it a special first game for our boys.