1st XV Statistics 2011

Please click here to view the end of season statistics for the Felsted 1st XV

Grand Finale!

Result: Won 32-26 
Tries: Hunter-Jordan, Dennis, Hartley, Chaplin, Fillingham 

Cons: Malins W, 2

Pens: Mailns W

Review: The smell of the last game for some was enough to get some players (not all) back on the pitch. ALC had run out of tape by now and so it was all heart that saw both teams try to finish their season on a high. It must be noted that both sets of players had to contend with the worst display of officiating seen for a decade at Felsted. However, as boys often do the teams slugged it out and with Felsted in a commanding position of 32-14 after super tries from 5 different players it looked like the game would end tamely, but Norwich with some support kept plugging away and each penalty took them closer to the line. However, Felsted hung on and it was fitting that Captain Rory Hartley cleared the ball to secure the final win in his final game. It is worth noting the contribution of all the U6th players this season and I trust they continue in the game. To finish the season with W13 and L5 after so many injuries was a credit to the strength of the 16’s, 2nd’s and 1st XV squads. Not included in this tally was the pre-season tournament and the win over Colne Valley 6th Form Academy U17 Xv who played a Felsted Development Squad. Finally thanks to ALC and CSK for their expertise on the coaching front.

Man of the Match: Team Award

1st XV v Wymondham - Heroics unrewarded

Result: Lost 24-22 
Tries: Hunter-Jordan, Dennis, Hartley, Lillie 

Cons: Malins W

Review: The derby game saw more casualties and the rest weekend didn’t seem to get many more on the pitch. The boys who stepped up into the pack from the 2nd XV did a magnificent job and at 22-10 up with 20 minutes to go it looked like the execution out wide with minimal ball was going to pay off. Unfortunately, the boys then found themselves on the wrong end of the whistle for a strange and frustrating 20 minutes that saw Wymondham who were powerful upfront handed just too many lifelines that they couldn’t help but take the lead in the final moments of the game. It certainly felt like a defeat grabbed from the jaws of victory and but for the bounce of the odd shaped ball earlier in the game the referee could have been taken out the equation well before the end.

Man of the Match: Rory Hartley

1st XV v Bishop Stortford College - Local derby brings the best out of XV

Result: Won 26-10 
Tries: Withers 2, Lillie, Malins W

Cons: Malins W 1,  Walsh 2

Review: The XV were still carrying injuries, but had managed to get a couple more players on the pitch with the smell of a home derby in the air. The Collage who were slightly architects of their own downfall with their indiscipline came up against a Felsted XV keen to get back to winning ways. From turn over ball the backs were deadly and scored some spectacular tries spreading the ball wide and attacking space. Daniel Withers had his finest game in a 1st XV shirt cutting his opposite numbering the middle of the park to ribbons and creating space for the wide men. Jordan Lillie was coming of age as a player and having wrestled the No15 shirt as his own was showing why with his all out attacking flair. The odd kick wouldn’t go amiss, but his adventure is exactly how the game should be played. The tries were all well constructed with simple skills executed very well and at pace and the only surprise was that the margin was not greater by the end. The College had some fine players who stuck at the task, but on the day were never in the contest.
Man of the Match: Daniel Withers 

1st XV v Berkhamstead - Injury takes its toll

Result: Lost 0-8

Review: The XV were in the middle of an injury list that would make the professional sides when the players were away on World Cup duty look over staffed. The forwards seemed to have the worst of it, but with over 10 players out the boys who went to Berkhamstead put their bodies on the line and were undone by a single try and penalty on a frustrating afternoon. The backs didn’t see the ball and so the strength of the side and its pace was missed.
 Man of the Match: Hugh Fillingham
 

1st XV v Colchester RGS - Still on Half Term

Result: Lost 10-31

Review: There are many advantages to a two week half term, but keeping your continuity on the sports field is not one of them. This season with the Summer Tour to Australia the squad had not been to France and so looked very rusty and lethargic against an energised and impressive looking Colchester RGS. They played and lost heavily the week before and looked like a side playing for places. In truth both sides in murky conditions would have not impressed any sides waiting for them in future rounds and it was a shame that the XV saved up a 4th round cup tie to display their worse performance of the season.

Man of the Match: James Hardy

Felsted Development Festival

Result: Won 47-0 v Robert Clack
Tries: Salter 2, Ogilvie, Halfhide, Lillie, Hiett, Hardy

 The final development game of the day saw the XV dispatch of Robert Clack with more ease than the oppositions earlier games would have suggested. It was also good to see James Halfhide score his maiden 1st XV try with Matt Salter who had been lively all day scoring twice. The pick of the tries was from the Duracel battery that is William Hiett. William often belies his light frame by making a big impact in the game with his energy and after a sliced high clearance by Robert Clack will scampered across the field rose above bigger men like a gazelle to catch, spin and accelerate to the try line. Well, that is how he described it after the final whistle. The XV were devastating in all areas in this final game and with all the squad having a run the day finished well. Finally a big thank you to all the referees and organisers on the day and to Graham Walker of SMILE for sponsoring the day.


Eesults: Won 24 – 7 West Suffolk
Tries: Malins W, Hardy, Lillie, Salter
Cons: Malins W 2
West Suffolk were a big mobile pack who were keen to keep things up close and personal. Felsted were down in this game and not getting much ball, but spotted the miss matches out wide and with the ball the XV looked dynamic. When the ball was in the wide channels West Suffolk struggled in defence and after some excellent individual skill from Matt Salter down the left to level the scores, Felsted took control of the contest. Further tries enablesd the coaches to rotate the squad and although the clinical nature of the strike moves dipped a little all the players stood up in the tackle and prevented West Suffolk adding to their try in the opening moments.

1st XV v Great Baddow School

Result: Won 49-7
Tries: Malins W, Hunter-Jordan, Hardy, Hartley, Fillingham, Chaplin, Ogilvie, Salter, Lillie

Cons: Malins W 1, Walsh 1

 Review: The youngsters delivered in game 1 showing that the school has a healthy group of players for the future. The festival is meant for development and with tries from all over the field this was an excellent start to the day. The teams that have been bought into the development side of the festival have found a real benefit in blooding new players and enhancing the rest of their season by creating competition for places and a template for the next season. Wisbech couldn’t live with the pace of the game and the tries from Salter, Ogilvie and Chaplin stood out in this try fest. Injuries have hit the 1st XV all season and players were staking a claim for after half term if the situation didn’t improve.

Back on track - 7's anyone?

Felsted U16 'A' rugby v Norwich School

Result - won 26-12

Tries - Seager, Hutchinson, Sellers, Paulin

Conversions - Hutchinson

Penalties

Man of the Match -

On Saturday, the season finished with a victory over Norwich, by 26 points to 12.  In truth, we probably should have won by more, but there were some good moments, and it was very satisfying to finish on a winning note.  The frustration of defeat at Wymondham lingered a bit, but ultimately, the side can be very proud of a record that reads Played 10, Won 8, Drawn 1, Lost 1, and with the B team also winning (43-14, with a Marcus Joyce hat trick), the Under 16 club only lost two games out of 17 all season, which is a fantastic record.

The game on Saturday began with us applying pressure to the Norwich line, and after a couple of close calls, James Seager picked up from the base of the scrum, and dummied his way over.  Rory Hutchinson converted, with Mr Bury quicker to get the flag up than last week’s touch judge!  The game became littered with knock ons, and with the error count high on both sides it took another twenty minutes before we added a second try, this time seeing Rory Hutchinson going over, after a dummy switch in the centre, with him also adding the conversion.  One problem that the side has faced has been maintaining the intensity throughout a game, and errors from the kick off created a platform from which Norwich were able to score just before the break, to leave the game still alive at 14-5. 

Straight after the break, a scrum in the centre of the field was used to create space for Miles Singleton, who fed Max Paulin, allowing him to race in under the posts, to put us in a comfortable position again.  With Norwich still playing hard, and a couple of their players having first team experience, it was not easy, and the lack of fluency hampered our attempts to really kill the game off.  When they were then able to capitalise on a quick penalty, and turn over ball, to bring the score back to 21-12, the last ten minutes looked challenging.  However, Adam Sellers picked up his second interception try in consecutive matches, and scored the last try of the season to finish the game at 26-12.  Norwich kept attacking, but this time the defence was secure.

End of term report – it was a pleasure to work with a well motivated, talented squad, both A and B team.  The performance against Gresham’s was definitely the highlight of the season, and the mid-season break did not help our attempts to regain that fluency.  As a group of players, they still have much to learn, but that is what is so encouraging, because there is plenty of room for further development and improvement, as individuals, and as a group, in the coming years. 

U15 A v Bishop’s Stortford College

Result: Won 47-12
Tries: Malins 3, Williams, Jackson, Brooke, Begley
Cons: Malins 6

Felsted started the match in a very positive manner taking the College by surprise. After 10 minutes with tries from Begley and Malins, Felsted were 21-0 up. Forceful forward play combining with good back play led to all three tries. Felsted then relaxed and the College responded by scoring in the corner. Felsted raised the tempo and a quickly taken penalty led to a Will Jackson try. Felsted started the second half slowly and again conceded a try to a good College move. Oliver Williams was then yellow carded but the scrum managed to win balls against the head. Felsted upped the tempo again with Max Malins completing his hatrick of tries. Harry Brooke picked up from number 8 and a very determined run over half the length of the field resulted in him scoring a fully deserved try. Alex Marka came on to replace George Blyth on the wing. His first action was to receive the ball, outpace the cover and then deliver a perfectly timed pass to Oliver Williams drawing the full back. The try was scored under the posts. This was a great team performance with many players demonstrating what they had learnt during the term. 

Man of the Match: Harry Brooke

   

U16 A v Wymondham College

Felsted Rugby U16 'A' v Wymondham College

Result - lost 20-22

Tries - Seager, McLaren, Sellers

Conversions - Hutchinson

Penalties - Hutchinson

Unfortunately, the unbeaten run of the Under 16s came to a very narrow end on Saturday at Wymondham.  The final kick of the game was a penalty to give us a 23-22 win, but this time Rory Hutchinson’s boot could not give us the game, and the kick was tantalisingly close to the left hand post.  Some thought it was over, but the referee ruled (rightly, I think) that the kick missed, and Wymondham had hung on for a 22-20 victory. 

It was a very frustrating afternoon, because, despite the obvious talent in their side, we had plenty of opportunity to make the game safe, but a high error count, perhaps reflecting nerves from the players, knowing how much this game would mean, hit us badly.  Also, our discipline cracked, and we were unable to work with the referee.  As the game wore on, this became an increasingly big issue, and key penalties were conceded by players who ignored the fact that commenting on the decision making was not helping our cause.

There were some highlights – a great interception try from Adam Sellers, Angus McLaren getting a score, having come in to replace the promoted James Halfhide, and a very good score from James Seager after we took a scrum against the head near their line.  Also, some of the scrambling defence in the last ten minutes was of the very highest quality, but the fact that we were scrambling shows that we were not quite as controlled in the first phase as we needed to be, and all three of their tries were the result of errors on our part. 

There is much that we can learn from this result, and it is important that the players do see ways to improve.  If they do, Norwich will not know what hit them this Saturday, as the season finishes with a home fixture, 2.15pm kick off.  I hope to see many of you there.

Unfortunately, having been largely injury free as a squad, we have lost Bertie Wells, who has had a really impressive season at centre, after picking up a wrist injury.  We will miss his physical presence next Saturday, but I am sure that the lads will be determined to get a win in their last game regardless.

As usual, a few clips from the game

Line out

Rory's line break

Ruck ball

U16 A v Bishops Stortford College - This is the big one!

Felsted Rugby U16 ‘A’ v Bishops Stortford College

Result: won 21-20

Tries: Seager, J Halfhide, Singleton

Cons: Hutchinson (3)

Pens:

Man of the Match: 

Review

Just a quick update from today’s match – a high quality match, played at great pace.

Felsted piled on the early pressure, but conceded a breakaway try, to trail 5-0 early on. Then James Seager went over from close range, under the posts, converted by Rory Hutchinson. The lead was short-lived, though, as BSC produced their best passage of play ending with their captain, and no 8 going over to put Bishop Stortford College 10-7 ahead. Felsted hit back again, though, as James Halfhide capitalised on a poor line out, to go over, again converted by Rory Hutchinson.

14-10 up at half time, and all to play for. From the restart, a scrum in midfield let Miles Singleton slip away down the blind side, and outstrip the cover. Hutchinson again converted, and Felsted at 21-10 were well on top. Pressure could and perhaps should have led to points, but Stortford kept on going, and it was another long range try that put them back in the game at 21-15. Again, Felsted started to dominate territory, but another loose ball with five minutes to go, and Stortford were away. Their centre completed a hat trick of break-away tries, and with an easy conversion to follow, and time running out, it seemed all over. However, the conversion was missed, and Felsted held onto their lead by the narrowest of margins. A brutal passage of play finished the game, as wave after wave of Stortford attacks was repelled by some brilliant defence.

Felsted hung on for a famous 21-20 victory – deserved, but extremely hard fought.

A few clips from the game are linked here

Knock on

Miles scores

Chance missed

Update

As you may have noticed, things have gone rather quiet on the Under 16 rugby front lately. The majority of the A team players were involved in the House Matches on Saturday, which saw a win for Elwyn’s, and a good number will be involved in the 1st and 2nd team matches against Berkhamsted on Saturday (away). This will allow us to focus on preparation for the B team players on Saturday, before focusing on the A team again on Monday, in readiness for the fixtures against Bishop Stortford College on Tuesday. These are crunch matches, with both schools being unbeaten at under 16 level at this stage of the season. Hopefully injuries and promotions will not hamper our chances too much!

Next fixtures

Tuesday 22nd November 2.15pm, home
Under 16a and b v Bishop Stortford College

Felsted U15 Daily Mail Cup report

Result: Won 7-0
A gritty defensive display allowed Felsted to progress into the regional quarter finals. In the first half Felsted had the ball for at most 2 minutes, but good organisation, communication and tackling restricted the opponents’ chances, who were organised and went through the phases very well. In the second half it was more of the same but gradually Felsted started winning some ball. The turning point came when Saffron Walden with sustained pressure earned a penalty under the posts. However the kick was missed. With 5 minutes to go Felsted got into the opponents 22 for the first time. Oliver Williams caught a line out, fed Tom Kingham who gave the ball to Max Malins who burst through three tackles to score. He converted the kick from just wide of the posts.
Man of the Match: Oliver Williams

1st XV v Great Baddow School (DM Cup R3) - Felsted great rather than bad

Result: Won 53-0 (Game completed 12 minutes early) 
Tries: Dennis 4, Walsh 2, Lillie 2,Hartley 1
Cons: Withers 4
Great Baddow having comfortably come through the last round arrived at Felsted who were not at full strength due to injuries and a fieldtrip, but the under studies proved that the XV have strength in depth and the players have plenty of competition for places in the coming weeks after half term. Daniel Withers moved across to 10 and Jack Stevens moved up to the XV at 13 and cut angles superbly all afternoon. The handling and offloading was again impressive at times and although tougher games are to come the pattern of play is now well established. Matthew Salter played well covering on the wing and Rob Dennis continued his try scoring frenzy with another 4! The service to the back three was excellent and the forwards again set the platform with the hard yards being made by Hugh Fillingham and Chris George in the engine room. The Captain was outstanding again.
Man of the Match: Chris George

 

1st XV v Brentwood - Living in a Dennis wonderland

Result: Won 66-0 (Game completed 20 minutes early)
Tries: Dennis 4, Withers 2, Malins W 1, Hardy 1,Fillingham 1, Lillie 1
Cons: Malins W 8
This game started slowly for the XV with Brentwood actually on the attack for 5 minutes, before the first really meaningful possession the side had saw Rob Dennis finish off a spectacular backs move to score the first of his 4 tries during the afternoon. The handling across the XV was outstanding and Brentwood although keen to make the odd big hit spent the afternoon chasing shadows. William Malins continued his good form at 10 and added to his general play with 8/10 conversions. The hard working Hugh Fillingham and Jordan Lillie were rewarded with tries and Daniel Withers finished off some slick backs handling for his two crosses of the white line. The game was blown up 20 minutes early after the XV took total control over the opposition who just couldn’t handle the pace of the game.
Man of the Match: Jordan Lillie
 
     

1st XV v RHS Holbrook - One way traffic

Result: Won 32-5
Tries: Dennis, Malins S, Malins W, Hartley 2, Oxnam 
Cons: Malins W
Review: An away trip on a Tuesday in windy conditions can be a tricky affair, but with the XV playing well they dispatched RHS Holbrook who put up a spirited display in routine style. They didn’t quite reach the heights of the first half on Saturday, but the tries either side of half time were well executed. The game started with Felsted on the back foot until Robert Dennis having been fed by Sam Malins in his own 22 scored a magnificent individual try from 70 metres. The XV didn’t look back and with the Captain Rory Hartley rampaging from the back row with the ever improving William Hiett RHS found life tough. The final 10 minutes was a little scrappy, but again the damage was done.
Man of the Match: Robert Dennis 

   

1st XV v Gresham’s School - Power, pressure and panache

Result: Won 31-10
Tries: Dennis 2, Withers, Malins W, Hiett
Cons: Malins W 3
Review: The XV were now playing with confidence and the first half saw the team put together the most convincing display to date. The interlinking between forwards and backs was at times breathtaking and the 4 tries that followed were all of high quality. The backline executed ruthlessly and the platform set by the pack was excellent. The pick of the tries was a switch in play by William Malins that saw quick hands by Phillip Walsh and Hugh Fillingham to put Robert Dennis away down the right. The other tries were not far behind and although the XV struggled a little more in the 2nd half, mainly due to the penalty count going against the side the damage was certainly done. The highlight from a Felsted viewpoint in the 2nd half was a leaping William Hiett taking a high ball before stepping his way in for his maiden try.
Man of the Match: William Hiett 

     

1st XV v Wisbech Grammar School - Bouncebackability

Result: Won 55-3
Tries: Malins W 3, Withers, Malins S, Hartley, Brookes-Ward, Weaver
Cons: Malins W 5, Walsh
Pens: Malins W
After not fronting up on the Saturday for 35 minutes it was important to bounce back and the XV put together an excellent performance against a XV who were always going to struggle against the pace in the Felsted backline. William Malins stole the headlines again with his second hat-trick of the season, but the performance was signified by fantastic support play and finishing. Oliver Brookes-Ward who was playing his first season as a forward was proving ever present in open play and Rory Hartley again led with passion and skill. The XV still will be annoyed at conceding turnovers in midfield and it will be an area to focus on in the matches to come. Congratulations to Cy Weaver who had secured a starting place after showing good form in the 2nd XV.
Man of the Match: Oliver Brookes-Ward

1st XV v Bishop’s Stortford High School - Left too much to do

Result: Lost 24-3
Pens: Malins W

Against a strong XV it is essential you turn up away from home to challenge in the key areas. The XV got pre-occupied with the referee’s decisions and did not get into the game until half time, when the score was already 24-3. The second half saw a much more disciplined performance with much more spirit upfront, but with BSHS able to kill the game or any phases of play and not risk a kick at goal the odds were stacked against the XV getting back into the game. BSHS were deserved winners, but were fortunate to not have any players sin binned after 7 consecutive offences in their 22. A fine performance upfront by Hugo Chaplin was noted by the coaches after another display punching above his weight.  
Man of the Match: Hugo Chaplin 
 

1st XV v Colchester 6th Form College - Felsted are the ones with form

Result: Won 52-5
Tries: W Malins 3, Walsh, Sexton, Weaver, Stevens, Hartley 
Cons: W Mailns 4, Walsh 2
The score identifies that this was a comfortable victory for the XV, but at times the game became unstructured and the contact area was rather scrappy. The opposition challenged well upfront, but could not cope with the pace and balanced running of the back line. William Malins scored a hat-trick of tries and tallied an impressive 23 points on the day. Harder challenges in the competition will certainly lie ahead and the XV will be looking for a more disciplined display in R2. Several 2nd XV players made an impact from the bench and Weaver and Stevens both crossed the line.
Man of the Match: William Malins

   

1st XV v Haileybury College - Sin bin cost XV

Result: Lost 37-14
Tries: Dennis
Pens: Malins W 3

Review: The game was decided 15 minutes into the 2nd Half when a sin bin for hands saw Haileybury score 17 unanswered points in 10 minutes. This was magnified by loosing Dominic Oxnam to injury and the scrums to uncontested. It was a harsh call in the fact he was singled out, but the XV will learn a lot about the importance of maintaining discipline. Haileybury were worthy winners on the day, but at 10 – 9 at half time the XV had an opportunity to snatch victory. Rob Dennis finished off a fantastic backs move to score in the corner after the hard working Daniel Withers released him.
Man of the Match: Daniel Withers 


   

Half term finishes on a high

Game 7
Felsted 55 - 0 Westcliff

MOTM: Sam Seacombe

A very pleasing way to finish the half term, although this wasn't all plain sailing.  The first half was witness to some good passages of play that - rather like the RHS game - were interspersed with periods where the boys seemed to be going through the motions.  Dan Benson's opening try was one example where the team put together some exciting phases of play and was quickly followed by James Seager's 60-metre dash where he brushed past at least half-a-dozen would be tacklers.  James attempted the same thing in the second half, but managed to drop the ball as he crossed the line!  These two quick tries seemed to have an inverse reaction on both teams as Westcliff started to play some spirited rugby whilst the Felsted boys stood off tackles and allowed their opposition to control the breakdown.  However our defence held firm and with two further tries we turned round at half time 28-0 up.

The second half saw a much more focused team performance, with James Halfhide again leading the way with some hard tackling that stopped any Westcliff attack in its tracks.  With five more tries and one conversion, the boys managed to finish the half term by topping the half-century again.  However what I found most gratifying was the fact that we finished the game with all seven substitutes on the pitch with no noticeable drop off in the quality or intensity of play.  The only sour note came with James' yellow card - not for foul play but for back-chat to the referee.

It was good to see a number of the 'B' team supporting from the sideline and I have them to thank for the large number of video clips attached below.

The boys now have a two-week break where I would encourage them to get some well earned R&R.  However I do expect them to maintain their fitness levels, so regular exercise throughout the break is essential.  This has been a very rewarding half term for all of the U16 coaching staff and we would like to think we can carry on through to December.  Well done to all the boys who have represented the school so far; I hope I will see some of you out supporting the school teams tomorrow in the U15 & U18 festival where a number of boys from the 'A' team will be joining the 1st XV squad.

Dan opens the scoring
Great scrum
Sideline conversion
Big tackle from James
Miles scores (again!)
Double tackle
Max stretches for the corner
Bertie's line break
Another line break, another knock-on

1st XV v Framlingham College - Though shalt not pass

Result: Won 27-3
Tries: Hardy, Malins, Lillie 
Cons: Malins W 3
Pens: Malins W 1
The first away trip took the XV down to Framlingham, which can be a tricky fixture away from home. However, the XV made light work of dispatching the opposition after a solid 1st half performance saw them take a 10-3 lead that they never looked like relinquishing. Framlingham played with plenty of heart as always, but Felsted had too much quality on the day when it mattered in the red zone. The killer try in the 2nd half by W Malins was an excellent dummy in midfield, after the forwards had gained quick ball from several slick phases of play. Jordan Lillie came off the bench to score again and look sharp in the process.
Man of the Match: Rory Hartley

   

1st XV v Coopers Coburn - Felsted XV show potential

Result: Won 22-5
Tries: Malins S, Dennis R, Hardy J, Lillie J
Cons: Malins W
The season opener saw the XV get out the blocks well with good continuity between backs and forwards evident. William Malins controlled the game well from 10 and the 4 tries were excellent team tries. The pick of them was finished off by James Hardy who uncharacteristically ignored the overlap to dummy and cross the white wash, after superb build up work from lineout that saw William Malins cut a super angle to break the Coopers defence before off loading the Chris George who fed James Hardy. The XV were denied two more tries to marginal decisions that went against them on this occasion, but a pleasing start.
Man of the Match: James Hardy

   

U16 A v RHS

Result: Won 10-48
Review: On Tuesday, we travelled down to a windy RHS Holbrook, in the hope of avenging last year’s extraordinary 41-39 loss. On the back of an outstanding performance on Saturday, the confidence in the squad was very high, and within two minutes, a back row move down the right had put Dan Benson in for the opening try. Soon after that a cross field kick from Rory Hutchinson was gathered by Max Paulin, and after a couple of phases of play, James Seager crossed on the left. With Hutchinson on target again, the lead was already 14-0.

 Unfortunately, with the game at our mercy, we produced some sloppy play, failing to retain possession, and allowing ourselves to lose the ball out of the back of a 5m scrum, resulting in a long range RHS counter attack. Having kept this out, we struck back, with full back Miles Singleton breaking through from 30m out, to go under the posts (see video clip below), again converted. From the restart, again we seemed to relax, and allowed RHS to regain possession, and following a sequence of close drives, they crossed our line. Frustration was growing, as a 21-5 lead, having played with the wind, was not a guarantee of success. There was just time, though, for us to gather our thoughts, and strike back with a good try from Singleton on the wide right, to give us a 26-5 half time break. With injury concerns to James Halfhide and Harry Robins, and a strong wind to contend with, we still needed to up our game. Fortunately, this was achieved, and Adam Sellers scored after a good period of possession. RHS did come back hard at this point, and scored after we conceded a penalty for handling on the ground. The scrappy nature of the game (one example in the videos below) was not helped by a lack of clarity over what was allowed at the tackle area, and frustration could have got the better of us, but showing the greater mental steel that has been a feature this year, the boys struck back with three more tries into the wind, with Max Paulin touching down, after good continuity from a tap penalty, and Miles Singleton completing his second consecutive hat trick. The game finished with a very well worked back row move (video below), which ended with Dan Benson scoring on the right. On reflection, it was a good game to win – away games are always a challenge, and conditions were not suited to fluent rugby. But, the team was disappointed not to be able to reproduce the sustained excellence of Saturday, and ball retention, coordination in defence, and alertness to the situation are all areas that can be better.
Man of the Match: Ben Warner

This Saturday, Brentwood are not able to field under 16 teams, so there will be training for the squad, although a good number will be used in 1^st and 2^nd team match day squads.  There is an additional fixture for Tuesday, with a home game against Westcliff, kicking off at 2.30pm.

Felsted U16 B

The start of the match was very scrappy and relatively poor in terms of our play in forwards and backs alike. The wind played havoc with passing and line-outs meaning we lost the majority of the line-outs with the wind and won them against. We had a couple of good breaks but with no result as the pace of their main player was much too great. The game provided us with a lot of defensive work, which we very much improved on in the second half. Bad discipline from the opposite side and a very one-sided ref aided our loss but nevertheless a lot can be learned from this game. Special mention to Tim Stiles for making some incredible tackles saving many a try and Sam Seacombe and George Bently for some good runs. [Report from Sam Payne]

I am aware that I have yet to post any footage of the B team; rest assured that I will make this a priority for the next fixture.
Man of the Match: Tim Stiles

U16 A v Greshams

Result: Won 5-52  
Despite the long journey, Gresham’s (who had put 70 points on Framlingham last week) came out of the blocks brilliantly. From the kick off, they attacked, with an intelligent kick, and then moved the ball quickly from the line out, to take an early lead. However, in the next 15 minutes the boys put together their best rugby of the season to date, with a score from Ben Thompson, and then two tries for Miles Singleton, whose pace caused Gresham’s problems all afternoon. The pace, and intensity of this period of play was really impressive. As Gresham’s tried to launch a counter attack, the hostile defence of the Felsted boys forced their captain from the field, and as their attack was just snuffed out on the left, we attacked from our own line. Hutchinson saw the space, and released Edwards, who in turn fed Singleton, who burst through a gap on the left, and having stepped the full back, seemed to be in under the posts. Their centre just caught him, but Max Paulin was on hand to finish the try, and with Hutchinson adding his fourth conversion, we turned round 28-5 up. In the second half, the intensity dropped slightly, but the aggressive defence and continuity remained very impressive, and there were further tries for Hutchinson (with a chip and chase), Singleton, completing his hat trick, Thompson, once again in excellent support, and Max Paulin finishing things off. The whole squad of 21 played their part, and the ferocity of the tackling and scrummaging, along with the desire to keep the ball alive whenever possible made this a torrid afternoon for Gresham’s. I am grateful to George Bentley who has managed to capture some of the key parts of the match on video. This was filmed on the PE Dept iPad, so I apologise for the lack of zoom.

Man of the Match: Bertie Wells

 

Felsted 'B' - walkover

Greshams had to cancel this fixture on the morning.  Due to injuries and illness they could only field 11 plyers.

Welcome along! Sorry I'm late

Sorry this has taken a while for me to get up and running; I hope the quality of the rugby to have been played by all 40 boys that have represented the 'A' and 'B' teams goes some way to making up for my tardiness.

To have both teams unbeaten as we head into week 6 is a fantastic achievemnt and one the boys should be proud of.  I have reproduced a short summary of the games so far, courtesy of Mr Townsend.

Game 1
Felsted 27 - 5 Coopers Coburn

I was unable to be at this game due to other family commitments, but it was good to hear that all boys played well and the apparent strength in depth was an encouraging sign for the rest of the season.

Game 2
Felsted 37 - 5 Framlingham

There were scores from Marcus Joyce, Max Paulin, Dan Benson, Ralph Stanevicius, Tom Edwards, James Halfhide and Ben Thompson.  Although by no means a complete performance, it was very pleasing to win so well, when we were without Rory Hutchinson and Bertie Wells, and had to juggle the backline as a result.  The first half saw us capitalise on Framlingham mistakes to score three times, but a rather sloppy passage of play allowed them to get a score back before the break.  In the second half, the quality of our tackling stepped up further, and fairly relentless pressure saw us score four more good tries.