Two squads of school boys have made history this weekend, as the U15 rugby team from Felsted became National finalists in the Daily Mail Vase. They join their senior counterpart with a place in the finals, to be held at Twickenham on the 23rd March, making Felsted the first school ever to have two teams in the final of this nationwide competition.
However this record achievement, which took place at Broadstreet FC, Coventry, was not easily achieved. The Felsted U15 squad, who were 12-0 down within the opening 20 minutes, staged an almighty come-back, having initially succumbed to their nerves.
A game changing 70 yard run by Matt Lumb led to a near miss at scoring and Felsted continued to press their opposition. A slick move allowing Matt Lumb to bulldoze his way under the posts, which was swiftly converted by James Lennon, left Felsted trailing 7-12 at half time.
The turning point in the game came soon into the second half, when Emanuel looked certain to score, but Felsted’s Stefan Warner tackled their winger when going over, forcing the knock on. From the resulting 22 restart, Felsted retreated up the field and, by going through the phases and some slick passing, Stefan Warner was able to go over on the left hand side. A tricky conversion into the wind was just missed. 12-12.
It was all to play for and it looked as if Felsted would score from some forward pressure. The ball was lost, but the clearance kick went straight to Matt Lumb on the half way line. With space out wide, Lumb ran for the line and despite a desperate tackle, managed to score in the corner. 17-12.
With ten minutes left on the clock, Emanuel came back with force, only to meet a much stronger Felsted defence, who withstood this late onslaught.
Relief and sheer delight dispersed across the squad as the final whistle blew for a 17 - 12 score, allowing the victorious Felsted team to celebrate their magnificent win.
Final preparations are underway for the Felsted squads, as they prepare for their debut at the home of English Rugby, Twickenham, on Saturday 23rd March. The U15s face Royal Latin at 11am, with the U18s taking on Yarm at 2pm. All matches will be streamed live on www.dailymailsport.co.uk.
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Monday, 4 March 2013
Felsted 1st XV are on the road to Twickenham
Felsted 1st XV are on the road to Twickenham, following their 31-27 victory over St Ambrose College at Broadstreet RFC this weekend.
On Sunday 3rd March, Felsted stepped onto the Coventry pitch to meet Manchester based St Ambrose in a battle for a coveted place in the Final of the Daily Mail Vase.
A strong team effort saw the Felsted boys come back from an early penalty from St Ambrose, as Max Malins dove over the try line in the 14th minute to score and convert Felsted’s first try. Felsted continued to battle forward and were comfortably ahead at 31-3, following four further tries from lock James Seager (2), wing Miles Singleton and centre Ben Latham, supported by kicking brothers, Max and Will Malins.
It looked as if the match was in hand as Latham touched down the fifth try of the match, but St Ambrose did not give up. Determination for their place in the final was exhibited as St Ambrose closed the gap with two tries, sending alarm bells to Felsted. This was only made worse by Felsted’s Seager being sin binned 11 minutes before full time. Felsted then conceded two further tries and conversions, however this only spurred them on to hold out for the win.
Supporters who couldn’t be there in person tuned in to watch the match live on 247.tv. For those who couldn’t watch it, the dramatics of the match were updated on the School’s twitter feed, which saw tweets of support from an array of pupils, parents and onlookers.
Director of Rugby at Felsted, Andrew Le Chevalier said, “I was getting worried when we switched off in the last 15 minutes, but we held on. It’s amazing to get to the final. We have a small group of boys who have worked very hard. Our captain and U18 England Squad member, Charlie Kingham led the forwards, with Max and Will Malins running the backs. For a 16-year-old, Max showed terrific maturity and took his try really well. He’s one of four 16-year-olds in the squad, who are all improving.”
Felsted await the result of their U15 XV, who play their semi-final of the Daily Mail Vase against Emmanuel at Broadstreet RFC this weekend (Sunday 10th March), to see if they will be the first school ever to have two teams at the National finals of this competition.
Both finals will be held at the home of English Rugby, Twickenham, on Saturday 23rd March, where Felsted U18s meet with Yarm to decide who will become National Champions.
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