Cobham Festival

                                               Brighton RFC Under 10s Match Report

Sunday 4th October 09

Cobham Festival, Surrey.

 

Brighton Bulls Squad:

Alex Christie, Andrew Read, Edward Broome, Frank Chambers, Jake Blow, Jon Searle, Louie Trott, Noah Marshall, Oliver Wykes, Scott Johnson Corney, Toby Smith, Tom Heath

Brighton Bulls:

At last a chance to play the first competitive game of the season as we adapt to yet further rule changes at scrum + lineout and also a chance to see how others had progressed. An opening match against next week’s festival hosts Maidenhead allowed the forwards to get into their stride early and domination of the midfield meant we scored 4 comfortably unanswered tries as the opposition failed to get over the halfway line. Our next match saw the boys pitted against a bigger pack in the form of the Surrey champions from Chobham. However the parity in the scrum was overshadowed by the competition in the loose with both rucking & defensive pressure eventually telling as they failed to find any momentum and with 2 well worked midfield tries from Andy & Jon  proving decisive.

And so to the semi final with the runners up in the other group Effingham & Leatherhead. As always they proved tenacious in the tackle but retention of the ball proved to be the key as we went through 3 & 4 phases of play to eventually find the gaps in the defence. All 3 tries came from good attacks from the centres and after some quick, incisive rucking allowing the forwards to sneak through whilst the midfield again proved their abilities in shutting down the space.

The final was to be a repeat of the group game, after Chobham dumped Cobham out of the competition with a strong forwards display in the other semi final. The forwards & Toby went into tackling overdrive completely denying the opposition forwards a platform & the backs followed up by forcing their attacks back inside which meant they couldn’t release their backs into space. 3 tries to nil meant the team had achieved another festival win without conceding and meant out 2 debutants Ed & Jake enjoyed a winning start to the season with the rest of the squad.

 

 Results;
Maidenhead 0   Brighton 4
Chobham 0   Brighton 2
Effing’m & L’head 0   Brighton 3
Chobham 0   Brighton 3

Tackle Count;
Scott J Corney 18
Noah Marshall 26
Toby Smith 38

Try scorers;
Jon Searle 2
Tom Heath 2
Toby Smith 3
     
     
                                                           Brighton Bulls U10’s

Cobham Festival Winners

OCT 4th 2009

 

 

    MS/GH

 

 

Maidenhead Festival

 Brighton RFC Under 10s Match Report

Sunday 11th October 09

Maidenhead Festival, Berkshire.

 

Brighton Bears Squad:
Ben T, Seb, Toby A, Luke, Jacob, Josh, Freddie, Finnian, Finn, Kit, Jamie M
Brighton Bears:
 A bright start to the day, with sun at dawn quickly turned to drizzle on the long drive to Maidenhead at sparrows in the morning.  We came, we played, badly at times, brilliant at others and we didn’t lose a game all tournament and finished up as tournament winners.  Not a lot more to be said….but, I suppose a match report or to would be nice?
So….. 
Bears vs Wallingford 
Our first game was against the eventual tournament runners up and it turned out to be our toughest game of the day.  The team looked decidedly rusty with bad habits, long forgotten, rearing their heads at the start of the game (the ‘honey pot’ version of mini rugby…).  However, the Bears were fielding a few new players who were playing their first competitive games for the club – welcome to Finian and Freddie.  With some dogged tackling throughout the game, the Bears gradually crushed the Wallingford players, mostly bigger to a man.  Rucks started to happen, runs started to exploit breaks in the Wallingford line and eventually Josh raced through and set up the Bears first try.  Wallingford hit back, and thanks to some shoddy tackling for a brief 30 second period, ran in two tries in return.  The Bears decided to start playing again and laid siege to the Wallingford line, but it was eventually man of the match Freddie who dazzled the opposition with a fine solo run, touching down to level the scores at 2 -2.   
Bears vs Newbury 
The Newbury game looked tough on paper, with their side having just thumped Henley…however, it was not to be.  The Bears, rallied by a pre-match team talk from Big Steve Holt, took the game to Newbury from the start.  We out scrummaged, out line out’ed (is that a word), out tackled, out ran and out played Newbury in all aspects of the game.  We ran out 4 – 1 winners, and would have scored more had it not been for some evening up of the game from the official.  Well done all, but man of the match is Josh for tireless work all game. 
Bears vs Harrow 
Harrow looked a strong side going into this game, but their tactics were discovered when their A team were playing at the same time and they could only field 7 players to play the Bears.  However, with a quick sleight of hand they employed a couple of Maidenhead A players to keep things interesting.  And interesting they were.  The Bears once again lost the ability to tackle and the backs forgot that they too can ruck, as well as forwards if need be.  The Bears were soon starting down the barrel of a shock defeat when the Maidenhead scrum half shrugged through some weak tackling and raced the length of the field to score.  This ignited the Bears playing skills and soon Josh and Freddie were running into space, to be brought down a few times before the line.  The scrimmaging remained strong and Toby A set up a great try off the back of a well work line out move.  Racing down the pitch, he offloaded to Seb in support who moved the ball out of contact to Freddie, who twinkled his toes again to get 5m from the try line.  Jacob ripped the ball out of the maul, and twisted over the line to force himself onto the score and to score the levelling try on the final whistle.  Phew – we made hard work of it!! – Man of Match is Toby A for his ferocity and aggression in the scrum and loose. 
Bears vs Maidenhead 
The Bears had to win this game to stay in with a shout of the title, with 2 draws to their account.  They picked up the pace of the game, having had a long wait between matches, almost immediately.  The rucking was excellent and produced excellent ball.   However, this was taken in to contact too many times from players a little bit over eager to win the game on their own.  Ben T took control of events and set up a great set of driving mauls towards the try line, allowing Luke to get the ball out to the backs, who set up Freddie to score.  Finn P then ran in a blinding try having fallen over his boot laces from about 30 yards out, he shot through the defence, and weaved his way in to the corner to score.  At 2 – 0 up the Bears were guilty of taking their foot off the gas and they allowed a series of rucks to gift Maidenhead a try.  Back in the game, the Bears defended well, and just as it seemed all was lost, with the Maidenhead wing closing in on the line, Kit smashed him over, ripped the ball and set up a counter attack allowing Freddie to score to seal the game 3 – 1.  Man of the Match – Kit for his try saving, and try winning tackle.
 Bears vs Henley 
A must win game, with Wallingford having beaten a Newbury side in the game before saw passages of great play and passages of heart stopping play….Finian must get a mention for his great footwork and always looking dangerous in attack.  Jamie found a lot of space out wide, but with ball getting to him slowly from almost 100% possession, he had to bring the ball back in field, to the security of the Bears dominant rucking.  Too often the Bears turned quick ball into slow ball, and the ball was almost not crossing the gain line by the time the opposite wing received it.  The result was never in doubt, however, we did make hard work of it!!! – Freddie tore the pitch to pieces and score another fantastic solo try having dodged most of his own team, as well as the Henley players, and Jacob used his strength to get over the line and touch down.  In the second half the Bears scrum gave the Henley lads a lesson and our rucking was excellent.  However, a bit too much ball carrying in the centre didn’t help our cause and the game finished 2 – 0.  Man of the Match is Jacob, for even getting stuck in as a forward!
Well done to the whole team – a great effort all round.  Things to work on and look forward to!!!   

Brighton Bears & Bulls  Maidenhead Festival Winners 09

 

 

 

 

 

                                               Brighton RFC Under 10s Match Report

Sunday 11th October 09

Maidenhead Festival, Berkshire.

 

Brighton Bulls Squad:

Alex Christie, Andrew Read, Ben Kennard, Edward Broome, Frank Chambers, Jake Blow, Jon Searle, Louie Trott, Noah Marshall, Scott Johnson Corney, Toby Smith, Tom Heath

Brighton Bulls:

Following on from a good run out last week both squads were in action at our first visit to the Maidenhead Festival. Having set up base camp between the pitches the players & parents soon settled into the normal routine of preparation & organisation respectively.

 

Bulls v Newbury.

Up against a slightly bigger sized team the boys soon settled into their pressing & tackling mode as they dominated the field position & space early on. The ball however was slow & passes inaccurate which denied us any continuity but good solid scrummaging from all 4 forwards allowed us the position to score through Louie, Toby & a “copycat” interception from Frank.

 

Bulls v Harrow.

Next up were the tallest team we have come across but, they didn’t get the chance to use their physical advantage. Good rucking from the forwards & centres allowed us the chance to move the ball away from their forwards & the backs exploited both the space & the lack of organisation in their defence to pick the lines. One well worked 3 phase play saw Puck waltz in the corner as everyone of our players was involved as they pulled them from one side of the pitch to the other. Good handling finished off what was probably the best collective try scored by this team. A 4 – 0 result was reward for a better display.

 

Bulls v Henley.

By now the boys had properly switched on & the simple game plan had been thoroughly explained for the umpteenth time. 40 tackles later & with the forwards retaining good pressure & momentum we attacked their weak midfield as we spent the whole game in their half. 5 tries from the midfield players mostly through only 2nd phase ball meant that despite the conditions the handling & support running was good from all 11 players.

 

Bulls v Maidenhead.

The host were keen to impress but a simple game plan of recycling the ball meant we reduced the amount of set phase play. Their attacks were limited & with a direct running game & relatively effective rucking the boys scored 3 unanswered tries. Both tries from Puck came from good midfield handling & a eye for the line after the forwards again proved strong with the ball on the ground.

Bulls v Wallingford.

A few positional changes and a relaxed mood amongst the squad meant the boys entered the last game in a confident frame of mind. Wallingford set about playing a destructive game & tackled everything in sight but failed to regain possession & field position in the process. The backline defence totally blocked their close quarter attacks & the wingers never really got into the game as the forwards also denied them any space. 1 well moved break & another bombing late run from Jon gave the boys a comfortable 2 – 0 win to secure the festival victory again without conceding a try.

Very well done to all 11 of the squad who along with the victorious Bears squad, played well throughout the day in testing conditions and returned home with the honours. Many thanks also must go to those who made another long Sunday morning journey worthwhile for the players.

 

Results;

Newberry 0   Brighton 3
Harrow  0   Brighton 4
Henley  0   Brighton 5
Maidenhead 0   Brighton 3
      Wallingford 0  Brighton 2
     
                                                           Brighton Bulls U10’s

Maidenhead Festival Winners

OCT 11th 2009

    MS/GH  

 

                                                         

 

                                               Brighton RFC Under 10s Match Report

Sunday 11th October 09

Worthing Festival winners, WEast Sussex.

 

Brighton Bulls Squad:

Alex Christie, Andrew Read, Ben Kennard, Edward Broome, Frank Chambers, Jake Blow, Jon Searle, Louie Trott, Noah Marshall, Scott Johnson Corney, Toby Smith, Tom Heath

Brighton Bulls:Brighton Bears – B Festival – Worthing

The Bears travelled to Worthing Rugby Club on 14 March to play in the Worthing B Festival whilst the Bulls were playing in the East Sussex Festival.  A squad of 13 attended, comprising:

Noah J, Toby A, Bailey, Seb, Stefan, Ben T, Luke H, Josh (C), Jacob, Freddie, Finn P, Finn R-P & Jamie M

This was the first tournament for Noah J and Stefan so congratulations!

The weather was fantastic and the whole team arrived bright and early, ready for the warm up drills which set the scene for the remainder of the day.  We played 3 Pool matches and then the final, running out winners of the event.  Well done to all!

Pool Match 1 – vs Worthing C                                    Result 8 – 0

Our first game was against a spirited Worthing development side.  However, the score line reflected the best team rugby the Bears have ever played.  There were no individuals winning trying to win the game on their own, and it was heartening to see excellent teamwork with good, hard attacking rugby being played with the ball in hand and great support play.  The forwards created a solid platform for the backs to work from and Luke at scrum half had a raft of quick ball to unleash the backs with.  The back line linked well and it was good to see the forwards hitting rucks at the breakdown.  Ben T showed huge versatility playing well at centre and prop positions. Noah J won great lineout ball at the rear of the line out and our rehearsed moves gave the backs a lot of space wide which Freddie and both Finns on each wing took full advantage. The best try came from third phase ball and a clever miss pass from Jacob to Fin RK who caught beautifully and blistered over the try line.  Tries for Jacob, Fin P, Fin RK, Josh, Freddie and Ben T and most tackles Luke. A great team effort.

Man of the Match       Josh

Pool Match 2 – vs Horsham                                        Result 7 – 1

The Bears played Horsham directly after the Worthing game and it was good to have been able to rotate all three forwards to retain their breath!!!  We started the game as we finished the last one with good rucking and quick ball made available to the backs.  Bailey was aggressive in the tackle and with the ball in hand going forward.  He was ably supported by all the remaining forwards and big Stefan made his presence felt with some weighty contributions to the rucks.  Jamie was unfortunate to run out of space at one point and Freddie was excellent at the tackle area and his aggression (on his birthday) was assisted by Josh with great ripping of the ball.  The Horsham try was soft, and whilst their was some conjecture on the whereabouts of the touch line/offside line,  we have to make sure that we play the whistle and tackle, harry and defend until the whistle is blown to stop play. Tries to Naoh J, Jacob, Josh, Freddie, tackles to Bailey.  All round another good performance from the team.

Man of the Match       Freddie

Pool Match 3 – vs Chichester                                     Result 3 – 0

Having watched Chichester in the previous Pool games they were a well drilled and able side.  We went into the match knowing the winner would be through to the final and this would be a tough game.  The Bears defended from the kick off and Bailey said hello to the Chichester strike runner by folding him in half, packaging him up and creating turn over ball.  That first tackle effectively took their runner out of the remainder of the game.  The forwards played well and Noah J had a good game.  Seb, coming on the from the bench ripped some great ball and made a couple of slow down tackles that Josh made the most of, ripping the ball from the maul as it was forming.  Josh also put in a great try saving tackle on the line, creating a knock on. From the following scrum the backs linked their play up the field, resulting in the first try.  As the score remained 1 – 0, we started to drop back into poor habits and a few players started to try and win the game on their own, and found themselves isolated and turned over on a few occasions.  However, stout defence held the line and enabled us to run in two more tries from our own turnover ball.  Tries to Toby A and Josh. Top tackle count to Bailey and Luke.  We ran out clear winners eventually and the last 5 minutes of the game was all Brighton.

Man of the Match       Bailey

Final – vs Worthing B                                      Result 1 – 0

The Bears played an unbeaten Worthing B side in the final.  Both sides were up for the challenge and it was clear that Worthing meant business with their aggression in the tackle and the ruck.  Brighton gelled as a team and great defence held the line.  A number of Brighton attacks were thwarted with ball killed in the ruck, a number of offside drives in mauls and a fair few high, last ditch tackles to stop runners as they were clear.  However, the team were not asking for any favours and continued to play and remained steadfast with their game plan.  Eventually the deadlock was broken with a well worked try towards the end of the first half with Fin P getting the try.  The defence held  again a number of Brighton attacks were stopped.  Worthing counter-rucked extremely well and we need to adopt a similarly aggressive stance in our own game going forward.  The minutes ticked down and Worthing did not look like scoring.  Tackling award goes to everyone without being able to pick out individuals. The Bears remained dangerous and the final whistle ushered in celebrations from the whole team.

Man of the Match       Noah J

Great support from all the parents. Jo needing special mention for the flowers and chocolates to appease the Mums on Mothers day. Andy with his tent magic.

Results
Pool Match 1 – vs Worthing C                       Result 8 – 0
Pool Match 2 – vs Horsham                           Result 7 – 1
Pool Match 3 – vs Chichester                        Result 3 – 0
Final – vs Worthing B                                      Result 1 – 0
     
                                                           Brighton Bears U10’s

Worthing B Festival Winners

14th March 2010

    SH