Match Reports 07/11
Saracens Amateurs 69 - Verulamians 5
The mighty Vee’s travelled the short distance to Bramley road to face close rivals Saracens amateurs who we’ve had many close fought games with in previous encounters.
With some fresh faces in new positions for the Vee’s including our captain Callum Porter starting at 13! The boys looked to challenge the organised Saracens outfit from the onset with some great kick off pressure and organised defence trapping Saracens in their half without much go forward.
After some great pod play between the forwards and hard running the Vee’s got very unlucky after a break by the ever abrasive Josh Lawrence leading to a try saw it get chalked off due to a double movement. Despite the bad luck the boys remained energetic and bounced back returning the goal like drop out with interest. A great Omaha call led to a break down the blindside which almost led to a try once again off the back of a chip but Saracens were quick to dot the ball down in the goal area despite Darren Westhead’s best efforts to get there first!
With these two great chances leading to no points it saw a change in momentum. Saracens finally managing to involved their backs managed to breach the blue and yellow wall and dot down under the posts. The Vee’s bounced back and looked to establish a strong set piece with their scrum being a shining light in our tough start to the season. Unfortunately Saracens were quick to score another when they managed to charge down a kick from stand in fly half Joe Breeze.
With 20 minutes gone you could say Verulamians were hard done by with the score not representing the even encounter thus far. The remainder of the half left much to be worked on and Saracens ran in a few more tries in the corner off of the back of some good ball movement between their backs.
The second half commenced and once again Verulamian’s started spirited with them defending for 10 minutes in their own 22 managing to keep sarries scoreless. With the Saracens onslaught of our line being stopped some great kicks from new man Tom Spratt led to us now being the team in charge with numerous attacking line outs within Saracens 22. A turnover from Saracens and some quick thinking led to them scoring another try despite the Vee’s pressure.
Nevertheless the Vee’s spirit remained strong and off of the back of some more quick thinking off of penalties prop Harry Mack managed to burst over! Saracens managed to score a few more tries with the attritional affair taking a toll on the boys in blue and yellow. The final whistle blew and the scores finished with Saracens winning 69-5.
The Vee’s look forward to an exciting affair against Thamesians this Saturday in what looks like it’ll be a great match with both teams looking to establish a well needed win in their campaigns.
Under 16s Tring 24 – Verulamians 29
The Vees came out on top with the last try of the game in a back and forth encounter of contrasting styles against a team in the league above.
The Vees arrived at Tring on a bright but blustery morning with the size of the opposition casting a big shadow in the low Autumn sun. They clearly breed them big in Tring! However, after years of being the smallest team in the age group, Vees are no longer daunted by the size and we have a few 6 footers of our own.
Both sides were missing backs and having to field forwards in the backline. With Ethan, Will, Barney and Ben all unavailable, the Vees backline featured regular number 8 Austin as the resident big winger. Matthew and Charlie were both returning from injury though to bolster the back line.
First Quarter
Vees started facing into the, at times very strong, wind which disrupted the opening kick off resulting in a scrum to Tring. They showed their intent with a powerful shove, surprising Ellis and Olly who form a formidable tandem themselves. Tring worked down the pitch with their big units and from a Vees scrum, this time on our 5m line, they pressured Sam FB into a mistake, the flanker stealing the ball and crashing over.
7-0 to Tring.
Vees fought back and following a penalty where the Tring chasers were in front of the kicker (well spotted Mike), Luka made the break, feeding the ball to Charlie who effected a perfect two on one to put Rhydian into the corner.
7-5 as the wind stopped Jamie F’s conversion short of the posts.
Second Quarter
Tring struck next following a penalty which their classy fly half placed neatly into touch for a 5m lineout. The big unit’s pack won the lineout and crashed over to make the score 12-5.
As the game ebbed and flowed Vees were next to score, a break by Sam FB saw the ball recycled from the ground with Jamie S, playing his second game for us at full back, smartly reversing play. With a wide long pass taking out the defence, Olly P (on his return from an international powerlifting competition) smashed into the final player to feed Luka. Luka made excellent yardage but the cover was coming across fast from Tring to make the tackle. However, with huge work rate, pack leader on the day, George, was on hand to support and receive the pass for the try.
12-10 as the wind again prevented the conversion despite good direction from out wide.
From the kick off Charlie caught the swirling ball and accelerated through the defence for a clean break and fed the ball on to Luka. Luka had options on his outside and inside and with great vision picked the perfect ball back inside to George for his second try of the day.
12-15
Third Quarter
The second half saw Vees with the wind but it would be Tring who scored first with another lineout and driving maul over.
19-15 after the missed kick was allowed to be retaken following Ellis thinking he was Braveheart and charging the ball down with a battle cry!
Vees struck back next with Sam FB crashing in from short range, showing good footwork. It was a team worked try though as the Vees pack held up a maul, winning a scrum. From the scrum a powerful break saw Austin make good ground to lay a solid platform for the try.
19-22 as Jamie added the conversion.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter saw yet another scrum, followed by a maul or ruck or two from Tring and predictably a try at the end of it but the kick missed for a score of 24-22 to the hosts.
A few more infringements from Vees saw Tring about to complete their fifth forwards powered try. As they battled to get over the try line, somehow Ellis managed to turn the ball over and make it to the 22. As Tring won the ball, cries of ‘kick it out’ rained down as they thought time was up, the centre duly obliged and gave Vees a lineout. Using the wind we kicked deep and as Tring tried to play out of their 22 and clear the ball, they hit it to Luka. There was more than a hint of a knock on (cancelling out an earlier try shout from Vees Olly P following a typically powerful carry) but following the Vees recycle, Matthew made a half break before shipping the ball out to Charlie who gave a basketball dunk to Austin. With a 5 on 2 overlap and Bruce screaming ‘wide, wide, wide’ the famous show and go came out and Austin streaked in for the try with a cheeky finger point to some empty trees as he crossed the line and touched down. Lucky you didn’t drop that Oz! Jamie F added the afters to make the final score 24-29 as the final whistle went.
All in all, a fantastic game played in great spirit by both teams. Tring - a lovely club and the hosts showed passion, respect and a steely edge, just how Rugby should be played. Tring used their big forwards to their advantage with all their tries coming through the pack. In contrast Vees tries all came from breaks by the backs, speed of foot and excellent supporting lines.
Final Score Tring 22 – Vees 29 (Tries: George x 2, Austin, Rhydian, Sam FB. Conversions: Jamie F x 2)
Wally of the Week
‘Braveheart’ Ellis for costing us two points for thinking he was on a medieval battlefield!
Players of the Day
Luka - played 9, 12, 13, 14 and created two tries, maybe even three with excellent breaks and awareness of what was happening around him.
Vin - tree felling tackles as he consistently neutralised their dangerous and big forwards with ankle tackles.
Jamie F - solid tackling as ever and played a hugely intelligent game with excellent decision making whether to run, kick or pass. Everything ran through him and he capped the fine display with excellent accuracy on penalties.
George - explosive and aggressive with the ball in hand, a real handful for the opposition and rewarded with 2 tries supporting Luka with his work rate. Fantastic stuff from the pack leader on the day.
Under 14s Vees 8 vs 6 Fullerians
The game started with a burst of energy from both teams. Vees capitalised on an early knock on by Fullerians by winning the scrum and this led to a try being bundled over the line in the first 3 minutes. 1-0 to Vees!
Vees showed their strength in the scrum by winning 3 out of 3 over the next 5 minutes and after being awarded a penalty, Arthur scored their second try to take the team 2-0 up!
Both teams fought for possession of the ball and Fullerians showed their strength in the tackle and will to fight back, by scoring their first try after a turn over in the 16th minute. 2-1 to Vees.
Vees showed their determination to keep their lead by scoring a try straight after the kick off however, as they went 3-1 with Arthur scoring his second try. They ended the first third with four tries to one as Luke broke through the Fullerians back line and sprinted to the try line. 4-1 to Vees!
Fullerians started the second third strongly, scoring an early try straight from the kick off. They followed this up with another try, which brought the score to 4-3 in the first five minutes. Vees won a scrum soon after and Freddie S used his speed and agility to get Vees their fifth try of the game. 5-3 to Vees!
Both teams fought well and showed good strength in the face of some hard tackles. Fullerians defended well and won two scrums close to their try line to keep Vees at bay, but they couldn’t take Arthur down as he used his strength to charge over the line and score his 3rd try. 6-3 to Vees!
A penalty was awarded to Fullerians towards the end of the second third and they showed good cohesion to get the ball over the line for their 4th try. They were denied the chance for a fifth after some impressive defending by Vees and a player being forced out of touch. The whistle blew before the re-start could be taken and the score was 6-4 to Vees going into the final third.
It was a dual of endurance with scrum after scrum during the final third and Fullerians made the outcome of the game uncertain by scoring their fifth try! 6-5 to Vees with less than 15 minutes to play.
Vees were not to be beaten today however and Freddie C scored their seventh try after some impressive ball control and passing. 7-5 to Vees! They were strong in the scrum, fast on the run and fierce in their efforts to take players down, win the ball back and score points.
Arthur got his fourth try of the game after some great team work by the boys, which allowed him to break through the Fullerians defence once again. 8-5 to Vees!
The last play of the game saw Fullerians score a consolation try after breaking through our back line and this was an example of their refusal to give up, despite never being able to get back on level terms. The game ended with Vees winning 8 tries to 6 and it was truly a well deserved win. They had no subs today and had a player injured in the final third but they played with unwavering determination and belief.
Enfield Ignatians v Verulamians U13s 4 - 1
The U13s played a game against a strong Ignatians side. With torrential rain and hailstones starting at the beginning of the warm up and lasting until the game started.
Both teams started the game well and the play was fiercely contested in the middle with both teams tackling and rucking well. Late in the first half Enfield ran in a few tries, working well in packs and eventually scoring after some good hard fought rucks and good work from their scrum.
At the start of the 2nd half Verulamians fought back with some good runs, and were unlucky not to have a try awarded on the line as they had not been able to ground the ball with several players holding the ball up.
The verualamians wingers and full back tackled really well stopping seveal runs late on. Enfield managed to score one early on in the second half and one late on also. Verulamians did manage a consolation try with some great support play at the end and looked the stronger side as the game was finishing. Well done to the boys and hopefully that hard work will show in our next outing in our first league game of the season.
U12s Fullarians 6 – 3 Verulamians
Fullarians were keen to host a specially organised match under the floodlights, as an early intro to Youth Rugby. The changing rooms were opened up, a proper referee provided and the promise of a hot meal afterwards.
Both teams were up for it and the performance matched the occasion. Fire works from the off with V’s driving forward from the start, building phases and Sam dictating play from behind the ruck. Only a marginal forward pass would prevent an early try.
The defences of both teams were the dominant force and after 15 minutes of the 1st half, the score was still 0-0. Fullarians finally managed to find a gap just before half time and scored to make it 1-0.
As the defences continued to hold out, even our untouchable flying winger James was caught and tackled after breaking free and at the break 1-0 was probably flattering to Fullarians as V’s fell foul to forward passes on two more occasions to prevent guaranteed trys!
Having conceded a 2nd try quite early into the 2nd half to an exceptional solo run, V’s struck back. The midfield building phases and moving forward up the pitch, James showed an amazing change of pace to cross the line in the far corner, in front of the V’s fans.
As fatigue set in for both sides, the game opened up and Fullers took advantage running in 3 more tries with some excellent passing. Oscar managed to stop the rot though with a lovely solo effort. 5-2.
With minutes to go, V’s struck with a good team try finished by Olly J to make it 5-3 and the chance of a comeback, but the clock wasn’t on our side and the final play was concluded with a lovely score from Fullers, moving the ball all the way across the field to score in the corner. The wild celebrations proving they had been properly tested by a V’s team that were tasting their 1st really competitive one-off game.
A 6-3 finish to warm applause from all watching, which was the only warmth available at the end, as Fullers had forgotten to order the pizzas!! Thanks go to Fullarians for going to such an effort.