Match Report (Away) South Woodham Ferrers U13 vs Westcliff 3/11/19

Great game today from the boys whose scrummaging was excellent. The pack was changed around today just before the match due to injury of Jack who was missed today. Josh, Lukian and Mitchell formed a new front row and they gelled well, Hayden and Cody were the locks and we tried Big Joe as No 8. Once they formed a plan to lock out and absorb the first shove, they then pushed as a unit and at that point there was no stopping them. Numerous times the ref had to stop the scrum because the “Woods” had pushed Westcliff back more than 1 metre (Age related safety rule) which is a massive achievement. With some hooking practise this pack will be a force to be reckoned with.

Westcliff had a couple of very talented players who would not have been out of place in a Division 1 team. As a result they were able to put a couple of scores on the board. What followed though was a fantastic effort from Hayden who made his debut for the team today and topped it off with a fantastic try.

Westcliff pushed back hard but then the boys rucking started to show results opening up a gap for Noah to push through and score a well earned try.

A clash of heads left Woodham without Cody and Dan for some time and Westcliff capitalised on 2 of our powerhouses being off the pitch. Cody showed great spirit and demanded to get back on the pitch but was not allowed and went off for a check up. We wish him well. Tom came on and got stuck in with some crunching tackles on players much bigger than himself and reminded everyone why he’s such a good tackler.

The rest of the team stepped up with George and James trying to put some plays together and motivate their team. They fed into the centres who were doing everything possible to smash through Westcliff’s defence. Noah, Dan (who’d returned to the pitch) and Nathan linked in well and put in some good attacking plays. This created space for Ewan and Presley on the wings who not only put in some testing runs but also put in some try saving tackles. The effort being put into training by the boys is starting to pay off with the ball being passed more regularly out to the wings.

James Skelt’s leadership and manner with the match officials was the subject of positive comment and when the issue of Westcliff pushing in the scrum too early was raised, this was listened to by the ref and acted upon.

George played out of his skin today and was everywhere. What’s more he is developing brilliantly into the role of a scrum half by co-ordinating the forwards in the rucks and getting a grip of every situation. We’ve created a monster!! He repeatedly stifled the play of the opposition scrum half at the scrum with some crunching tackles. Such was his influence that he was awarded the ”Stinky Boot of Love” as man of the match.

Just before half time, Woodham were on the charge with at least 7 phases of crash ball being strung together. The Westcliff defence were strong but could not stand up to the intelligent fast ball being played and Dan crashed over the line. Unfortunately, the TMO ruled that the ball had been held up and the try was cruelly disallowed.

Not being put off, the “Woods” knuckled down and hit them again. Joe took the ball into contact and forced a number of their players to commit in order to bring him down, his quick thinking and playing the ball up allowed Noah to drive on the attack and muscle his way through the Westcliff defence to score his 2nd try of the match.

In the later stages of the match, Joe showed what a danger he can be. He was put in the position of No8 for the first time today with the intention of using his speed and power off the back of the scrum. This is a new concept for the boys and it shows real promise for the future. Joe ran in the final try for Woodham showing superb strength and determination by driving through at least 4 players to score.

The final score 8 – 4 to Westcliff does not reflect how close the game was. The boys came together as a team today and did themselves proud. At every break of play they were huddled in together motivating each other and showing a fantastic level of commitment and group determination. There’s much to be proud of here and with the squad enlarging and experience growing, it is just a matter of time before Woodham makes some significant wins.