Aug 31^st - Kings Macclesfield Festival

St Olaves, Kent 7 – 0 Won
(M.Hills) D.Storey Cx1)

Bristol GS 12 – 12 Drew
(C.Walker,J.Hampsey D.Storey C x1)

St Bees 12 – 15 Lost
(? D.Storey Cx1)

Sep 7^th - Hymers College (H) 10 – 13 Lost
(J.Hampsey,C.Walker)

In our first home game of the season, hopes were high after the South Africa tour. However a couple of injuries at the Kings tournament did mean a number of positional changes. In a committed game we scored good tries from Carl Walker & Jonny Hampsey, but a number of missed Penalty kicks proved costly! With 6 minutes to go we deserved to be winning 10 – 3, and victory seemed likely, however a breakaway try from their winger and in the last seconds a try from a maul up the blindside gave Hymers an unexpected victory.

Sep 14^th - Ampleforth College (H) 0 – 6 Lost

Against our old rivals, hopes were high after beating them last year. However injuries to 4 staring players in the first half, severely disrupted us ( Jonny Hampsey(15),Dan Storey(10),Tom Goiti(8) & Steven Cheung(3) ). This meant we lost key personal. The game was very committed by both sides, but the rugby was poor, as there were no continuous phases of play. Ampleforth kicked a Penalty to lead 3 – 0 at the break. The second half saw us gain momentum & we thought we had scored when Max Lewis crashed over under the posts. The Referee said he was held up!! We missed a number of scoring chances, Tries & Penalties, & at the end of the half on Ampleforths only foray into our half, they kicked a second penalty to win 6 – 0. This was a very disappointing loss, as we could have beaten them by 20 points. The number of injuries we picked up was to become a major concern.

Sep 18^th - Welbeck College (H) Cancelled

With 8 1^st team players injured, the match was cancelled. The 2^nd XV played their 1^st XV and lost 22 – 12 against a very good Welbeck team.

Sep 21st - Leeds GS (A) 29 – 0 Won (J.Sernagiotto,T.Buckenham,A.Lai,R.Wylie, D.Storey C x3, P x1)

We started very well in this game & the rucking and handling was much better than in the last 2 games. Tom “Tank” Buckenham was terrifying the Leeds tacklers with his superb running angles and all the forwards were creating much better ball for the back line. We scored some excellent tries with lots of linking play. Michael Hills & Rikki Wylie were superb in the loose and Centres Carl Walker & James Turner were breaking the gain line at every opportunity. Our defence was excellent and Leeds never really threatened our try line. This was a much-improved performance and all the side played with renewed confidence.

Sep 28^th - Stonyhurst College (H) 0 – 22 Lost

We were still 5 1st team players short, however we felt we could give Stonyhurst a very competitive game. We started well & the rucking and close support play in the first 10mins was excellent. Unfortunately we gifted 2 very soft tries to Stonyhurst and they grew in confidence. They had a huge pack and good back line, and giving them this lead was always going to be difficult to claim back. They scored a further 2 tries to lead 22 – 0 at half time. Unfortunately Full Back Rob Parkinson suffered Knee ligament damage once again and he was to be out of action for 5 weeks. We played much better in the second half and had a number of scoring opportunities, but the final pass would be dropped or their last tackler bundled us into touch. The game finished 22 – 0 and it was very disappointing to lose a game we felt we might win. Lessons had to be learnt quickly, that quality sides could not be gifted scores and we had to finish all the opportunities created!

Oct 7^th - Lady Manners - Daily Mail Rnd 2 (A) 11 – 12 Lost
(A.Lai D.Storey P x2)

Yet again we were travelling to Lady Manners for our Daily Mail campaign. This is always a difficult fixture up there & without 7 players, and not having Pack Leader “Tank”, because of his birthday falling 10 days to early for the September 1^st ruling; this was going to be tough. It became very apparent early on that the referee was very “Home sided” and this resulted in 9 Penalties against us in the first 15 minutes. They had a good kicker and he used these chances to build a 6 – 0 lead. Dan Storey replied with 2 of our own Penalties, but a further Penalty led to a 9 – 6 deficit at the break. We were not being allowed to set up ruck ball, which is essential in our game plan, as the referee would penalise us every time for killing the ball! We played a bit tighter and more controlled in the second half and Winger Alan Lai scored an excellent try in the corner to put us into the lead 11 – 9. We created about 3 or 4 more scoring opportunities but again failed to capitalise. With the clock at full time I thought we were going to sneak victory, but with a further 8 minutes of play our hopes were dashed when the referee awarded his 38^th Penalty against us, in front of our posts. It was successfully kicked and the whistle went to knock us out at the second stage of the competition. The team were distraught, but knew that they had not played well and that there was a major refereeing bias. We had to get our heads up quickly as QEGS lay ahead at the weekend.

Oct 12^th - QEGS Wakefield (A) 16 – 16
(D.Storey xT.3 xP,1 xC)

With confidence low after losing 4 of our opening games, this was going to be a very tough fixture to an undefeated QEGS. The attitude during training was superb in the week and the players were looking forward to the game. The early stages were equal, but a kick & chase saw QEGS score an opportunist try to lead 13 – 0, after 2 earlier Penalties. We responded with a Penalty by Dan Story, and we started to play some good rugby with Max Lewis, Tom Goiti, Tom Buckenham and particularly Michael Hills in the pack, taking on the ball at pace and creating space for our quick back line. A superb line out move created our try with the ball being offloaded in the tackle to numerous runners, and eventually Fly Half Dan Storey received the scoring pass to go under the posts. A further Penalty resulted and we led 16 – 13 at half time. We had played 20 minutes of superb running rugby. The second half saw a very committed encounter. QEGS scored an early Penalty to level the scores, however we were playing most of the rugby in their half, but they defended very well and we couldn’t quite cross the try line. The match finished at 16 – 16, however we were pressing their line right up until the final whistle. Their coach was delighted to gain a Draw. This was a much better performance from the team and all the players made significant contributions. This was a good performance to end a disappointing first half term.

Nov 2nd - Ratcliffe College (A) 44 – 7 Won
(K.Grundy x3,C.Walker x2 ,R.Guest,M.Hills,E.Wright)

Unfortunately I was ill with “Compilabacta” and could not attend this match. Paul Scott stood in for me and took the team to Ratcliffe College. Ratcliffe are always enthusiastic and try to disrupt our pattern of play in whatever way they can! On a very wet day we proved too strong and ran out comfortable winners. It was great to see the return of Eric Wright to scrum half, after his finger operation in the summer. This meant Eric missing the tour to South Africa as well. He trained constantly throughout his recuperation, and he is to be congratulated on his effort and desire to claim the Number 9 Shirt he so desperately craved. This allowed Kieran Grundy to return to his favourite position on the right wing and he clearly enjoyed himself claiming a hat trick. Mr Scott felt we played well but the handling needed to be sharper in the final third of the pitch. If it had been he felt we would have won by 60 points!

Nov 6^th - Carlton Le Willows (A) – Daily Mail Vase 53 – 0 Won
(K.Grundy x2,R.Alessio x2,M.Hills, T.Goiti,E.Wright,A.Lai,J.Turner D.Storey C x4)

This was the first time we had been in the Vase competition, however we made it our goal to try to reach Twickenham in this competition after the disappointment of Lady Manners. On a tiny pitch in monsoon conditions, the side played with pace and control and the tries soon flowed in. We were just too quick and organised for a team not used to playing sides like ourselves. With multiple substitutions we reached the 50-point target with 20 minutes to spare and the referee blew up to signal the end of the match. I was especially pleased with the handling of the back line and 5 tries by wingers on a tiny pitch were excellent.

Nov 9^th - Worksop College (H) 54 – 5 Won
(K.Grundy x4,D.Montoliu x2,J.Turner,T.Buckenham,J.Sernagiotto,A.Lai D.Storey C x1,T.Buckenham C x1)

Worksop College had been having a good season and we felt we would be in for a very tight game. Their tackling was good however they could not cope with our Back Row of David Montoliu, Michael Hills and Tom Goiti, who were always first to the breakdowns. All the forwards were hungry to get their hands on the ball and Joel Sernagiotto (Hooker) had an excellent game in the loose. Kieran Grundy was on fire and the rugby we played was excellent. In the last 8 minutes our fitness told and we played some outstanding “Astro Rugby” with 19 points being added. Captain Carl Walker and James Turner were making huge breaks in the midfield and numerous players to finish off tries started in our own 22 supported them! This was the best performance of the season so far, and it left Worksop shell-shocked.

Nov 16^th - Lady Manners (H) 34 – 9 Won
(K.Grundyx2,R.Parkinson,T.Buckenham,E.Wright,M.Hills D.Storey C x2)

With the return of Robert Parkinson, Philip Scott, Max Lewis after injuries, we were now nearly at full strength. Unfortunately Jonny Hampsey (Torn Knee Ligaments) had been ruled out until Christmas, which was a blow to us, because of his phenomenal pace, but he would also miss the opportunity to gain England honours this season at Under 18 level. No 8/6 Rikki Wylie was also a major loss as his form up until this game had been outstanding. Unfortunately for Rikki he damaged his knee ligaments (obviously the number 1 injury for ourselves this season!!) Playing for NLD Under 18s versus Leicestershire U18s the previous Monday night.

The only motivation for the team for this game was the 12 – 11 loss in October. Lady Manners were coming to us for the first time in 5 years, so they were clearly hopeful of repeating their result in the cup! Again the non-stop rain since half term was a problem and we had to move the game onto “Colts” pitch to get it played. Lady Manners were very committed early on and their tackling was good. We played up the hill in the first half and we dominated the possession, but ill discipline cost us dearly as they had the opportunities to kick themselves out of trouble when under severe pressure. They went ahead 6 – 0, but a well worked try by Michael Hills was just reward for the rugby we were playing. At half time we were 9 – 5 down, but with the slope in our favour and the dominance of our pack we were confident of over running them. Tank, & Max were revelling in the conditions and taking 2-3 tacklers at every opportunity. The handling and support play was good by Forwards and Backs alike, and the tries came freely. Lady Manners never looked like scoring a try, and it was a very good performance to put the Cup game out of our minds. I think the boys knew that they had to deliver and the rugby played in awful conditions left the crowd very pleased with their performance.

Nov 20^th - Highfields (A) – Daily Mail Vase Rnd 2 24 – 8 Won
(R.Guest x2, C.Walker x1 D.storey P x3)

Yet again the weather was awful, but this had not hampered us so far as the handling an nd re-cycling of possession had been very good. This match saw us take on a committed Highfields side that were eager to upset any set piece ball we had. We started poorly and it took about 25 minutes for us to get into the game. Good handling along the back line enabled winger Ryan Guest to score the first of his two tries in the corner and Carl Walker finished a well-rehearsed set piece move as he crashed over for a try just before halftime. The second half saw us having plenty of ball but the passes were either not getting to hand or players took the wrong decisions. At the end of the game the players were all very disappointed with their performance. A significant improvement would have to be made for the trip to Woodhouse Grove at the weekend.

Nov 23rd - Woodhouse Grove (A) 25 – 7 Won
(T.Buckenham x2,K.Grundy, E.Wright D.Storey P x1, C x1)

Because our pitches were all waterlogged we had to reverse our fixture. We had not played Woodhouse Grove since the mid nineties when the fixture had been stopped. Woodhouse had not been beaten on their 1^st XV pitch for 5 years, so we knew it was going to be a fantastically hard match, especially with a few players still missing due to their injuries. Carl & Tank prepared the team well in the warm-up and there was a real urgency to put the Wednesday match behind them. We started excellently and applied enormous pressure in their “22”. Eric Wright at scrum half was feeding our runners well and he also gave lots of good ball to the back line, but we just couldn’t score. At half time it was 0 – 0. I said to the boys at half time that they must remain patient as we were creating opportunities but not quite getting the luck. Again the start to the half was magnificent and forwards Philip Scott, Steven Cheung and Joel Sernagiotto were all contributing significantly at every ruck, as time and time again, they were clearing out the Woodhouse forwards which enabled Tank and Max to take passes close to the rucks and gain 5 - 10 meters all the time. Following several rucks the ball went to Fly –Half Dan Storey who called an “Aussie” and this set piece move resulted in a fabulous try being scored in the corner by scoring machine Kieran. The confidence was flowing and two further tries came in the next 10 minutes. Both were scored off attacking lineouts with Tank being on the end of the pass to crash over for his two tries. The angles of running he used were superb, and his Rugby League performances last summer were clearly beneficial to this. Woodhouse were visibly stunned and tried to run everything, this resulted in a try for them, however the back row of Michael Hills, Tom Goiti and David Montoliu were superb at cutting off every 50:50 ball and allowed the team to organise the defence on any Woodhouse Grove possession. The last 5 minutes of the match was pulsating and the speed of play was relentless. Centres Carl and James Turner were awesome in their tackling and this epitomised the whole team performance. With us turning over the ball on the halfway line after one of James’s “Dump” tackles, the ball was transferred 14 times to eventually put Eric in for a score right on the final whistle.

This performance was the best all season and every player was outstanding. We beat a very strong Woodhouse Grove team and all the boys were thrilled with the result. The bright lights of Sheffield beckoned for their celebrations!

Nov 30th - Denstone College (A) 18 – 7 Won
(K.Grundy,R.Parkinson,M.Hills D.Storey P x1)

On a yet another wet and dismal day we travelled to Denstone high on confidence. Denstone always have a big set of forwards, however we were confident our very big pack would be far quicker than theirs. We started well and created good scoring opportunities, and with one of these Winger Kieran scored a good try to get us into the lead. Following this we then played rugby at Denstone’s level and with the referee blowing his whistle every time there was a ruck, no pattern could emerge. Players were then trying to do too much and force passes that were not on. Denstone scored a good try under the posts and we were leading 8 – 7 at half time. The second half saw Denstone dominate, as we could not get past two phases of play before the whistle going or the ball being dropped. We defended our try line magnificently especially Tom Goiti who threw himself into every tackle quite literally. Tom amazes the whole squad with his ferocious tenacity and the non-stop tacking he does! We were hanging onto our lead just and with our first foray into their half Full back Rob Parkinson scored a try and right at the end Michael Hills finished off an excellent handling move started in our own half. The final score line did flatter us a bit but the defence in the second half again was superb and this was a credit to the team.

Dec 7^th - Kings Grantham (A) 26 – 0 Won
(K.Grundy,R.Parkinson, E. Wright,S.Cheung D.Storey C x3)

This was the last Saturday game for the term and we travelled to Kings. We were without 7 1^st team players due to the injuries and County matches and Regional Trials taking place the following day. We got into the game very quickly and Rob Parkinson scored off a well-rehearsed centre field scrum move. Dan Storey kicked the conversion and we were 7 – 0 up in the first few minutes. Kings tackled well but were not going to be a real threat to our try line, as they were not quick enough to the breakdowns. This game saw Ryan Guest have his first game at Flanker and he coped very well using his pace to gain significant meters for the forwards. Our decision-making was not great and we kept trying to over complicate matters. Tries did follow for Eric Wright and Prop Steven Cheung but we should have scored more very easily. We were suffering from our usual problems of giving needless Penalties away, and this eventually saw both Tank and Carl sin-binned for repeated infringements at the breakdowns. We lost some shape with them off the pitch and the game finished at 26 – 0. Scott Dixon came on for his debut with 20 minutes to go after Joel suffered a spasm in his back, much to the amusement of the team, and he played very well using his physique especially well at the rucks where he was a nuisance to their scrum half on numerous occasions!

Dec 13^th - The Magnus School (H) – Daily Mail Vase Rnd 4 45 – 7 Won
(R.Guest,R.Parkinson,M.Hills,C.Walker,M.lewis,E.Wright,D.Storey R.Parkinson C x5)

This match had been scheduled for the Wednesday, but their coach did not think the pitch was playable following the previous days of very cold weather. The Referee and I both thought it was ok, however if a coach at Under 19 level does not want to play then the game cannot take place. This was fantastically frustrating to the players who had just ran onto the pitch and the very large crowd that had gathered. After numerous telephone calls with the Cup organisers we were told the game had to be played by the Friday. Our last day of School before the Christmas break.

The team were very focussed and we made a good start to the game keeping the ball very well in the now very wet and muddy conditions. Their forwards were very big and used the rolling maul very well, however their back line offered no real threat to ours. At half time we were 13 – 0 up. The second half saw the difference in fitness levels and we were able to score a number of very good tries, with excellent link work between the forwards and backs. Magnus scored near the end of the game, which was a reward for their hard work. The referee blew 10 minutes early as the light was fading to put us into the last 16 of the Daily Mail Vase. This was a pleasing performance as the whole squad of 22 were used and this gave us a very good finish for the end of term. We had now gone 10 matches unbeaten.

Jan 11^th - Loughborough GS (A)

Jan 18^th - RGS Newcastle (H)

Jan 25^th - Nottingham HS (H)

Feb 1^st - John Cleveland College (A)

Feb 8^th - Leicester GS (H)