Hastings & Bexhill RFC U13 (5)(5) 15 v Heathfield & Waldron RFC U13 (5)(15) 15

Hastings & Bexhill RFC U13 (5)(5) 15 v Heathfield & Waldron RFC U13 (5)(15) 15
Sunday 24th October 2021 @ 1pm

Junior Rugby. It’s a game of 3 halves. At least it was today in this friendly between the U13’s and our visitors, Heathfield & Waldron. Dry sunny weather with a light wind in from the coast made for pleasant playing conditions.

There was a big squad for Team Supremo Ben Davies and Head Coach Roger Roberts (still reeling from the news of a new addition to his family?!) to choose from – 21 boys! All the boys have trained well since the start of the season and everyone deserved their minutes on the pitch against a very well drilled and committed Heathfield team. It was a good test for all concerned.

There were debuts for Azat Kesen, Max Molton, Harry, Ben Parish and Harley who all acquitted themselves extremely well and for those who hadn’t played much before, they showed great resilience in their tackling and positional play in the face of more experienced opponents. Well done all. Azat stayed on well into the 3rd half of the game and made a number of barnstorming runs. More later.

The coaches took the opportunity to mix it up today. There were lots of positional changes. Jared Dobinson had a good introduction at scrum half and was not fazed by the additional responsibility. Finley Davies gained a whole new perspective at full-back, ensuring team shape was maintained. At one point in the second period, he made a last ditch tackle to prevent an overlap and a certain break away score. One of those one’s you only notice how important it is, if they score. In the first half of the game, Jonah Cowell and Rupert Sheppard also led the team really well, taking lots of responsibility and keeping the game tight, as Heathfield sought to put H&B under sustained pressure in their own half.
Eventually, Heathfield were able to make their pressure count with an opening try. It was a good effort with play stretched one way and the try scorer feigning left before cutting back into the space that opened up. 5-0.

Inexperience notwithstanding, Hastings replied immediately. From the kick off, possession was secured cleanly in our half and Azat went on a strong, strong run taking on the entire Heathfield team and setting up quick ball well in the opposition half. From there, quick passes allowed Zane Wickens to blast through for 5-5. Its an old adage but doing the simple things really well in rugby is the key to success. A great reply by H&B.

More substitutions in the second period allowed for more valuable minutes. Max and Fenton Wheeler deserve special mention for their bravery on the wings and support to their team mates. Strong runs by Toby Fielder and Harley and tackling, especially in the close contact areas by Teddie Selfe, Hayden Gladstone and James Barry deserve mention. But everyone got stuck in and didn’t let down their team mates.
Going into the final third of the match, H&B found themselves 15-5 down. More substitutions were made. Despite having to chase the score, our U13’s showed admirable discipline to play what was in front of them, rather than stretching the game and making errors. This strategy played off with momentum shifting and good field positioning allowing Rupert Sheppard to get a score. Rupert deserved this. He had put in a defensive shift helping his team mates but still found the time to make himself available on the overlap.

Further periods of pressure again allowed our U13’s to get close to H&W’s try line but as everyone became acutely aware of time running down, Heathfield maintained their discipline a little better to force a penalty and clear their lines. That was the idea. However, H&B weren’t done. Good line speed by the U13’s off the penalty and alert play by Tom Woodbridge in charging down the kick, regaining the ball and scoring in the right corner, deservedly evened it up at 15-15.

H&B pushed for a winner but the rub of the green was not with them. In fact, both sides had good possession in the final minutes but neither could get the winning try.

21 boys showed up, 21 boys played and 21 young men gave an excellent account of themselves. Well done. It was a pleasure to watch.

Hastings & Bexhill RFC are always looking to recruit new players from 5 years old – adult, girls and boys of all abilities. Please see our website www.hastingsrugby.org or email minis.rugby@hastingsrugby.org for more information. Hastings & Bexhill RFC prides itself on a warm welcome to all. Come and have a free, no obligation try out.