Bees under 11s vs Broadstreet

Bees’ under 11s continued to go from strength to strength this season as they faced a very strong Broadstreet side. Feeling somewhat ebullient after last week’s heroics at Moseley, Bees started the game confidently however it was soon clear that Broadstreet would be no pushover, Bees were going to have to work for every second of possession…and work they did! The first few minutes of rugby were like a toe to toe boxing match. Each collision more ferocious than the first and every breakdown, a battle. Taking on board the lessons that needed to be learnt from last week, the forwards grafted tirelessly at every ruck and maul to secure possession. Summer and Will B both had powerhouse performances driving the ball straight up the middle of the field and sucking in defenders. Joe also had a superb morning appearing everywhere and earning the nickname ‘bulldozer’ from Mel as he smashed holes in the defence. The ball was swiftly being recycled and Luca (having one of his best displays this season) was brilliant in his distribution of the ball getting the ball into the hands of the backs to set the line moving. The players had taken to heart the pre-match team talk and were really working hard to move the ball but a few passes were just missing the target and despite the lion’s share of possession Bees couldn’t find that final scoring pass.
With the game still scoreless after 7 minutes Broadstreet gained possession and charged the ball up field. For once, the Bees’ defence was left wanting and Broadstreet took the lead. It was however the last time that Bees would be behind. Another passage of pressure saw Bees defending close to their line. Strong work in the breakdown from Eddie helped Bees win their own ball and when Charlie delivered the ball to Noah he kicked it high and clear of the Bees’ tryline. Brendan chased the ball and never took his eyes off it and as the Broadstreet fullback waited to catch it, Brendan stretched up and stole the ball from his arms. The bemused defence could only watch as Brendan burned away to level the match.
With the wind in their sails, Bees began to press home their advantage. Josh’s direct running was causing the defence all sorts of problems and, as they fought to bring him down, gaps began to appear. Tyler spotted a hole in the defence and showed superb pace to sprint clear for the score. Charlie, who was like a hungry terrier all match, plucked the ball from the Broadstreet attackers and jinked away for a brilliant individual try. Moncef also looked on great form-almost back to his unstoppable best- and his monstrous charge followed by a beautiful, unselfish pass to Robert allowed Robert to scurry in at the corner. The Bees were playing some of the best team rugby that has ever been witnessed at Portway and this was clearly evident when the forwards next won possession. Luca once again put his body on the line to deliver the ball. Fraser, who linked fantastically in the centre all match, took the ball straight and delivered it perfectly in to the hands of Robert. With his usual weaving running style, he cut inside the first defender and straightened and then with perfect timing he delivered the pass to Noah who had worked hard to be in just the right position. Noah applied the aferburners and Bees had scored four unanswered tries in the second quarter.
The tie seemed all sewn up but Broadstreet were not down and out. Two great tries from the opposition before half time meant that the game was far from over.
The second half began as the first had ended, with Broadstreet on the attack and one of their most stylish players mesmerised Bees’ defenders and ran through a giant gap to score. Bees however managed to snap themselves out of their daze and turn to attacking form. Oliver was next to trouble the score sheet after another good passage of Bees team play created space and with Oliver’s pace he was soon across the tryline. Bees were soon defending again and Will A made some really important tackles, and steals in the middle of the pitch and when Broadstreet made for the sidelines, Curtis was fearless in his tackling, never letting anyone get around the outside.
As the ball was once again stripped from the attackers, it came out to Brendan who managed to dart through for his second score.
As the game reached the last few minutes, Joe was rewarded for his continuous toil when he popped up on the end of another fine run from Robert and was able to barrel his way through a mass of defenders to add to the score. Although Broadsreet did manage another score, it proved to be little more than a consolation as, for the second week in a row, Brendan danced his way through the defence to score the last try of the day.
It was by far Bees best performance of the season (SO FAR) and it was all because the team played as a TEAM. They say there is no i in TEAM but there was an i in our team today and it stood for INCREDIBLE!