Bees under 11s vs Old Hales

After a couple of stern tests in the previous two weeks, it was fantastic to see Bees under 11s back to their best. Lessons had been learnt from last week and with the defensive line being more organised and far less porous, Old Hales were finding it difficult to cross the gain line. Louie, having his best game for Bees so far, was leading the tackle count and with ball in hand was always crossing the gain line, as was Eddie who made some really powerful drives into the opposition territory. With more ferocity at the ruck Charlie had a much more settled platform to distribute the ball which he did with assured proficiency.
Brendan’s return to the team added an edge to the attack and as he jinked past defenders, space began to open up outside. Tyler and Fraser exploited the space and when the holes began to appear in the defence, Josh and Fraser were able to find a clear route to the try-line.
In the second period a brief lapse of concentration from Bees allowed Old Hales to hit back with a well taken opportunist try. Bees however were soon back on the attack. Summer launched up field brushing aside defenders. The ball was spun out wide and Curtis displayed his usual electrifying pace, pulling the defence wide. Quick recycling saw the ball popped in to the hands of Will B and with a bulldozing determination he battered his way through the tacklers and raced away to score.
With the gate unlocked, Robert soon added to the tally when, with his usual panache, he stepped between two bemused defenders and crossed the line. Oliver was next on the score sheet showing great vision to spot the space on the outside and matched his vision with lightning speed to leave a wake of Old Hales’ players behind him. This try was followed moments later by Stephen who found space on the outside of the line and when the ball reached him he used his gas to race away for his first try of the day.
Old Hales had been struggling to match the intensity of Bees but as the next session began, the opposition upped their game. Charging forward and displaying excellent handling skills, Old Hales crossed Bees’ line not once but twice. Bees needed to turn the tide. This was done by Joe (having another powerful game) and Will A (who worked tirelessly all morning) who surged into a ruck, the ball popped out on Bees’ side. Noah reacted quickest and showed a fine side step to jink through the defensive line and burn away to score.
Bees’ heads were up now and Moncef was enjoying the physical contacts. Charging into a cluster of Old Hales players, Moncef used all of his power to barge them aside and with open ground in-front of him opened his legs and crossed for a great try.
Old Hales were struggling to get out of their own half due to the power of the Bees’ defence so decided to kick the ball clear. Stephen however is brilliant under the high ball and when it finally came down (literally with snow on it) he plucked it from the sky, spotted the space and darted over for his second try of the day.
Noah was also in the mood for a second try and, receiving the ball in the middle of the pitch, Noah once again baffled the tacklers to get clear and show a clean pair of heels on his way to the line. It was a sensational game from Bees and demonstrated just the style of rugby that they can produce when they work for each other. Another week where Rod and I can feel very proud of the great team we get to coach.