Under 16
Matches
Sun 09 Oct 2016
Harbury
22
24
Birmingham & Solihull RFC
Under 16
Harbury u15 22 - Bees u15 24

Harbury u15 22 - Bees u15 24

Matthew Beer13 Oct 2016 - 15:29
Share via
FacebookTwitter
https://www.beesrugby.com/team

To join or not to now thats the question

Harbury u15 22 - Bees u15 24
Following some initial traffic issues on the M42 and a bridge closure near Harbury RFC, the Bees convened in the Warwickshire sunshine and were looking forward to playing on a rather wide 1st team pitch in front of the clubhouse!
Bees started positively, retaining possession from their kick off, and following a spell of pressure in the Harbury 22, Joe R sniped around the blindside of the ruck to be tackled short of the line, but managed to retain posession and reach out to touch down for the first score (0-5).
The restart saw Cam claim the high ball from the kick off to set up some quick ruck ball from which James broke right to skirt up the touchline for a bullocking 80m try to the far corner - 10 minutes gone and 2 scores up (0-10).
The next 15 minutes saw Harbury get themselves back into the game with both teams having a fair share of the possession, but neither side being able to convert any of their pressure into points. The Bees lineout, with Aaron leaping like a salmon, gave guaranteed possession and the scrum looked strong. Will was provided with sufficient ball to release Alex and Kody on some strong runs but Harbury were up to the task and halted the offensive with some strong tackling.
Going into the half time oranges, the Bees reflected and were pleased with the first session - the start was lively, the scrum looked strong on both the Bees and Harbury put in, possession from lineout (Aaron working well with the hookers Ethan and Aidan) was varied with a mixture of drives and 'off the top' ball and the contest at the contact area was evenly matched. Some good examples of low body positions aided some quick ruck ball and the boys were looking forward to the second half.
We're not sure what Harbury had for their 1/2 time boost but they started the second half with more determination and aggression than observed in the first. The kick off wasn't claimed by Bees and in a similar but opposite fashion to the first half, Harbury pressure led to a score in the corner (5-10) - it was now game on.
From the kick off Bees penned Harbury back into their 22 and after some prolonged pressure and strong defence, Bees were held up over the line to be awarded a 5m scrum. From the scrum Joe R went on another sniping run, sidestepping the oncoming tackler to go over for his second try that was converted by Will (5-17).
Harbury were fired up from the kick off. Bees once again failed to regain the restart, putting themselves under pressure from a pressing Harbury attack - at times Bees looked passive in the the contact area and were being driven off much of the 50-50 ball, something that was operating well in the first session. A clearance kick to relieve pressure put the ball into open space near the halfway, only to be retrieved by one of the Harbury backs who spotted room on the left to beat the defence and go over in the corner (10-17).
Bees regained the restart and after a number of forward drives retaining possession in their 22, Will manufactured a looping manoeuvre with Alex to put Kody into a gap for an 80m arcing, gliding run to complete the move under the posts - Will converted (10-24)
With 10 minutes remaining and the Bees tiring, Harbury weren't giving up and continued to apply the pressure, their resolve being paid off with a another try near to the posts to close the gap - things were getting tight. (17-24)
The next 5 minutes saw Bees lose 2 players to injury (Joe K twisted his ankle whilst caught in possession and Joe R took a bang to the head in a tackle) and continued pressure from Harbury once again rewarded them with another try to close the scoreline once again - even tighter indeed (22-24). A rather tense last few minutes saw Bees hang on to retain the lead and close the morning out with a narrow win.
MOTM - Joe Rogers
Reflecting on the game afterwards, both the Harbury referee and coach were very complimentary about the boys attitude and behaviour both on and off the field of play - well done you Bees! A big thanks also goes out to Dan (hands up to you for putting yourself forward first), Ethan, Oly and Aidan for spending their fair share of time in the Harbury front row - well done again!
What we did well - positive start, strong set piece, pressure in attack and defence in the first half to go into the interval 2 scores up
Even better if - we can demonstrate the first half commitment levels to kick off, body positions in the contact area and tackle into the second half, improve our decision making with respect to numbers in the breakdown (join or not?)

Match details

Match date

Sun 09 Oct 2016

Kickoff

11:00
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Club Partner - The Window Centre
Club Partner - Oakland International
Club Partner & Kit Sponsor - Prime Accountants Group
Kit Sponsor - Traffix
Shirt Sponsor - Monsoon Restaurant & Takeaway
Club Sponsor - Hayfield