This week saw the U8s enjoy a Tag tournament at Edgeborough, in which the boys were treated to almost 50 minutes of rugby each.
The U8As had a tough afternoon, with their opening fixture coming against Aldro. We attacked well throughout the game, but struggled to find our defensive structure (especially after the Christmas break) and ultimately this cost us in a defeat. The second game saw large improvements in our defensive work, but Hall Grove proved too strong for us over the 16 minutes of action packed rugby. Our final game saw us come up against the hosts, in a game that we were feeling confident about if we were able to put in to practice what we had spoken about throughout the afternoon. This game was very well contested, with Edgeborough unfortunately claiming the winning try with the last play of the game. Lots to recap and improve, but a great afternoon for the boys and progress was evident across the three games.
The Amesbury U8B team had a fantastic day out on the rugby field and really improved with their overall play and effort as the day went on. Starting off against Edgeborough they conceded a couple of early tries. However, they quickly began to find their groove and responded with some excellent attacking rugby of their own. Harry and Mathew particularly excelled with strong running and evasion in the tackle. Theo and Harry were superb in supporting runs to continue the attacking movement. Although to begin with the defensive line was a little susceptible, Amesbury started to become more solid and better as a unit. Congratulations to the team for a great day of rugby and for the full effort they displayed throughout all games.
The U8Cs would also be playing 3 games in their group and the boys were keen to have a go. During the first game it took a few minutes to get back into the swing of it after a long Christmas break but after that they were away, putting together some great passes to score a few excellent tries, at the end of the whistle for the 1st match they had beaten St Edmunds 8-6. The second game, against Hall Grove started off in the same way, with tries being traded back and forth, the score ending up in a well-earned draw at 7-7. The third and final game, against Aldro, possibly the strongest team in the group, started with a good defensive effort despite which the opposition quickly took the lead on the scoreboard. The team made a fantastic effort in the second half and fought back on the scoreboard and at the end it was a well fought 6-4 loss. The whole team played well and got fully involved in all the matches.
Amesbury U8D’s started 2018 with a bang; the boys came focused and enthusiastic. The opening game against Hall Grove was a free flowing affair with defences struggling to lay hands on each other’s tags. The running rugby was great to watch and in the second half the boys came from behind to take a well-earned draw. The second game against the hosts was better and the boys showed some great speed of play giving little time for Edgeborough to realign. With the wind in their sails from their first win of 2018 the boys went into the final game a little tired and complacent. Thankfully in the second half they really worked hard to focus in on their defence, getting two turnovers for six tags. They eventually turned out 6-5 winners.
Mr Rouse
