Fixture

Chepstow U15s welcomed Whiteheads RFC today. For the first time ever the Chepstow team had s full U15s squad with no support from the lower age group who were elsewhere, competing in the Dragons Cup. Before kick-off we were delighted to welcome back Jayden Davies from his world tour of street corners in Bulwark ;-)

Last season Whiteheads dished out a couple of heavy defeats to Chepstow and so we knew a significant challenge lay ahead. A scuffed kick-off, several early handling errors and an inability to deal with a couple of their long kicks, took momentum out of otherwise good, constructive play in the first half. The teams appeared evenly matched but it was high profile Chepstow mistakes that handed 3 scores to the visitors with little or no pressured build-up beforehand, very frustrating. A reshuffle in the backline, midway through the first half, saw Thomas make his first appearance for the season and bolster the midfield.

Everyone was committed and working hard in bursts of really promising play. Will Ruck and Angus led from the front in defence and attack, Spencer continues to grow into the his role and was having more and more of an impact, Jake & Fred covered a lot of ground in both defence and attack, Rhys Swain and Callum were their usual busy selves at the tackle area. Ieuan and Thomas were lining well together in the backs and helped to set Keegan free.

Most Chepstow attacks were snuffed out due to support play that was a fraction too late. Whiteheads were very effective at getting a man over the ball at the contact area and we struggled to deal with it in the first half. There were several turnovers or very slow ball as a result which made life more difficult for an otherwise very industrious Edwin.

At half-time the score was 0-19 but everyone agreed that we were the better team if only we could become more proactive at the breakdown area and take the initiative rather than waiting for the opposition to do something. Despite this, early in the 2^nd half, Whiteheads were able to launch another long range counter attack that again sent their quickest runner free to score to make it 0-26. After the scuffed kick-off to start the game, the restart after this try was then kicked long and it all looked difficult from there!

Finally though the boys worked out that they had nothing to fear and that they just needed to switch on at each contact area. The momentum of the game swung significantly with Will & Angus leading the way, Joe was having more of an impact at flanker and Tom Wacey and Jake Allbert put some nice runs together and supported well. In quick order Chepstow scored 3 tries: a well worked move from a lineout for Harry Glynn to score in the far corner, a well taken long throw from Angus straight to Dan Williams who reacted well to charge over the line and the very busy Will Ruck taking a tap penalty to barrel his way over the line. Suddenly the score was 19-26 and the Whiteheads forwards looked to be running out of puff. With time running out the Chepstow team surged forward, with all previous reticence now a distant memory. We were first to the breakdown and the boys communication also improved significantly. In the end it wasn’t to be our day as, in forcing the play, we conceded 1 interception try and another from a high risk move in our own half. Final score Chepstow 19 RFC U15s – 36 Whiteheads RFC U15s.

What we did well:

1.       Kept going, no-one gave up

2.       Remained positive, every player supported the next

3.       Given how new so many of the players are they are working together really well and this will only get better. We had a good conversation in the changing rooms after the game about what we now need to do and all the boys were really upbeat

What we can do better

1.       The basic errors early on were not as a result of pressure, they were unforced and basic. Each player needs to take responsibility for their ability to catch, pass and kick. Without those basic early problems this is a game we could have won

2.       Getting our mentality right from the start, not finally working it out after 50 minutes

3.       Taking a lead – we need players to set an example and take control when the going gets tough, basically we need more voices

We have great raw materials, we need more time together to form as a structured team but we also need to ensure that the mentality we showed in the 2^nd half is the mentality we show in the 1^st half next week.

On we go……………