180!

As ever, we are in debt to Mark Staples for another excellent match report.

Into November already and the Under 13s are growing into the season and growing used to these early starts miles away from the old homestead. Despite the location change, the geography and weather was a mirror image for last week’s match against Bromley: (mirrored because we stood on the other side of the pitch). The blustery wind was again blowing down a sloping pitch. The skies were again nearly clear of clouds with only the general temperature differing from the previous week…about 3 degrees colder. The pitch seemed to have missed the grass cutters’ attentions but maybe it was the manicured football pitches surrounding it that made it look a bit shaggy; still it was to be the same for both sides. Darts had a good size squad and Beccs had 26 players so it was to be two games of 40 minutes; the first to be teams as full of emerging players as possible with the second game for the first teams.

Emerging Darts v Emerging Beccs

27 seconds was all it took for scrum half Freddie to take advantage of wind, slope and some woeful Darts defence. Ben D’s off load enough to set him off from inside his own half to score under the posts. Bertie converted, ran back for the re start and onto the end of some nice hands went which sent him whizzing down the wing, running the next try in under the posts. He then converted it himself.

Beccs had shown the benefits of good passing and straight running, but they were not being tackled or challenged so from the next restart it became “Strictly Come Dancing” time. Everybody wanted to cut back, step and swerve their way through the unsettled and late starting Darts defence. Ben D, Matty and of course Kunley all had a quick foxtrot up the middle but Darts were waking up and slowly they started to defend . They did turn us over but failed to kick clear and Beccs flooded back down the hill, recycled two or three times before Freddie crashed over for his second. Not so near to the posts but Ben D converted it comfortably.

Darts now started to compete and won their first ruck but their forwards were too slow to the second breakdown and Freddie through to Kunley to Jed who cut in and just sped away for another try. A left footed Kunley converted, scraping the paint off the top of the crossbar despite the ball falling off the tee just as he kicked it. Beccs had learnt the important lessons of last week and were making hay while the wind and slope were in their favour.
Darts were now finding their game but although they managed to retain possession they could not make headway against both the force of Mother nature, gravity and Beccs: so after some great all round team work and total dominance Zino crashed over for the final play of the half. Freddie too struggled to keep the ball on the tee and not surprisingly missed the conversion.

Half time: Darts 0 - Beccs 33.

Darts came back out with a renewed vigour and purpose, their pack now playing as the equal of Beccs. Several evenly contested scrums and drawn out rucks and mauls with no team gaining the upper hand ensued. The first kick for touch by Darts (or anyone for that matter) took them deep into the Beccs half and despite Jed playing bulldozers with one of their ball carriers (he drove him back up the field for about 15 yards but neither tackled nor dispossessed him) the downhill effect came into play and Darts went on to rumble in the first try of the half. Beccs responded immediately with Zac stepping and accelerating straight through the startled Darts defence to score under the posts. Ben M coolly converted. The game now drifted into stalemate with lots of pushing and shoving in the centre of the park but a lack of structure on both sides stopping any half chances developing. As gravity played its part and the action inevitably moved toward the Beccs try line, Darts largest forward finally decided to do more than make up the numbers and with a surprising turn of speed and aggression he broke away and scored in the corner.

After more mediocre but equal play the game finished with Jed finally finding his accelerator pedal and very simply running around Darts to score under the posts. Ben M dropped the conversion.

This was a game that confirmed the belief that this under 13s squad has strength in depth. Every player contributed, performed well and competed. We have an emerging second string that first at Bromley and again here at Darts have proved to be enormously competitive in all areas of the game. The result against Westcombe can now be put down to starters’ nerves (and to all accounts we were dominant in the second half) but now we must continue with the hard work ready to take on the second strings of the larger Kent clubs.
Final Score: Emerging Darts 10 v Emerging Beccs 47

Dartfordians U 13s v Beccahamians under 13s

Unusually for Beccs we started playing uphill into the wind. For the first 5 or 6 minutes the big Darts pack rolled down the hill like something out of Tomb raider but each time Beccs defence held strong. Organised and trusting each other was the key as well as seeing our forwards take this mighty pack on and not be intimidated. Then in a flash from turn over ball in our own 22, two passes and Bertie was gone; galloping up the hill going clear of any hopeful chasers and scoring under the posts. Miles converted and against the run of play we were 7 up.

Darts raged back and managed to bludgeon a try as Beccs failed to compete with their maul. The half now lapsed into a series of scrums and reset scrums with both sets of forwards looking for the advantage. Eventually the Beccs backs had had enough and as the ball came back from one scrum on the half way line with a huge open side they neatly moved the ball through the hands down the line to Bertie who ran in try two. Miles converted.
Again the game descended into a spiteful forwards battle where little quarter was given or taken but slowly Beccs moved up the hill with the close driving runs of Luke being prominent. Finally on the pip of half time Taiga broke out of the melee and with a good turn of pace ran across field before straightening up to score. Miles added the extras.

Half time Darts 5 Beccs 21

Maybe it was the drop in temperature (the wind certainly got colder) but the second half produced a period of the least entertaining rugby this team have played. The forwards surely had a whale of a time beating each other up but scrum after scrum, ruck after ruck, maul after maul, penalty after penalty and kicking to touch left little to make a spectators heart soar. It does though highlight what a good style of rugby this team usually produce. So with the packs deadlocking the whole game it was finally left for Matty to put a smile back on our faces. Following up after the ball was finally thrown wide and Ben Ds probing attack broke down; He scooped the ball up just inside his own half, slid round the winger, stepped inside the full back and left a trail of panting, grasping Dartfordians in his wake. At no time did he leave the safety of his wing touchline, then as he crossed the try line well clear, he ran under the posts to score. Miles knocked it over and the referee blew for time

Darts lived up to their reputation of being big and strong up front but lacking speed out wide. Having run practice sessions and simulated passing moves while they waited for the first game to finish meant that both these teams were perhaps feeling slightly over drilled.

They produced a scrappy spiteful game with the power of the Darts forwards deadlocking the game in the middle of the park. Beccs out wide had the upper hand and should have been used more effectively.

Dartfordians U 13s 5 v Beccahamians under 13s 28