A sunny and unseasonably, almost spring like, Sunday morning saw Fawley RFC under 14's making their way to Ellingham and Ringwood RFC for their mid morning fixture.

From the 24 players in the squad, 17 were available due to some illnesses and family commitments and that meant they all had a big shift ahead of them. Having not been able to play a competitive game for some weeks due to cancellations the lads were primed and pumped for this, with almost half the squad having taken it upon themselves to organise their own Saturday morning captains run through and training, this coupled with the fact that the lads turned up and organised themselves into structured warm up drills and handling quietly impressed the coaching team to such professionalism from the lads.

The game was a tough and hard fought affair. ERRFC showed how much they had developed and grown as a team since they played Fawley last and their ruck dominance and speed was their strongest asset.

Alex, at loosehead, demonstrated a defensive masterclass with making 3 consecutive tackles and driving the defence back 30 yards into their own 22 on his own.

Tom S (Captain) displayed exceptional leadership from the Hooker position, leading the team with his discipline, aggression and appetite for success. A 100% success rate on scrummaging and lineout throws is a stat any hooker would be proud of.

Brad, at tighthead, despite taking a nasty shot and hit to the ribs dusted himself after a brief rest and dominated at the scrum. His voice in communication and organisation of the defence inspired those around him. Brad clearly revelled in the role of pack leader.

James W at second row has certainly found his strength and self belief. Standing at just shy of 6'4" at 13 years old, James was the target for line outs and he played some exceptional running rugby, making breaks and drawing in two or three defenders to stop him.

Kam in the other lock position made his return from a horrific knee injury which saw his patella facing the entirely wrong direction at the start of the season showed how hard he had worked at his rehab and recovery. His hard running and aggressive dominance at the breakdown had been missed and Kam showed he was proud to be back playing.

Alfie was also returning from a health scare suffering from a nasty concussion earlier this year which required further testing and assessment. Fortunately, the doctors cleared him to return to rugby! Moving from loosehead prop to blindside flanker was a move that clearly worked for him. He showed off some high level boot to ball footballing skills which saw three fly hacks and then a perfectly timed regather move Fawley 50 metres down the pitch and allowed the set up for a two phase try.

Adam stepped up into the openside flanker role. Adam did not stop on the pitch. Dominating in collision, turning the ball over at the breakdown and being a fearsome defender as well as having the pace to support the centres just showcased all the skills an openside should possess.

Joey at number 8 was a force to be reckoned with. Prior to Christmas Joey had been a crash ball 12 but the move into the pack has been one where Joey has excelled. Numerous pick and go efforts from the scrum and the ruck saw Joey storming through defenders, at one point three were desperately trying to hang on to him. And scoring his first Fawley RFC try in this game means this will be a match he remembers.

Tom G stepped into the number 9 shirt for this fixture. Tom has played at every position in the backs (except 10) the season thus far and today was another exceptional game from him. Tactically aware, quick to the breakdown and executing excellent and quick passes ensured the structure of the game and the tempo was maintained.

Oli at ten, by all accounts and agreement from coaches and parents, played his best game since his move to rugby. A man that always says he "cant tackle" (his words) Oli put in multiple hits against charging props and back rows and dominated against his opposite number as well as having a 100% success rate with the kicks from hand including a beauty of a set piece cross field kick.

James H was a natural leader at inside centre. His pace with the ball in hand, having the confidence to implement set piece moves and his dominant tackles meant that the 10-12 channel was never broken by the opposition. Albeit unsuccessful, having the confidence to step up and take the conversion of one of his own trys shows how he is committed to developing new skills and wont shy away from the pressure.

Denied a beauty of a breakaway try on first attempt, outside centre Reece was able to secure his second attempt at the same try and showed his turn of pace and acceleration rate which couldn't be matched by any other player on the pitch. And sporting an impressive mullet, it looks like the 14's have their own Monty in the squad (Fawley RFC and London Irish under 16s player).

Sonny took the chance to play on the wing, a change from full back, and showed that getting the ball as last receiver was something he loved, giving him the opportunities to cut wide lines and charge at full tilt - although he did still take the offer of running head on into defenders as he's a winger who loves the contact and challenge of aggression.

Toby took charge of the defence and of coordination in the 15 shirt and demonstrated some incredible clearance kicks and running off the ball, coupled with big tackles and impressive penalty kicks to touch, sharing the duties with Oli.

Cayden (aka Jack Nowell) started at blindside wing, and with an injury reshuffle jumped in at blindside flanker. Cayden's huge hits and success in contact were tested in the pack and he excelled. To go from wing to flanker is a big ask and Cayden stepped up with a display that looked like he had always been there.

Harley relocated Cayden and moved between wing and back row. Having always played scrum half this was a chance for Harley to show he had more skills to offer. His lack of fear and willing to take on the bigger players showed when he put himself one on one with the opposition tighthead and came off the better!

Ben showed true team spirit and conviction. Despite carrying a hip issue he was determined to play and he played the best game of his season running supporting lines and being vocal in organising the wide defence.

A thoroughly well deserved 33-5 victory. This squad that started with just 7 players has grown not only in numbers, but in team spirit, skills and performance.

[Words from Pete Schreiber]