Under 11s
Matches
Sun 31 Jan 2016
Heaton Moor RUFC
Under 11s
26
14
Ashton Under Lyne/Leigh
Beauty in the Bleak

Beauty in the Bleak

Kevin Connell4 Feb 2016 - 12:49
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Rugby? In that??

There are times when you have to question the sanity of organising kids’ outdoor sports in the English winter. This Sunday was cold and wet, the pitch has been battered by weeks of rain but, despite all of this, warm beds were eschewed and 30 U11’s pulled on the Red, Black and Amber and showed up ready to represent their club.

In hope rather than expectation a triangular had been arranged with new opponents Ashton Under Lyne and Leigh. In spite of everyone’s best efforts, we have had more games cancelled than played this year so it was great to see the kids out there doing their thing.

Reds

Reds were first into battle against a strong Leigh outfit. The physique of our opponents, small pitch and difficult ground conditions reminded me of our battle with Manchester before Christmas but the Reds showed they had learned something from that game by really fronting up physically. Charlie B and Freya led the way, taking responsibility for lining up against Leigh’s most powerful runners but Christian and Charlie S also showed that attitude counts for as much as physicality in the heat of battle. Patient probing runs backed up by determined rucking saw the Reds go in at half-time 2-0 up. Leigh’s day improved from there as they pegged us back to 2-2 at full time but that was more a reflection of Leigh’s brilliance than our kids’ efforts. The highlight was a picture-perfect tackle by Cameron sliding (mud-assisted) down a runner’s legs before clinging on to his boots.

The Reds found more space in the second game against AUL. William, Antoon, Cameron, Christian and Max all took advantage of the space on offer to make breaks and cross what was left of the goal line. Daniel scored the try of the day with a weaving run that left half of AUL’s team flailing in his wake. Another highlight was the intelligent re-starts. The Reds are really probing for weakness and looking to recover possession by kicking to space and chasing hard.

It was also great to see Henry make several tackles and carries in this game and Joe M playing his best game yet for Heaton Moor. Everyone contributed to a 7-1 win.

Blacks by Steve Demidoff

As Kevin has mentioned, it wasn't the best of days weather wise. There were tears before kick off and that was just the coaches! The Blacks warmed up with some wrestling and rucking as well as some passing, and this carried on seamlessly into the first match against Ashton. The boys dominated from the first touch and produced some great attacking rugby. Given that the ball was like a bar of soap the handling was fantastic and the intent to pass the ball wide was particularly pleasing.

The tries were spread across the team with each one scored in each player's typical style. Wonderful runs into the corner by Nick and William, explosive bursts from Tom and mazy runs from Oliver C. I particularly enjoyed Fraser's try as he spotted a great gap, sidestepped like Rory Underwood (too old a reference? - kids, look up on youtube) and burst through at an angle before touching down - a great try.

The blacks built up a large lead by half time, having not conceded. All credit to Ashton for the way they fought back and the spirit they showed. Ashton scored 2 tries but the blacks still edged the second half , winning the match 7-2.

Leigh came with a winning reputation and they proved to be a stern test. The Blacks went 1 up and this stirred the opposition into life. Like all the teams from their area, they tackled, rucked and mauled hard. Despite losing this match 3-1, i actually enjoyed this match more than the first. Not only did we continue to play positive attacking rugby by showing great handling, passing and off loading skills, we also went up a notch or two in terms of intensity. The boys had to, given the opposition, but credit to them for realising this early on, and being able to embrace the conditions and "get themselves dirty" (imagine the famous picture of Fran Cotton - another old reference!)

This was exemplified by a great bit of defensive play on our try line. A powerful Leigh player surged through and it seemed like a try was inevitable. Not to Euan- he stopped the Leigh player in his tracks from behind and was quickly assisted by Tom. It wasn't over as the Leigh support was good and they still had the momentum. Thankfully, the rest of the Blacks were on the ball and all of them recovered to help their team mates, pushing Leigh back to stop the try - great team work - well done boys.

Every player could have genuinely got player of the week. The way they played, both in attack and in defense, in those conditions, made me so proud. Euan has been at the top of his game for weeks, and Fraser goes about his play in a quiet no nonsense way. Both were up there but so was Tom. We all know the power he has which he uses to full effect, both in attack and defense, but i love his dummy passes and side steps - great skill. He was every where all day - a well deserved player of the week award.

Well done all - i can't wait for the next few matches

Head Coach’s Comments

I was lucky enough to have a good look at all the squads this weekend and couldn’t wish to see a better spread of talent.

For the Blacks, William’s game awareness really stood out as did an unbelievable piece of skill by Euan. First he plucked a re-start from over his shoulder (I checked his palms for glue afterwards) and then produced one of the best draw and passes that you could wish to see (credit also to his team-mates as they read it, taking the pass on the run and going over for a picture perfect score).

I also enjoyed the Amber’s blend of power and finesse. James’ mixed bag of chips and grubbers to himself and an in-tune Caelan was just spell binding. The highlight, however, was an unorthodox one-handed sling to his wide-open winger as the AUL tacklers closed in on him.

Overall we saw a good blend of patient and daring rugby played in atrocious conditions. The kids have years to learn the right time and place for both but, for now, it was just great to be out there watching them doing their thing. Well done everybody!

Match details

Match date

Sun 31 Jan 2016

Kickoff

10:30
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Sponsors - Julian Wadden & Company