Great team display to end the season

Stafford u14s end the season on a high with the first shutout

The final game of the season for Stafford u14's saw them play host to Old Halesonians for the first time and the lads turned in one of the best team performances of the season.

Stafford looked up for this game right from the start and so it proved. The pack started in ferocious style hitting rucks hard and winning early scrums against the head, keeping Old Halesonians on the back foot. After 5 minutes Stafford got the opening score following a number of phases where the forwards drove into rucks, recycled the ball and then went short again the ball was then flashed down the blind side where Jobey Mitchell rounded his opposite winger and scored close to the posts. The Second score came from Dan Poultney who made a determined run through the middle to score between the posts. The Third score came soon after when Dan Cleaver made a typical bullocking run, again down the blind side, shrugging off the Old Halesonians tackling to score under the posts. Old Halesonians then started to get into to the game following their long car journey but were unable to cross the Stafford line thanks to some resolute and determined team defending. The final try of the half came when the backs were released down the righthand side following a scrum with Jack Taylor-Holiday providing the final pass to winger Eddie Unwin who was able to score, one for the season highlight reel (Jack passing the ball and Eddie Catching the ball to score, unlike against Rugley ;) ).

The second half was a lot tighter affair with both sides giving as good as they received and it was not until the final quarter of the game that Stafford got their next score. Old Halesonians gave a penalty away just 5 meters short of their own line which saw the player yellow carded. On came the substitutes and Archie Bent popped the ball to Dan Poultney who crashed over get his second try with his first touch of the ball in the second half. With Old Halesonians a man short Stafford pilled on the pressure and Dylan bursting through the middle popped the ball out of the tackle for the ever present Hugo Sutton to gather and score under the post for his first try of the season. That completed the scoring and thanks to some excellent conversions from Billy Jones the final score was 38-0 to Stafford. Ending the season on a high with the first clean sheet, great defensive work guys.

This game showcased the teamwork and improvement that Stafford u14s have made during the season. The number of phases and continuity of play was at a different level from the start of the season. The lines of the support runners and the willingness to give the pass and trust the other players was a joy to watch. Plus the team defense was a massive improvement, all the boys worked hard for each other which showed in that Old Halesonians were unable to cross the Stafford line despite having some big heavy runners. A great way to end what has been a season of massive improvements. Well done boys enjoy the break and come back hungry for more next season. Its been a pleasure to coach you this year.

Mark