Half term weekend and the clocks have gone back and we are playing at home against our local rivals the Eccleshall & Longton Barbarians.

Heja had done its best to confuse us all with who was and was not available. We had forgotten where the match shirts were (an I still don’t know) but the weather was looking good and we had a group of 23 players wanting some game time.

We took the first kick off well and started to move up the field. The Barbarians were strong on the floor and looking to jackle after each tackle. This would cause us problems throughout the game. We worked our way up to just outside their 22 and were awarded a penalty. Will B indicated for the posts and duly slotted the kick over. 3 v 0 to Stafford

We took the kick off cleanly, but were slow to support the tackled player (theme of the day!) and the Barbarians won a penalty. They elected for kick at goal, which they missed. But instead of letting the ball go dead, we tried to catch it and knocked it forward, only for one of ours to catch the ball in front of the man - We were accidentally offside! A new law for the boys. Rugby has some complicated law for them to understand….we keep learning.

From the resulting penalty Mason saved his team by stripping the ball from the Barbarians player as he was about to score. Stafford began to wake up and started to get some scrum dominance and turned the ball over at a Barbarians scrum near their line. Dylan passed to Will B who was breaking round the blind side and he crashed over for the first try of the day. 8 v 0 to Stafford.

From the resulting kick off Dex took a clean catch and went forward well with Leon in support from full back. Leon hit the pass a pace and beat a number of defenders as he ran in to score from the half way line. 13 v 0, with Will B making the kick to end the quarter 15 v 0 Stafford.

The quarter 2 started with a lineout to Stafford in the right hand corner of the Barbarians 22. The forwards took the ball round the front and recycled quickly, Will VN keeping the ball moving to the backs, who hit up in midfield to hold the defenders in well. From the ruck we spread the ball wide to Rory on the left wing, who outpaced his opposite number to score in the corner. 20 v 0 Stafford.

From this point we started to concede territory from a number of penalty infringements for holding on to the ball on the floor. The Barbarians had an attacking lineout about 10m out from our line, we challenged well for the ball in the air but just couldn’t hold on to it and the Barbarians pounced on a bobbling ball to score. 20 v 5.

The boys immediately rectified that mistake. From the kick off we chased hard and put the opposition under pressure and got the ball back. Good continuity of play and offloading resulted in a well worked team try for Leon in the corner. 25 v 5 at half time to Stafford.

The second half started well, with the team still trying to play running rugby. From a Barbarians clearing kick Fin H took a great catch and charged down the wing (in front of our spectators). We kept the continuity of play going with quick ruck ball, which Alfie took at pace and crashed over to score. Harry W converted to make it 32 v 5 Stafford

Again we started to concede penalties and were pushed back in to our own 22. First Dex, was yellow carded, then Danny and then Will VN all for different offences. The Barbarians kept driving direct at our line, rather than using their 3 player advantage and spreading the ball. The boys defended well but eventually numbers told and they broke through and scored under the posts to make it 32 v 12.

The challenge to the team in the 4th quarter was to play some rugby, despite being down to 13 players for the first few minutes. The boys responded well and problem solved who was going to be the jumper in the lineout, throwing to the front and getting the ball going forward. Quick ruck ball and Alfie running on to the ball at pace, allowed him to break through the defensive line and score a well worked team try. Will B converted to make it 37 v 12 Stafford.

We were now back up to a full strength team, but the Barbarians would not go away easily. They spread the ball wide from a scrum and we fell off a number of tackles and their winger broke free to score. 37 v 17.

Fin H had asked to play further forward so that he could get his hands on the ball more. From the kick off Fin chased well and put pressure on the Barbarian defenders, who could not take the kick cleanly. Fin took the bouncing ball and went in next to the posts for a well taken try. Will B converted to make it 44 v 17 to Stafford.

We took the kick off well and the boys drove directly up the field. Keeping the ball alive and offloading, gave Dylan the opportunity to snipe from a ruck and get us going forward again. Alfie broke through with a strong run and offloaded to Leon running a lovely supporting line through the centre of the defence and he went in untouched under the posts. Will B conversion and it was 51 v 17 Stafford at full time.

Reflecting on todays performance, rugby is all about working for each other, running supporting lines, making the breakdown and ensuring the team retain the ball so that we can attack space and score tries. We took our opportunities to attack space and score tries well today. But we did not work hard enough for each other at retaining the ball. This gives us something to develop and improve our play as a team.

Player of the match forwards - Mason
Player of the match backs - Will B

We also has a couple of firsts to celebrate today. Harrison E playing his first game at home for us and earning his club tie. Rory scoring his first try for Stafford after scoring 6 for school on Friday. Well done both.

As its half term we will have a bit more time on Thursday for an extended training session. Starting at 4.30pm. This will give us time to work on our set plays and handling & strike running as well as how we look after the ball.

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