Stafford U14's traveled to Uttoxeter for an away fixture on mother day. The home fixture in early January had resulted in a tight 10-10 draw so we were expecting a closely contested game.
Uttoxeter started the match strongly and caught the Stafford boys a little cold, scoring their first try right from the kickoff. After going behind so early the Stafford lads dusted themselves down and drove down the pitch into the Uttoxeter 22. Then from a ruck Dan Poultney picked up the ball and ran through some desperate Uttoxeter tackling to score in the far left hand corner, the try was converted superbly by Billy Jones. There followed a tight period where both sides tried to get the upper hand, but then some slack tackling from Stafford let Uttoxeter in for their 2nd try. Stafford then came back at Uttoxeter and again Dan Poultney broke free in mid field to score his 2nd try out wide. This was followed by a close range try from Billy Jones and a barn storming run through mid field by Jack Taylor-Holliday which resulted in a try under the posts. So after what had been a very close fought half Stafford found themselves 12-24 up at half time.
The second half started with Uttoxeter determined to come back at Stafford and they again scored a try early in the half. However, from that point on Stafford pilled the pressure on Uttoxeter and they were determined not to let them come back into the game. Some excellent counter rucking saw Stafford regain possession in the Uttoxeter 22 and Dan Cleaver scored in the corner after picking up the loose ball. Uttoxeter were struggling to get out of their own half despite having the advantage of the breeze, a clearance kick was was superbly caught at full speed by George Stevenson who then rounded the defenders to score under the posts. That try seemed to break the Uttoxeter boys spirit and allowed the Stafford team to play some lovely expansive rugby which resulted in a try from Jamie Strike. The final score came when Dan Poultney again managed to break free, running over half the pitch pushing off the Uttoxeter tacklers, this time however he gave the scoring pass to Billy Jones who finished the game off with a try under the posts. That left the final score as 17-50 to Stafford.
This was a hard fought win which the scoreline does not convey. The Stafford boys played really well, tackled hard and counter rucked Uttoxeter out of the game. It was an excellent team performance where everyone contributed to the win. Stafford u14's are playing with a smile on their faces at the moment and all the parents and coaching team feel that its real pleasure to be part of.
Well done boys, keep improving and most of all enjoying your rugby.

Mark