No one really knew what to expect on this bright November morning. The Newport coaches believed it was 2019 when the two sides last met when we had a mixed gender team. Potentially it was a county festival over at Telford, when Becky and Guy asked me to speak to their son who was lying down on a picnic bench and didn’t fancy it much! Either way, we were going to find out how far both of these teams have come over the past five years and we were going to learn what kind of young man Roclan Leek has turned into.

Let’s start with Rocky. Early on in the game he suffered a serious injury to his arm and received amazing support from our first aiders and a trauma expert from the fire service from the opposition sideline. What blew us all away was the manner in which Rock dealt with it- yes, a little pale and probably in shock, but his bravery in a difficult situation was exceptional. The trauma expert from the fire service was surprised and impressed. We were all impressed too, but perhaps not surprised, as we know what a determined, resilient and inspirational young man Rock has become. We are all proud of him and wish him a speedy recovery.

Now to the game. We lost Stan in the warmup due to a nasty cut, and then with Rocky stealing the limelight after 5 minutes, the boys needed to dig deep! It was clear from the get-go that this was going to be a bruising encounter right to the final whistle. Perhaps the biggest players our lads have played against, however those redwoods were quickly felled by our on-form half back partnership. Henry B and Harry R both taking a turn to tackle low and bring them crashing to the ground.

Given the size of the opponents, our game plan needed to be on point. Our forwards were dogged and robust and put in some crunching tackles and bullocking runs. Jacob and Ike led the charge, and the boys followed. We talk about honesty and rugby toughness with our players; Junior epitomises these qualities. There is a quiet and simmering steel to the way he plays, and this was exactly what was needed today to earn the ‘player of the match’ award with an outstanding performance. Our lineouts were sharper than the previous weeks and our catching at two was smooth with young Pughie playing quick ‘off the top’ rugby. The pack, who never once backed down, should be proud of this brutal display. These boys worked hard for each other. Our rucking technique was once again superior as our boys won the race time and time again- Archie, although missing his terrier compadre, was his usual nuisance self at the breakdown and ensured that our gameplan was enacted so our backs could play…..

And the backs did just that! Early in the game we saw how devastatingly good our backs can be when our passing is on point. We moved the ball quickly down the line to emphasise Lewis’ blistering pace and his arcing run outstripped the opposing players down the wide channel for him to score. The growing partnership between Keiran and Adam is becoming a joy to watch, with intricate interplay and teasing support lines, both knowing that the other will be on their shoulder. Adam went over the whitewash on the far left to finish a wonderful team try that was started on the right-hand side by the forwards. Lewis scored next as he exploded through the defence to score under the posts with Adam hot on his heels ready to support. The next try came from the endeavour and guile of our forwards, absorbing huge amounts of pressure from a marauding Newport pack, Archie, out of nowhere, ripped the ball and offloaded. Henry shifted the ball to Lewis who blasted through the middle to deftly pass to Keiran who stormed under the posts. Our top try machine Harry S scored the next two. At the end of the first half, we moved the ball quickly from nine to ten and ten to twelve. Max pushed it forward into the centres and sent the long pass to Harry who used his footwork and power to first step in and then out past a flailing winger. Text book. Harry then finished our scoring in the 2nd half with the speed that we’ve come to expect.

Lots for the team to be pleased with. Our defence was much better in the first half, and we kept some semblance of shape and structure, but we have more to work on! I’m proud of the way our parents and players kept their discipline today against a little hostility and I’m very pleased the Saxons came out victors! In my view, since 2019 and the last time we played Newport, our team has come on leaps and bounds! Come on Saxons!!!

And finally, I wanted to do a shout out to the referee today. It can be a very lonely job to volunteer to stand in the middle and, under some pressure from the opposing coaches and supporters, he kept his cool and kept the game moving. Thank you sir, your time and effort was appreciated.