Sports teams hit the ground running

Monday 6^th November

U11A v Hymers College

The timing of this match is demanding in many ways, coming as it does on the first day of the new half-term and with little time for training or preparation.  Flooding of the lower fields meant that the boys had the honour of playing on the hallowed (but damp) turf of the 1^st XV pitch and there is no doubt that the match graced the venue.

The contest started at a frantic pace and did not really slow down for the whole forty minutes.  KSA started well, with Monty E relishing the contact; he offloaded with precision and Rook T simply loved every moment after a lengthy lay-off!  Reuben A looked dangerous at every opportunity and both sides looked to keep the ball alive.  After an end-to-end, basketball-style start, KSA scored two quick tries, but Hymers came straight back and, after 15 minutes, a 2-2 score line reflected a close, tense affair.  The five minutes before half time saw our boys ease off the intensity, allow the quick Hymers’ runners some space and, unusually, to avoid a few tackles.  Three tries were scored in this period, meaning the boys were 5-2 down at half-time.  A call for closer attention to line speed and more care of the ball in contact was the coach’s half-time request and the boys fully embraced this during a pulsating second half.  They scored three unanswered tries and the game became particularly close and very exciting!  In the end, we went down by the odd try in 13 in a game that was a fine advertisement for U11 rugby.  As our boys wandered off for the ‘town-side’ walk back to KSA and the prospect of Maths homework, the touring Hymers boys repaired to their hotel before an evening of Zizzi’s and ten-pin bowling.  All in all it was a fine match and the coaching staff were very proud!

U11B v Hymers College

It was an immediate return to full-contact rugby for the Under 11B team on their first day back after the half-term break, playing against a touring team from Hymers College. The recent flooding provided the boys with the opportunity to play on the Senior School’s 1st XV pitch, albeit on a smaller scale! Straight from the kick-off, it became apparent that the opposition were a big, strong and physical side who would require everybody on the St Alban’s team  also to be strong in defence. After conceding an early try by trying to tackle too high, the boys quickly realised that they needed to tackle lower in order to prevent the opposition from running with the ball. St Alban’s quickly levelled the scores with a try of their own from Otto E, who played well throughout the match.

Both teams then continued to exchange scores, with further tries coming from Aaron M, Joel B and Jonas H. Due to the conditions and the narrowness of the pitch, it soon became apparent that there wasn’t enough space to pass the ball through the hands out wide, so both teams resorted to “pick-and-go” moves from the rucks. Sam T, Joshua R, Jack P, Arslan S and Harry S also tackled hard to prevent Hymers College from scoring, before several good phases of rugby resulted in Aaron scoring a well-worked team-try. It was also nice to see some tactical kicking taking place throughout the match, with the boys gaining valuable experience about where and when is the right time to kick! Due to the amount of tackles the boys had to make throughout the match, the team started to tire, and conceded a couple of late tries. However they were desperate to finish with the last score, and Jonas scored another good try, following a jinking run around most of the opposition. It was a good performance against a very strong team and the boys should be very pleased with the way they worked together as a team.

U11C v Hymers College

The boys were ready to dust off the half-term holiday cobwebs and get stuck into some rugby on the King’s First Team pitch. The opposition were a strong Hymers College side, on tour from Hull. It was very good for the boys to get out there and enjoy their rugby in some wet and muddy conditions. Jacob and Will demonstrated some excellent defensive sets within the game and an excellent run from Arslan, which resulted in a try, meant that the boys finished on a high. The KSA team all worked extremely hard and seemed to enjoy the game thoroughly. It was certainly tough, but there were many positives to take away and a clear objective upon which to focus heading into next week.

Tuesday 7^th November

U8 Rugby Festival at RGS

The U8 boys travelled over to RGS The Grange, excited for an afternoon full of rugby! The first game was a tightly contested game, going back and forth between a very good Springfield side. George and Rudy made some excellent runs, which resulted in crucial scores to level up the game. Matthew was at the forefront of the attack, always seemingly in the right position to make the pass and demonstrate his swerving runs.

The second game was also very competitive, resulting in another draw to keep the boys undefeated! RGS started off strong but with excellent runs from Rudy, Bertie, and Max, the boys put in a strong second-half performance. Daniel put in an excellent defensive shift, tagging the opposition left, right and centre!

The third game saw an emphatic win against a strong Winterfold side. The whole team put in an excellent defensive shift, keeping the Winterfold side at bay for large periods of the game. Matthew and Bertie put in some excellent scores to finish off the game.

It was brilliant to see all of the boys thoroughly enjoying their rugby and progressing well.

Wednesday 8^th November

U10A v The Downs

The boys had an energetic coach trip to The Downs to face a very strong and organised outfit. The cobwebs from the half-term break showed, as the boys started off slowly and went into the break a try down. Coaches from both teams were nevertheless incredibly impressed with the rugby that was on display. The first half demonstrated some great runs from Louie F, Ben J, Harry D and Will B, and excellent defensive sets from Arlo and Uriah. This led into the second half, where the boys showed excellent resilience to come back into the game and manage to draw the score at the final whistle. Excellent interplay during the final seconds of the game led to Brody scoring the crucial try. There is certainly a great deal to look forward to for the rest of the rugby term.

U11A v The Downs

Eleven excited boys from Year Six took to the field on Wednesday afternoon to play a strong team from The Downs, Malvern.

After their team warm-up and stretches, the boys were keen to make a quick start. Following a few minutes of high quality rugby from both teams, Monty broke the deadlock as he scored the first try after a strong run through the middle. Confidence was high among the boys, who all put in some solid tackles to prevent The Downs from scoring. Francis and Rook seemed to be everywhere on the pitch and made some crucial turnovers at the breakdowns, which definitely helped keep us in the lead in the first half. Rook also made a couple of excellent clearance kicks, which not only helped us gain ground, but also enabled us to regain possession after some excellent chasing from Theo, Henry and Jonas. Reuben and Monty seemed to be everywhere on the pitch, making vital tackles, and Ethan, Tom, Theo, and Joel were also solid in defence. However, after a while the boys from The Downs realised that trying to go through the middle wasn’t working for them. They changed their strategy and started passing the ball out wide, which resulted in them scoring a well-worked try. The whole team worked hard in defence and there were some outstanding cover tackles on the wings to prevent The Downs from taking the lead just before half-time.

With the score level at 1-1 at the interval, the boys were reminded about the importance of pressing up as a line in defence, not leaving too much space out wide, as well as not worrying about the referee’s decisions! However, despite these warnings, The Downs managed to get the ball out to their fastest player, who scored two further tries out wide in the second half, which meant the match resulted in a 3-1 loss. Overall it was a good team performance. Jonas gained valuable A team experience, and Otto impressed with his winding runs, after being called up to the team at late notice!

Despite the defeat, the boys took many positives from the match: great passion, teamwork, counter-rucking and tactical awareness, to name a few. However, it is important that they continue to work on developing their defence, in preparation for their next match.