A Coat of Paint

Another Sunday, another away match for the Under 15s as they made the short trip to Basildon for a friendly that would give us a good indication of what to expect in the league fixture in January. Twenty one boys travelled and some welcome familiar faces were on the side-lines to cheer the boys on. Alex Purkis was ready to make his Rochford debut against what is always a big physical side. This time a couple of boys were even bigger as, short of numbers, Basildon added a couple of Under 16s to their side.

The front row started with Jack Stickings at tight-head prop, Joe Mitchell at hooker and James Mowle at loose-head. Jack Murphy and Harrison McKenna started in the second row, Reece Garstin at openside flanker with Henry Willis at blindside and Louis Dawkins at number 8. Liam Baker began at scrum-half, Tom Harris at fly-half, Joseph Cottam started at inside centre and Reiss Sellwood at outside centre with Aaron Cocks and Jacob Wright on the wings. Corey Lazell completed the side at full-back.

One thing was for certain in this game, it was going to be tough match and the boys needed to ensure the defence had good line speed and the tackles went in fast and low. From the kick off both sides began to use the space well and bring the backs into the game as quickly as possible. Rochford barely edged the opening minutes with neither side really threatening the opposition line.

With Rochford pushing over the Basildon ten metre line a pass went to floor and in the confusion Louis Dawkins picked it up, put his foot down and powered to the corner for the opening try of the match. Basildon were stung into action and began to use the space well moving the ball wide to make ground into the Rochford half. They eventually found the overlap on the right and score their first of the game to even the score.

The try clearly raised the confidence levels in the Basildon players and they went on the attack again. Pushing into the Rochford half a telegraphed pass was intercepted by Aaron Cocks who left the defence flat footed to score under the posts. Joe Cottam added the extra two points with a textbook conversion. A drive by Basildon with the clock ticking down to half-time saw them break a tackle and score under the posts. The conversion was successfully taken and left the half time score with honours even.

Half-time – Basildon 12 Rochford 12

The second half saw Rochford playing into the sun so the boys were aware that any high ball needed to be secured. A series of phases saw Rochford move the ball from the left to the right wing where Jacob Wright received the ball inside his own half. His raw speed was too much for the Basildon defenders and outpaced them to score Rochford’s third try of the match.

Five minutes into the half the changes began with Callum Blackman replacing Jacob Wright and Daniel Harvey slotting into the second row. Both sides continued to joust, looking for the opening and making ground in the middle third but without looking like they would threaten the line. Basildon using their strength in the rucks but Rochford continuing to regularly win scrums against the head. A burst through the middle and a missed tackle saw Basildon pull a try back with a neat passing move.

A knock to the eye for Henry Willis saw Luke Hudson come on at outside centre and Reiss Sellwood move to blindside flanker. Connor Jones replaced Aaron Cocks on the wing and Chris Martin came on at Hooker. With both sides looking to make ground out wide but both defences working hard it was looking pretty even until a fumbled ball was kicked by Jack Stickings only for the bounce to drop perfectly into his hands on the Rochford ten metre line, he left the wrong-footed defence behind him as he sprinted for the line. With the defenders almost on his heels he dived over under the posts. It’s not often you see a prop outpace a full-back. Liam Baker scored the conversion.

Basildon began to press again and by using numbers, width and size forced their way over the line to put themselves very much back in the game. With fifteen minutes to go Alex Purkis replaced Reiss Sellwood at flanker and immediately got involved in the game. Receiving a far from ideal pass he was hit by one of the larger Basildon players with a crunching tackle but retained the ball and set it back for his teammates to secure in the ruck. Henry Willis, itching to get back on the pitch, replaced Louis Dawkins at number 8.

A crunching tackle on half way by Luke Hudson saw him take a knock to the head which left him a little dizzy so he was replaced with Aaron Cocks coming back on at outside centre for the final few minutes. With the ball in Basildon hands a telegraphed pass was expertly intercepted by Tom Harris who sprinted from the Basildon ten metre line, avoided the last defenders and touched down under posts. He took the conversion to secure the extra two points.

With Basildon going through a series of phases, and helped by some missed tackles, they made it into the Rochford twenty two. A pick and go from the back of the ruck saw Basildon power their way through the defence and score their fifth try cutting the lead to two points. The conversion, if scored would make the match all square going into the final minute. Fortunately for Rochford, the kick hit the upright and the lead remained. One fewer coats of paint and……..

From the restart both sides looked to score again and the tackles continued to fly in. A series of knock-ons ended with a scrum to Rochford, and with the referee calling last play, the ball was secured by Rochford and Reiss Sellwood kicked the ball into touch to end the match and secure the win.

Full time – Basildon 29 Rochford 31

This game showed how important it is for defences to close down attackers as a unit and make sure the tackles are made. It also showed that, when you get a chance, you’ve got to take it. Winning is a habit and two on the spin should send the boys into their next match at Braintree full of confidence.

There were some excellent performances in the forwards and the backs but the boys decided that Reiss Sellwood, who’d played at outside centre and flanker, deserved to be named Man of the Match for his outstanding tackling and work-rate.

Tries
Louis Dawkins
Aaron Cocks
Jacob Wright
Jack Stickings
Tom Harris

Conversions
Joseph Cottam
Liam Baker
Tom Harris

1, James Mowle ; 2, Joe Mitchell; 3, Jack Stickings; 4, Jack Murphy; 5, Harrison McKenna; 6, Henry Willis; 7, Reece Garstin; 8, Louis Dawkins; 9, Liam Baker; 10, Tom Harris; 11, Aaron Cocks; 12, Joseph Cottam; 13, Reiss Sellwood; 14, Jacob Wright; 15, Corey Lazell; 16, Daniel Harvey; 17, Chris Martin; 18, Luke Hudson ; 19, Connor Jones; 20, Callum Blackman; 21, Alex Purkis