Sevens Up

The fine summer weather seemed be long gone as we headed to Westcliff in steady drizzle for the first of this seasons floodlit tournaments organised by Essex RFU. However the advantage was that the rain softened the hard late-summer pitches although it also made handling a little more difficult.

With the boys having been in pre-season now for nine weeks this provided an opportunity for Head Coach Michael Guess to see how the boys were developing as individuals and as a team.

Game 1

Mavericks v Rochford Academy

First sevens match, first competitive game as a combined U17/18 side, and you get drawn against a side recognised as one of the strongest in the county. What you would call a tough ask, but one that Rochford welcomed.

What must have been the game of the evening the play went back and forth with both sides exploiting their chances and scoring on a regular basis. Mavericks have earned their reputation as one of the toughest sides in the county but they never got clear of Rochford and just edged the nine tries in the match.

Final Score: Mavericks 25-20 Rochford Academy

Game 2

Westcliff v Rochford Academy

It’s been a while since either age group played their nearest neighbours but we knew they would be a strong side. It was clear that the defence needed to be solid to contain the Westcliff attack and that going forward, the team had to exploit any chance they got.

Rochford began the game kicking deep into the Westcliff half with the defensive line chasing up to ensure that the first contact was deep in the opposition half. Both sets of defences were tight and distance gained from attacks was severely limited. Neither side needed to commit too many to the tackle which made the opening exchanges a fascinating duel.

With Rochford in the final third the ball came to Chris Martin who sold the defenders a dummy to open up enough of a gap to get to the line and open the scoring. Again Rochford kicked for position from the restart and put Westcliff deep into their own territory. Eventually a knock on gave Rochford the chance to secure possession at the scum. A pick-up and go from Liam Baker saw him through the gap again and he scored Rochford’s second.

Every time Rochford got their noses in front, back came Westcliff to draw level and a long kick down field saw the diving Westcliff attacker touch down to equalise.

With the clock ticking down Rochford made one last attack. An aggressive run by Austen King saw him offload to Chris Martin. He drew the attacker and popped the ball to Ben Parsons, creating the overlap that allowed Henry Fearon to score in the corner.

Final Score: Westcliff 10-15 Rochford Academy

Game 3

Rochford Academy v Billericay

In a precursor to Rochford’s first 15 a side fixture of the season, the last game of the night saw them facing Billericay. Unlike Mavericks and Westcliff, the Bees were very much a known quantity having played Rochford regularly over the last few seasons.

Rochford continued as they had finished the previous game with intensity, aggression and a solid defence. Despite the size and physicality of the Billericay lads, Rochford matched them and tackled their largest players without needing to over commit in the tackle and leaving gaps in the defensive line.

Some slick passing and interplay saw Rochford open the scoring only for Billericay to equalise with their next attack. After a break for a knock to the elbow of Joe Dodd the half finished with another flowing Rochford attack that put them back in front on the stroke of half-time.

The second period saw a continuation of the solid defensive play that was the foundation for all the attacking flair that Rochford had shown so far. With both sides looking for an opening it was Billericay who managed to exploit a gap deep in their half to equalise.

This score could have demoralised the team but they came back fighting. Another push forward saw Rochford stretch the Billericay defence and create a space for Austen King to burst through and put Rochford ahead again. The congratulations were interrupted by the final whistle giving the Academy a great end to their evenings work.

Final Score: Rochford Academy 15-10 Billericay

This was a great way to prepare for the season ahead and for the lads to continue to bond and develop as a team. Some great defensive work and attacking flair. The U17s have matured over the summer and clearly belong in the same side as the U18s.

1, Liam Baker; 2, Jack Cahill; 3, Regan Chittenden; 4, Joe Dodd; 5, Henry Fearon; 6, Max Foreman; 7, Daniel Harvey; 8, Austen King; 9, Nathan Lockwood; 10, Chris Martin; 11, Joe Mitchell; 12, James Mowle; 13, Jack Murphy; 14, Joel Parker; 15, Ben Parsons (Capt.)