Burnham vs. Rochford U11s, 18th October 2009

What was noticeable in the first half was the excellent tackling particularly by Matt Dobson, Matt Fitz-Patrick and Stefan. Rochford got the first try after Matt Fitz-Patrick got over from the scrum. Tom Child showed no nerves, stepped up to the plate and slotted the ball neatly between the posts for the conversion.

Rochford seemed to be dominating the game and Jake got the second try from turn over ball after a huge tackle by Jake and Stefan giving us possession. Again, Tom Child scored an excellent conversion. However, after this good start Rochford became a little ragged and some strange decisions from the ref gave Burnham the momentum they needed. They scored their opening try and from then on they looked a different team.

Rochford carried on from last season and were getting turned over during every breakdown. The boys didn’t seem to want to drive players off the ball. This allowed Burnham too much possession. Meaning our boys had to tackle their hearts out. Lewis fronted up and helped knock the attackers backwards with controlled aggression.
A gift of a penalty right on the Burnham line should have been a try but hanging on to the ball gave Burnham a get out of jail free card.

Into the second half and Burnham were the attacking force. The scrum performed well with some of our boys clearly making the positions their own. Tom Finch and Stefan were good in second row and seemed comfortable in the new position. Lewis, Owen and Jamie were also good in the front row. So a fairly solid performance after getting used to the scrum against an opposing team.

After huge pressure Burnham levelled the score and our tacklers couldn’t stem the tide anymore. However, our boys came back at Burnham and after Rochford finally competed for the ball in the breakdown. Jamie picked up loose ball, darted for the line and over he went. Tom Child then converted his third try...well done Tom.

Burnham came again at Rochford and poor Michael and new player Ben were soaking up punishment from last ditch try saving tackles. Alex broke away on the wing but lack of support going into the tackle left him isolated. Burnham finally got the equalizer after the Burnham ref awarded a rather dubious try. However, it could be argued that they probably deserved the draw giving the amount of turn over ball they achieved. If our tackling was not so committed it could have been worse.
Rochford is gifted with some wonderful runners, particularly on the wing. It would be nice to see the ball getting out to them. Again, certain players hung on to the ball too long. If we continue this practice it will be a long season. Remember boys, Rugby is a team sport.

Not a bad effort then to start our season, but lots of things to work on!