under 10 reports 2011/12 |
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Match Report – 1 Apr 12 Matches: 2. Dorchester v Weymouth Win Lots of tries (I lost count) – 0 3. Dorchester v Weymouth Win More tries – 0 Everyone but everyone played to the best of their ability and even if the result had been turned around, no one can ask for any more than that. As it was, the strong Dorchester defence, which has been building all season, meant that Weymouth didn’t manage to score any tries. Keep up the tackling. Have a good Easter break (no rugby on Easter Sunday). Look out for information on the next session of rugby. Until then, keep practicing at home or in the park. 19.02.12 DORCHESTER UNDER 1O’S VERSUS OAKMEADIANS U10’S After a couple of weeks of lay off the Dorchester boys were raring to go. Oaks possessed a small squad with a number of players new to the game and lacking confidence with ball in hand and in contact. It was to Oaks great credit that they did not give up in the face of a Dorchester onslaught.In both games played the Dorch players were able to run at will crossing the try line on many occasions. In the first game Dorch scored 7 unanswered tries and in the second game Dorch scored a further bagful of tries, against a tiring Oaks squad, without conceding a single try.The coaches worked hard on developing more width to the game encouraging the players to put the ball into space by simple passing. In both games excellent tries were scored by the wingers receiving good passes from their inside colleagues. Indeed the highlight of the game was a hat trick of tries from newcomer George Harfield benefitting from some accurate passing and his excellent tries were accentuated by his strong direct running. Against stronger opposition Dorch will need to focus on 3 core elements to the game:
Dorchester v Lychett Minster Attendance continues to be good at around 20 so two equally matched teams were picked to face Lychett Minster’s two teams. The Team Manager had asked for names for the two teams and the boys were asked to vote for their favourite names – from a wide selection that ranged from “Port and Starboard!” (very nautical) to “Centurions and Chiefs” (Roman town etc) the children selected Tigers and Saints. Training: Matches: This game began with a very bright start with pressure on the opposition from the outset resulting in a penalty which was quickly taken by Harry O’Donoghue and Patrick Taylor side-stepped the defence and went over for the first try. A theme which runs throughout this game is excellent support play and good tackling from the usual suspects. This led to set plays, rucks and mauls from which we generally scored. Dorchester won a scrum against the head and Harry at scrum half spread the ball wide with a clean pass to Nathan McNab who subsequently dodged a few defenders for a try. The momentum was now well in Dorchester’s favour and through continued support play and recycling of the ball Ben Harries scored the next try. The floodgates opened and Jo Message scored in the corner after a scything run by Nathan McNab followed quickly by tries by Will Timlin, Patrick Taylor and Jaden Claridge to make the score 35 to nil at half time. The second half was more of the same but the team were asked to think more about their position on the pitch and getting ready at set plays. A better formation was maintained but a stronger side would have exploited the space left on the wings. Dorchester’s discipline, support play and tackling outmatched the opposition and Jacob Cox, Jo Message, Ben Harries (x2) and Hector Knight all scored to make the final score 60 – 0. An good result that reflected a team effort – as always there are areas we need to work on but these will be picked up in future training sessions. 2. Dorchester Saints v Lychett Minster B Win 10 tries – 0 (50 – 0) By contrast this game began a bit erratically with a few minor errors causing play to stop and start. The team tried to spread the ball wide but a couple of loose passes allowed the opposition to maintain possession and keep Dorchester from scoring. As the team gelled more and more they achieved greater possession and from a maul, Matthew Adshead opened Dorchester’s account. From the restart Will Simpson received the ball and made a typically decisive run to score our second try with excellent support available, but not required. Oli Davies stunned the opposition with his strength and power and drove himself near to the line, went to ground, made the ball available and Stefan Perry picked it up and stepped over the line for a try. From the next scrum, Orlando Bailey received the ball and spun a wide pass to Will Simpson in acres of space who subsequently put on his speed skates and crossed the line to make it 20 – 0 at half time. Dorchester now had the bit between their teeth and the second half saw them improve more and more, using the wide pass to good effect to allow Will Simpson to score again. Often the creator of tires for others Orlando Bailey got his name on the score sheet with some great support play from his team mates. Oli Davies got a reward for all his hard work by driving all the way over the try line to register the eighth try of the match. Sam Downey scored himself having created opportunities through his pivotal passing prowess and Oli Davies, buoyed by his previous success in this match, scored again from an excellent driving maul. The wide pass was used to achieve the final score of the game as Orlando Bailey once again span the ball to Will Simpson. 50 – 0 is a good score and reflects a superb team effort. The following is a list of the usual strengths and areas for improvement. Strengths Areas For Improvement Three cheers for the opposition – be loud! Dorchester v North Dorset Training: Matches: Regrettably I didn’t see much of this match but it was closely contested and resulted in a draw. Tries from Landi and Stefan ensured the team came away with a result that reflected a tight game. After a slow start Dorch gained some momentum and were able to match the effort from N Dorset. Playing more like a team in the second half Dorch ensured a creditable result was achieved by the full time whistle. 2. Dorchester B v North Dorset B Win 20 – 10 From the outset there was evidence of good support play and making the ball available after a tackle. Also, tackling from everyone is improving which meant that N Dorset found it difficult to make much progress. However, due to poor positioning from a set play as well as 2 missed tackles in a row, N Dorset opened the scoring. Dorch fought back, as a composite unit, giving support to each other and getting stuck in at the ruck to gain possession and get Jo Message over the line for a try. Hector profited from a similar phase of play and put Dorch into the lead at half-time. Whilst it is good to see some excellent tackles going in we must all ensure that they go in low to avoid any high and dangerous tackles. Jaden showed everyone how and put in a try saving tackle on the biggest guy on the pitch. N Dorset levelled the score but they faded towards the end of the match and through confident support play, getting possession from the rucks and mauls, Dorch ran in 2 tries by Patrick and Nathan to win the game.
Fully warmed up and ready for the next game the team started as they left off and immediately, as a result of consistent possession at the mauls and rucks, Patrick opened up the scoring having made a decisive break. Excellent tackling by Dorch kept N Dorset from scoring and Dorch increased the lead as Will Timlin went over the line for a deserved try. Jacob then put the match almost out of N Dorset’s reach but after a long break for a clash of heads as well as Patrick leaving the field with a stud injury close to an eye, N Dorset ran in 2 quick tries but the final whistle ensured Dorch the win. 4. Dorchester A v North Dorset B Win 40 – 10 This team was similarly ready for the challenge ahead and started out well. A concerted team effort, with a high standard of support play and tackling, ensured that the tries kept flowing in Dorch’s favour. Orlando, Stefan, Will and Sam all got on the score sheet and the result shows how well the team played together. An excellent effort. Strengths Areas For Improvement The coaches will be working on the “getting organised” part of the game next week. Dorchester – Ivel Barbarians (Yeovil) – Bournemouth An excellent turnout arrived at Yeovil for this mini tournament which we knew would be a testing time and probably expose some of the areas we need to work on in later training sessions. Ivel is another well organised club with a neat set up of pitches surrounding the bustling club house. I checked out the coffee and bacon roll facilities and I can confirm that they were both to a good standard. Training: 1. Dorchester v Bournemouth Draw 20 – 20 Dorchester were playing uphill for the first half so put on their climbing boots to make the ascent to the opposition try line. Bournemouth were a well drilled team that had a very strong team ethic and were very knowledgeable about the game of rugby. They were quick to get organised for set plays and arrived at the breakdown with conviction and in numbers – Dorchester take note. They were also a big team with one or two stand out players. However, Dorchester were up for the challenge for the most part gave as good as they got in the first half putting in some excellent tackles with some new names vying to get on the top tacklers list (Matthew Adshead put in some crunching efforts as did Jaden Claridge). But the slope took its toll and through loss of possession at the breakdown and a few missed tackles Bournemouth achieved 4 tries. The tables were turned in the second half (half time hairdryer subtly deployed by coach Mike) and Dorchester enjoyed the benefit of the slope. Better support play achieved advantageous positions from which to launch penetrating attacks to score tries. With two tries under our belt, Stefan Perry scored to bring us with one try for a draw which Orlando Bailey duly delivered with a typically penetrating run from a 5m scrum to dive across the line for his third try and level the scores. Dorchester defended one final attack to finish the game honours even. 2. Dorchester v Yeovil Loss 10 – 20 The squad of 18 was fully utilised and a team of new faces took to the pitch for the second game. Playing uphill again the team started brightly but loss of possession and missed tackles quickly saw us down by 2 tries. Defence improved but the score did not and the Ivel speed merchant was making excellent use of the downhill slope and with only half the team putting in the tackles further tries were inevitable. Will Simpson seemed to be everywhere at the same time, making piercing runs and decisive tackles but as in the first match more support was needed. Unfortunately Will got a bang on the head and was substituted. Ivel scored 2 more tries to leave us trailing by 20 at half time – bring on Mike the hairdryer I hear you say. Mike duly rang the changes and in the second half better tackling and support play led to improved defence and allowed Dorchester to play in Ivel’s half. Dorchester scored twice and it looked possible that we could come back again and grab victory from the jaws of defeat but unfortunately time was against us and we never quite gained the momentum against the strong defence from Ivel. We needed Ivel to beat Bournemouth to qualify for the final but they didn’t do us any favours and lost convincingly. Coach Steve talked through the games with the team after it was clear that we weren't’t going to make the final and rightly pointed out there was plenty of commitment and effort from all quarters. The teams we were playing were among the toughest we will face this season and the result was a fair reflection of our relative abilities - but we have the talent and by working together with the coaches and taking all training opportunities we can match these teams in the future. The grass roots have to be learnt at this age group – so keep up the hard work . Strengths Areas For Improvement Look forward to seeing you all next week – it is training at Canford – details to follow from Mark Downey. Top Tip. Visit the IRB website (http://www.irbrugbyready.com) and complete the Rugby Ready online training. It provides a wealth of information to pass on to the children. The online course is not recognised as a formal qualification by the RFU – you need to conduct a face to face course to be fully qualified. Dorchester – North Dorset Here follows the next thrilling installment of the adventures of the Dorchester Under 10’s rugby team. Training: Matches: 2. Dorchester v ND2 Win 25 – 0 3. Dorchester v ND3 Win 30 – 0 Strengths Areas For Improvement Dorchester – Wimborne – Chard Having been voted in as the Match Reporter. I hope you will find these reports useful and accurate. Please let me know if there any glaring factual errors. Training: 1. Dorchester v Wimborne A Loss 5 – 15 A very close match. The initial phases were typical of a first match of the season which each side getting used to the pace of the game. Some excellent tackling from the usual suspects was supported by some well contested scrums and the a little bit of possession from some of the rucks. We could take some advice from the vocal Wimborne coach and get over the ball at the breakdown, to drive the opposition off the ball. At half time the score was 0 – 0. From the restart, Dorchester lost possession from a ruck which led to a Wimborne try but this was quickly cancelled out by a committed effort which ultimately saw Landi cross the line for a try. Dorchester maintained a high tempo in hot conditions and, in my opinion, had the upper hand for the majority of the time; but 2 runaway tries by Wimborne, from deep in their own half resulted in a loss for Dorchester. 2. Dorchester v Chard Win 20 – 5 A revised team, which ensured everyone got a game, faced up to the side from Chard. With so many changes to the team it was inevitable that the initial phases would be scrappy and an injury to Tom early on required a temporary replacement but he quickly returned to the game to make a committed contribution. Things settled down and through excellent teamwork the ball went to Patrick to score the first try and by half time we were 5 – 0 up. The second half was more organised, gaining possession from the first tackle after Chard’s start with a pass out to Stefan who scored in the corner. We spent much of the time with the ball and in Chard’s half, exactly where we needed to be, and after the ball was ripped from a maul, a quick set of passes put Jo across the line for our 3rd try. Some committed runs by George, Jacob and Harry kept the pressure on Chard resulting in a final score by Sam. Chard bounced back to claim a consolation score just before the final whistle. 3. Dorchester v Wimborne B Win 15 – 0 The team was picked for the final match and with everyone now having played a match already, we started the game well, sizing up the opposition but with possession flowing between the two teams. A period of consistent teamwork and possession lead to the ball making it out to Stefan who scored a try. Wimborne lost the ball shortly after the restart and Landi sprinted the length of the pitch and dived over the line in Ashton like style to make it 2 – 0 at half time. Wimborne came back strongly at half time, providing stiff opposition at the breakdown. Dorchester needed to commit numbers to the maul and ruck and Harry proved to be difficult to stop from a darting run which saw him make it over the try line only to be disallowed the try as the ball dropped out of his grip. A useful learning point followed after one or two of the referee’s calls; no matter how much you disagree with the referee, never question his decision. He may be playing advantage or possibly letting the game flow, being equally fair to both sides – PLAY TO THE WHISTLE. Some great tackling by Nathan and others ensured Wimborne didn’t gain any momentum and it was just reward for his all-round efforts that Jacob scored the final try of the day. I thought it might be useful to list some of the strengths and areas for improvement that I took away from this game. At this stage of the season you should expect to see plenty of areas for improvement and less strengths – in future training sessions I’m sure the coaches will work with you to improve your game so that you can enjoy it and continue to play safely.
Look forward to seeing you all next week.
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