Undone by The Enemy Within

We had in excess of 20 boys and girls again which, having taken a team photo, enabled us to also run a training session in parallel, eventually led by a bright-eyed and bushy tailed Coach Sarah (who got up early and travelled all the way back from Birmingham to make it).

Coach Sarah reported as follows:

The under 6’s both provided some substitutions and had a training session. It was fantastic to see some new faces in both players and coaches. Thanks to Gareth and Barry for helping out and ensuring we can keep the momentum with our under 7 stars in the making. The rugby attitude of the group is outstanding with a developing camaraderie and attraction to mud. Special note must go to the running and evasion skills of James, Oscar and Owen. The group are definitely stronger in attack than defence and it was pleasing to see improvements in tagging as the session progressed. Mason, Jack and Dylan showed their defensive strength and successful tagging based on good positioning and a growing confidence. Some of the newer team member; Max, Rhiaz, Ben and Harry got the hang of tagging even when faced with more experienced players.

Coach Chris took the Wirral Dragons and reported alliteratively as follows:

Dragons dogged defence delights, despite defeat.

Match 1 - Ben L, Matty, Fraser & James

Chester & Wirral traded tries in quick succession without a tag being touched. Chester then went ahead after a missed pass from Wirral was gathered quickly and run out wide. A further run into touch handed possession to Chester to put them 2 ahead.

After a quick pep talk at half time the boys organised themselves and started moving up and putting pressure on Chester who in turn went into touch allowing Wirral to pull back a try. The latter part of the second half was interrupted by a Rainbow which both teams admired as the clock ran on. The match ended with Chester staying 1 try up but with everyone scoring and tagging very well. It was such an even match in the end I blame the ref for giving Chester the ball at the start. Had Wirral started with possession the result may have been different.

MOTM was James & Matty for their support play and great runs.

Match 2 - Ben L, Matty, Fraser & Jack

Wirral started the second match with the same defensive pressure as they ended the first match. All 4 boys scored great tries after providing support from effective starting runs which was great to see. Chester did go ahead in the first half after Wirral gave a forward pass which could not sadly, be overlooked.

This match’s comedic moment came when Chester touched the ball down before the try line. This wasn't the funny bit. That came when Wirral picked it up after the ref said play on, to run the full length of the pitch to do exactly the same at the other end missing out on a try! Chester jumped on the chance to score the try they should have just scored making sure they put it down over the line.

In the second half both teams stretched the width of the pitch to its limit both giving away possession in the corner before being able to score. The next phase of play will stick in my memory for a long time. With Chester starting with possession Fraser came forward quickly for the first tag stopping Chester before they could make any ground. Tag after tag followed from every boy. The Chester boys should be commended for their support play and getting back behind the ball carrier as Wirral kept them in their own half. Ben, Matty, Jack and Fraser kept their line and moved backwards together as Chester got closer to the try line. With a tag by Jack on our line the ball went loose from a pass which Ben dived on. Possession Wirral. Ben ran most of the way but Chester tagged with equal determination. Fraser finally went over after a great pass from Matty. That was the best minute or so's play I have seen and every player on the pitch got a touch.

The match ended with Chester ahead by 1 but it was a real pleasure to witness both teams playing so well that the score was ultimately for me irrelevant.

MOTM - ALL

Match 3 - Ben L, Matty, Fraser, Dylan & Owen

The boys looked worried as this one was about to start as Chester's 4 were head and shoulders above our lads. But as the match started it didn't seem to deter Dylan who got stuck in with the tagging along with Fraser again. Wirral’s first try was courtesy of Dylan who was able to evade the long arms of the Chester players. Several tries followed by Ben, Fraser and Matty but another forward pass gave possession over, which Chester capitalised on.

Wirral’s defensive line and tagging remained strong and credit goes to Chester who pulled off some great spin passes over quite some distance. Toward the end of the half Dylan hurt his finger so was replaced by Owen. After further trading of tries and a touch line turnover, Chester were 2 up at the end of the first half.

The second half started with the standout tag of the century. At full tilt Owen dived and timed a tag to perfection ripping the tag of a running Chester boy in mid air. I wish we had action replays!

With some loose ball and a touchline run by Chester Wirral were able to pull back the deficit and the watching parents were getting more vocal and excited as the clock counted down. With only time for 2 or so more plays Chester pulled off a stunning interception. The Wirral pass was good but the onside Chester lad timed his run to perform a break Manu Tuilagi would have been jealous of which put Chester back ahead.

Now I will admit I had lost count of the score at this point as the play was so back and forth and possession switched several times. Wirral scored the final try which I thought had evened things up but the TMO (Touchline Mum Official) gave the score as Chester 11 Wirral 10 (Editor’s note; don’t always rely on TMO).

Another close exciting match with the result not going Wirral’s way.

MOTM - Owen for that Epic tag!

Dylan at the start of the 3rd match summed up the day for me. "I don't care if we win or lose, I just want to have fun".

We have such a strong squad of players whether it be the 6 or 7 year olds or the younger ones. Giving our younger players the chance to play in the matches is I believe paying off. It's wonderful to watch them play like they did, and when they do, the score doesn't really matter.

Coach Alan’s report on the “Wirral Snappy Fish” reads:

Wirral Snappy Fish (kid's choice not coach's!)

The "Snappers" comprised Christopher, Dylan, Ethan, Lawrence and Paddy.
We played 3 games, losing one and winning 2.

Dylan was a powerhouse in all 3 games running and tagging strongly, scoring several tries. He disrupted Chester’s attacks well, picking up loose balls and giving Wirral the advantage of greater possession which made the difference in the first match.

Christopher gave really good support to his team mates chasing Chester well. His improving passing game gave the others chances to score tries. Christopher's hard work paid dividends when receiving a ball he ghosted past two Chester players to score a well deserved try.

Ethan played extremely well, captaining the third game where he showed really good skills at organising his defensive line up. He tagged well and scored several tries evading the Chester team’s attempts at tagging him. His ability to exploit space is an improving side to his game.
Lawrence’s support play was very good and his positional sense is really getting better. He was an important part of the "Snappers" defence. One tag stood out where a Chester player ran through two Wirral lads but Lawrence was there to take his tag and stop a certain try.

Paddy showed a real keenness to run at the Chester and sought the ball out. This stand out part to his game made sure he was on the score sheet. His speed was impressive, side stepping tackles well. Defensively Paddy collected a number of tags.

Big thanks to Dylan and Paddy who were great sportsmen both playing a half for Chester. They are both forgiven for scoring tries against Wirral!

Finally, the unimaginatively named Wirral Wolves (Coach John gave up waiting for the team to come up with something that didn’t involve bodily emissions) took the field against Chester.

Game 1 featured Mason (c), Alfie, Harry and Owen. An even first half saw everyone on the scoresheet as both teams capitalised on generous defending and relaxed interpretations of the touch rule. Harry’s pace , Mason’s support and Owen’s tagging standing out. Jamie replaced Owen in the second half and the game tightened up as each team’s coach had obviously pushed home the importance of concentration in their half time talk. Tagging and defence improved from both teams but each phase of play resulted in a try for the attacking team and the match ended in a 9-9 draw.

Game 2 saw Mason retain the captaincy as a reward for her superior powers of concentration as she led Haigh, Alfie and Harry (new) in the first half while Harry W helped Chester out. In a game reminiscent of the first Wolves match each team traded tries, Haigh’s pace and direct play being the standout feature of Wirral’s performance with some penetrating runs allowing good support from Alfie and Mason to be rewarded with close range tries. The second half Wolves line up was Mason, Haigh, Oscar (replacing new Harry) and Harry W (swapping with Alfie to play for Chester).

More strong running from Haigh and lapses in defensive concentration from both sides put the game on a knife edge as Chester needed to score from their final play. Good tagging from Wirral forced Chester to cycle the ball over and took play close to the touch line before an errant Chester pass straight into touch brought the game to a close and left Wirral victorious by 8-7.

For Game 3 Wirral fielded a line up of Alfie, Haigh, Harry W and James. The game was again close with every play ending in a try for the attacking team but defensive concentration and positioning was generally better. Saying that it took favourable refereeing to allow Wirral’s defence time to break off from watching an airplane overhead and focus on the game as Chester began their final play to try to stay in the match. Wirral almost exploited this bit of favouritism and made Chester work for their equalising try by tagging doggedly but in the end the 8-8 scoreline was a fair reflection.

All in all some good attacking running and passing and great support on display. Areas to focus on are concentration, defensive shape and awareness of gaps in the line but the children all enjoyed themselves and are coming on very well. Particular thanks to the younger players who did themselves proud.

The day finished with a gross score of 3 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses but cognisance must be given to Coach Chris’s naivety (sorry mate) and the fact that two of the Chester wins featured Wirral players who were acknowledged by the Chester coaches as being key parts of their teams' victories. A seasonally adjusted score would see Chris’s draw stand and give Wirral 1/4 of a win for each Chester match won with a Wirral player (ignore the losing match with Wirral guests) changing the result for the day to 3.5 wins, 3 draws and 2.5 losses...God loves a trier!

As ever big thanks to Chester for a great morning’s play.

Next Sunday we have our Christmas lunch. Please can everyone come along and support this event that has kindly been put on by the club. The players will have a slightly shorter training session before getting the chance to visit the grotto and then enjoy lunch together in the clubhouse. Parents, your help will be appreciated in creating a party atmosphere with any festive hats or clothing for you and our players.