The Pocklingtonian 2018/19 | Page 61

SPORT// RUGBY enthusiastic and improving players, who are prepared to dig deep and keep working when the odds are stacked against them, and no doubt these defeats will serve as the essential motivation, fuel and drive that we all need in life to improve and do better next time round. This is a team bristling with pace, time and again showing the devastating capacity to score points from depth on the counter but sometimes lacking the same physical presence as their opposition. Defensively we’ve been inconsistent, often losing shape and missing tackles around the fringes of play against teams who are particularly adept at controlling possession. However, through the middle we’ve grown significantly in stature and composure, with a core of players displaying a rugged willingness to do the ugly stuff and put themselves on the line in order to frustrate and hold their opposition at bay. Champagne Moment: Terrence Huang’s superb individual try. Caught directly from kick off, just 17 seconds into the second half of play against Bradford Grammar… momentum in action. Genuinely great stuff! The Lent term saw individual players improve hugely on their core skills, particularly the consistency, length and accuracy of their passes in both directions. It is been a real pleasure to see the relish with which they adapted to the shortened version of the game, looking to stay clear of contact and generate width in attack. Our first tournament was cancelled because of the weather and then we suffered a jarring sequence of injuries meaning we were not able to field a full strength team in our own tournament. tough opening games to produce an excellent display to come out 5 tries to 2 victors against a good Barnard Castle team (who we lost to in the full game). Some excellent performances by Max Innes, Ben Malkin and Oliver Foster cemented this battling performance. Rallying again they showed dogged defence and resilience in attack beating Mount St Marys and finishing fourth overall. Overall a roller coaster of a season, but impressive attitude and commitment throughout. Players of the Season: Sam Smart, L Woodhead Most Improved Player: M Innes, Arthur Cesbron D’arnaud Nonetheless, in wet and blustery conditions the boys came back from RUGBY VII’S The highlight of the season was playing in the final at Worksop where we beat Loughborough Grammar and Welbeck in the group stages to then go on and beat Millfield in the Semi Final. Sedbergh, however were too strong for us. U16 VII’s U16s showed promise in their play, but it is frustrating as they played their best rugby only in the last two games of each tournament, not continuing forward into the next. Two steps forward two back again. U15 VII’s 15s played well throughout, reaching the plate play off at Ampleforth and Durham. U14 VII’s 14s again showed great promise in their personal development, however they found themselves outgunned by the opposition who might not be more skilful but were just bigger or quicker. U13 VII’s 13s struggled to transition from the 15 a side game to 7s or even take forward their style of play into 7s. Full of potential however and they could do well in later years. last pass or one missed tackle. They will blossom into a useful team. Full Colours: Will Winter, Jonty Goddard Half Colours: Cameron Adams, Sam Noble, Noah Parkinson Headmaster Distinction for Contribution to Senior Rugby: Will Wright. U12 VII’s 12s struggled all season as a team, but also outplayed the opposition several times, doing really well in their play to only be let down by the THE POCKLINGTONIAN 59