SPORT // RUGBY 7s
RUGBY 7s U18 VIIs
The U18s have enjoyed a good term playing the shorter formats of rugby . Until half-term , the boys had focused on 10s to keep as many players involved as possible and to continue developing their core skills . Unfortunately , Storms Malik and Corrie meant that our first two playing opportunities were postponed , one of which being a 10s tournament hosted by us . The boys continued to work hard , prior to our first tournament at Durham School . As usual , the boys defended tenaciously , producing some excellent passages of defence and transition , and scoring some great tries over the course of the day .
After half-term , we quickly switched our attention to 7s , which placed an even greater demand on our core skills and fitness . We headed to the North of England 7s , at Birkenhead , in good spirits . We started really well in our opening game , playing almost the perfect game up to half time . A narrow loss took the wind out of our sails for the rest of the day , and we didn ’ t quite reach our earlier performance over the rest of the day , losing in the Bowl Quarter Final to the eventual winners .
Following this , we headed to Hymers for a midweek tournament , with a rotated squad to manage playing load and to enable everyone to stake a claim for Rosslyn Park in a couple of weeks ’ time . The day again started well with a great performance and victory in our opening game , but unfortunately , we picked up some injuries in our second game , and we lost the momentum we had built earlier in the day .
Our last tournament before Rosslyn was at Mount St Mary ’ s , where we again rotated the squad to manage load and injuries . The boys did show some learning and development over the course of the day , particularly how we may need to adapt tactically based on the strengths of our team on the pitch . The three tournaments had reiterated to us the importance of kick offs , set piece , staying connected on the inside in defence , and moving the ball from edge to edge in attack .
Our final tournament was the National School 7s at Rosslyn Park , and selecting a squad of seven was incredibly difficult . The boys that were selected should be proud of being involved , and the boys that weren ’ t continued to work hard in training to best support their teammates . On the morning of the first day , we unfortunately found ourselves woken up by a fire alarm in the hotel at 04:00 , and couldn ’ t get back into our rooms until 05:15 . It would have been easy to use this as an excuse to under-perform , but the boys delivered our best rugby of the season over the course of the day !
We started our first game incredibly well against Bedford Modern , before finding ourselves behind on the score line at half time . The boys ’ resilience showed though , as we came back to win by two scores . The feeling amongst the group was that of excitement , leading up to our next game against Queen Elizabeth Hospital . They were a big , strong , athletic side , but our defence in the first half was impenetrable as the boys worked incredibly hard to make every single tackle . In the second half , some fresh bodies helped us in attack , as we scored three tries and sealed the victory .
Our last group game was against Millfield , and again the boys were looking forward to the match . We again started well despite conceding early on and continued to stay in the match . Millfield had a little bit more pace than us and were able to capitalise on a couple of opportunities . The boys worked incredibly hard though until the end of the match , scoring close to the last play of the game . Despite winning two of our three group games , unfortunately only the winners of the group qualified .
The boys should be incredibly proud of their efforts at Rosslyn and over the course of the season . There have been some fantastic memories made both on and off the pitch this year , and I have loved every moment working with them .
Player of the Season : Tom Hirst Most Improved Player : Toby Williamson
48 THE POCKLINGTONIAN