On a very misty morning TJs brought 29 players to St Marks, no last minute cry-offs and all ready to go! 2 matches were played (second match report here).

Players changed and we trotted off down the hill to the pitch to warm up. Apart from the mist and the general cold clamminess of the day the most obvious thing to note that we were playing in a bog. The heavier coaches (ahem) were more or less ankle deep in mud walking over to the other side of the pitch and it didn't initially look like a day or surface that would suit our running style.

TJs elected to go up the slope in the first half, and soon slipped into gear. Hard carries in the forwards and aggressive rucking pulled in the TW defence and quick hands in the backs sent Esprit-Tabiowo almost floating over the boggy terrain to register our first of the match with only a few minutes played. The next try was scored by Black in one of two of the most pleasing tries (for this coach anyway), where TJs had worked their way within range of the oppo 22, Relle carried hard busting the first tackle and making yards after contact such that the defence were scrambling. Quick ruck ball followed, with J Beamish at 9 able to lift the ball onto the already-in-motion Black who ghosted through the disarrayed defence without having to break stride. Really showed what the forwards can do when they stay organised and time their runs.

If we thought this would be a one way rout, that was soon put to bed as TWRFC found momentum of their own and were next on the scoresheet with a well worked try of their own. Again, forward carries were key and again, with the defence turned, their backs combined with their forwards well to end up scoring on the right hand side of the pitch. 1-2 then and the match was an end-to-end thriller. Black was perhaps having the game of his season so far - super aggressive in the ruck - he showed the way for the other forwards in this area, ensuring quick ball for others, but it was after another controlled attack where TJs stormed up the slope that Black found himself in space in midfield and went on an outside break that ended up with him completing a brace. With predominately right-handed passers in the side, the right wing can be the more challenging side to get on the scoresheet as a speedster, but Osher gamely fought off a bit of nausea and he was next to score.

If the forwards combining earlier was one of the most pleasing tries, then the next was also a treat. From a scrum, there looked to be a blind-side worth exploiting and coaches watching were keen to point this out to the players, but Raikkonen-esqe, the backs pulled out something we'd been working on on the training paddock. Esprit-Tabiowo swept round from his wing, popped up outside the outside centre, two-on-one'd the last man and Osher being the extra man scored in the corner. Again, even in these conditions, it's pleasing to see us move the ball wide and the same wide men on the scoresheet.

Lucas was making his presence felt in the carry, taking on some of the forwards work in hitting up short and straight, Relle was also grafting hard and smashing into the TW defence and this in turn again meant that there was room on the outside. Relle was outstanding today - carry after carry, he trucked up, and made yards time and again. On the odd occasion he was repelled, this didn't dampen his desire to get stuck in and charge in again. Again, we worked the ball wide and again Esprit-Tabiowo floated home - his size 11 feet enabling his way over the soggy surface. Here ended the first half and a hugely satisfying half it was too. Forwards had really extended their repertoire - Snow especially encouraging a bit more flair in the forwards via the tip ball and some really well-timed runs which added dent to the forwards efforts. If the half had sounded like one-way traffic, it really wasn't TWRFC were playing their part in a well-fought contest. They're a much improved side organisationally, and it was somewhat galling to hear 'Ice' and 'Fire' from the TWRFC lads in the rucks and not much of the same from ours given we've known these calls for at least 2 years!

Going down the hill in the second half, normal service was resumed. S Beamish and Relle really got our scrum on the front foot, dominating the opposition and at one point lifting them off the ground, much to the consternation of the referee, who quite rightly at this level made sure that safety was paramount. TJs won ball against the head though, with Wallis to the fore in the hooker position adding zip to the attack with the ball. With the score at 1-5, the team that had finished last week's league campaign had really done their bit and coaches tried to give other players some more minutes playing time [I'm sure I didn't get this completely right on the day - some players played less than they could have, and some players played more. Sincere apologies if players felt short-changed, happy to talk to anyone on this] . We introduced Ebrahim, who added some real spice to the attack and bosh in defence, Mitchell, who likewise took his opportunity to show what he could do in a fast paced game and Hendricks, slotting in at 8 to do some carrying in the forwards. We also shifted Snow to hooker, and would have introduced a few more if time had allowed - Cobb, Bathurst-Taylor and Bains unlucky here, but all were excellent in the next game. Bates also moved to prop, with Relle rested after a captain's shift both sides of the ball. Bates completely unglamourous today, did all the things that some wouldn't notice, but coaches do - smashing people in defence, hitting the rucks, and winning ball on the floor, he is the heartbeat of any team he plays in. The carries he makes are improving in directness and power, and we rarely turnover after his carry as he works hard on the floor to make sure we retain.

In the first try of the second half, Esprit-Tabiowo scored again to complete his hattrick. Again, it's great when the wide men score, but the distribution skills of Streeten-Smith and Hartley in the inside and outside of the midfield, and the punch of Lucas at 12 really means that the outside men could profit. Speaking of Streeten-Smith - defensively watertight and sure of decision, he really got the backline moving today. It's perhaps a bit dull to keep speaking of the heavy ground, but to get a backline moving on this surface takes skill, and the accuracy and timing of S-S's passing was on point today, and the odd dart from 10 kept the defence honest. Hartley's defence is excellent and as he becomes more vocal at 13, he'll improve more and more. Ebrahim, rested from a break last week, added much go-forward, and he was next to register on the scoreboard with a punishing run against a tiring defence, fully 30 metres in the carry to crash over, despairing defenders still attached.

With Relle off the pitch, both Mitchell and S Beamish showed what they could do in the carry, S Beamish particularly making the best of his power and low centre of gravity - he must get the ball more! Vincent had had a solid game up until this point, making sure others looked good via his own competence and distribution, but as the game entered it's final quarter he glided through the middle, hit the outside and made sure he also got his name on the board as a scorer, a typical touch of class from the rangy full-back, and reward for earlier graft in defence and typical leadership from the back. The irrepressible Black found his way the line in typical fashion, again finding his way to the line from midfield - again reward for his rucking and industry in the tight. A hattrick for him then, making it two hattricks between him and Esprit-Tabiowo, who added a fourth to keep him ahead of the chasing try-scoring pack. J Beamish rounded off the tries with a dart to the line. Reward again for an excellent shift at 9, quick accurate passing to the fore, and getting stuck in in D when needed, he (alongside the aforementioned Streeten-Smith) really got our attack moving today. It all starts from 9, and it's clear that J Beamish has been working on his service, which alongside his tenacity and terrier-like snapping around the rucks made him stand out today.

Skipper Relle in the typically made-up interview: "The boys were on it today - I was particularly happy with the play from the forwards - as they say 'Forwards win you games, backs decide by how much' and the pack was excellent today - a real improvement in our rucking and our organisation and attacking play with our moves supplemented by newer calls, we really made their defence work. Of course, the hairdryer boys had their say too - slick hands, dazzling feet and well crafted moves made it look like we were on 3G rather than some sort of Battle of the Somme re-enactment. I loved how the boys who came on picked up where others left off and we stayed strong and tight as a group, scoring as many in the second as in the first half - we really showed our fitness and desire today. The boys done good - I'm over the moon!"

In the final reckoning, we'd won 10 tries to 1, but as usual that didn't tell the tale of the game. TWRFC played the game how it should be played, stuck at it throughout and gave our lads a decent contest belied by the scoreline. So again, thanks to them for being great hosts, magnanimous in defeat and a great example as to how Junior Rugby should work. Thanks to Ben the referee - an excellent job over both games, thanks to parents for bringing the players, the coaches for coaching, James for logistics and the lads for making all of us so proud!

Finally I'd like to re-emphasise how amazing it was to be able to bring 2 complete teams to play. We're slowly growing as an age group, and I'm so happy to see new people joining all the time. There's always room for more, so please do keep spreading the word!