Saturday 10 Apr 2010Under 11s - Friendly
Sundays Well () vs Old Christians RFC ()
Rathcooney, 10:30AM
Only a couple of weeks left in the season at this stage and all of the under 11s were brim full of enthusiasm for the trip to Rathcooney this morning. We were all there in plenty of time and after a quick-burn warm up, the lads calmly walked up to the upper pitch as a single team, something which is always both impressive and intimidating for the opposition. It was an auspicious start.
Old Christian 1- Sundays Well Terriers 5
The terriers were on pitch number two to begin with and they were barking from the start. Adam and Finan were getting stuck in and John Murphy doubled up with David O'Sullivan who seemed to be in two places at the same time. Zach is improving with every outing and Conor Egan played well in defence. The game seemed to be trundling along a bit more slowly than normal and it was left up to Rob Hedderman to add a bit of zzzzip with a brace of zesty scores- no blindside is secure with that man around. The bridging was sluggish howeverl but the lads made up for that with some inventive play. Darragh was like a live wire in attack and defence and he added to the tally as did Richard who must have had a great night's sleep on Friday as he couldn't seem to use up his energy- another score from Richard. Rob Egar ran in from thirty yards to finish the scoring at an impressive 5 to 1.
Old Christians 1 Sundays Well Terriers 6
Game II was started in an uncertain fashion which had absolutely nothing, nothing I say, to do with the previous performance of the Old Christians' ref (and coach) whose sense of the word pernickety would give a tax inspector a good name. Fortunately this did not materialise into anything untoward and the lads concentrated on the rugby at hand. The pep talk from Paul seemed to concentrate their minds. Luke O'Callaghan forged a couple of fine runs ("don't stop running Luke, just keep going"). Brioch showed some French flair and no small measure of determination but was held up just shy of the line but with excellent support play, the lads bundled him over a la mode John Hayes at al-the TMO said YES. Conor (second name?) tackled bravely to stop a certain try and Rob Hedderman, as usual, manage to strike at just the right time. Adam doubled up with a cracker of a score despite a sore knee and Luke Whelton showed a fine turn of pace to outsprint the cover for another (he also showed great pace in putting the opposition under pressure when following up a clearance kick). Rob Egar at outhalf caught the defence unawares with a cheeky dummy and put another score on the board and he almost repeated it until he was caught on the line.
Showboating. The act of unnecessary and premature celebration of an imminent try as displayed by the wagging of a finger or the raising of a hand or arm, usually in the direction of one's own supporters but can be viewed as showmanship. Gentleman, it will not be tolerated in our ranks. The coaches are agreed that should this occur in the future, the try will be disallowed. For your attention, please.
Overall though, the lads displayed some flair and skill today but as ever, yes us coaches are never quite satisfied, there is work to be done. Special mention today to Darragh who was the Man of the Two Matches-where does he get his energy from?
Old Christians 1 – Sundays Well Wolfhounds 2 tries, 14 penalties against, 9 forced substitutions, 1 perforated ear drum and a sideline ban for coach
Despite the whistle force from the Dark Side, the lads stuck to the task and knuckled down. Darth Vader himself stood in fear and awe at the sight of our two props – Lofty and Owen with Stakey squeezed between them, ready to drive the scrum forward. A very determined performance from the Well – great rucking, passing and tackling sent a message loud and clear. Early try from Cathal with driving runs from Conor Mc, Hal and Michael Roche put all the pressure on Old Christians. Good tackling on Old Christians’ best player, Miss Deane, kept their woman of the match out from scoring more than one. Paul Sexton – you remind me of Chewy – monster tackles. Legend. Match was sealed with a stormer from Rob Mul, running past 4 defenders, tip toeing down the touchline like a Jedi to score a cracker in the corner. By the end of the game the tackles were so low from the Well, the lads were able to pick daisies as they approached the tackle. No great celebrations, victory to the Well. May the Force be With Us. Away de Well.
Old Christians 3 – Sundays Well Wolfhounds 9
Wow – the lads came flying out of the blocks on this one. Reports have Michael “Surge” O’Sullivan scoring 4 , Callum getting a beauty, Lofty and Owen both scoring from a one yard dash, Hal grunting his way over for 1, Ginger McLoughlin style, carrying 3 of them and 4 of us over the line. Dave Scott played a great game , sweet passing and keeping them guessing. Ed Barrett was immense – good controlled aggression putting them under immense pressure. Amazing high drop kicks from the wizard Reggie forced a few knock on’s as the opposition had difficulty dealing with the ice on the ball. Setanta was elusive as ever and Cathal played very well in this one too. The ref was great too J
