É«ÖÐÉ«ÊÓƵ

I would like to start by thanking everyone who contributed in any way to the matches played against Tonbridge on Saturday. These games took place in what can only be described as horrendous weather conditions and were undoubtedly challenging to spectate, let alone play in. Most importantly, well done to all the boys from É«ÖÐÉ«ÊÓƵ’s and Tonbridge for their part in another fantastic block of rugby, featuring some closely contested games and very tight results.

Firstly, congratulations to the U16 A team, who managed to turn their 10–24 loss from the first block fixture into a remarkable 10–12 comeback victory. After trailing 10–0, they took the lead late in the second half and heroically defended their try line for the remaining eight minutes of the game with only 14 players, securing a memorable and well-deserved win. Unfortunately, the U16 B team couldn’t replicate the A team’s defensive heroics and went down 21–3.

The weather was always going to play a role, and the dogfight-inducing conditions paired with Tonbridge’s determination to avenge the clean sweep of U15 losses earlier in the term. Sadly, this combination brought an end to the unbeaten run of all four U15 É«ÖÐÉ«ÊÓƵ’s teams, with Tonbridge achieving their own clean sweep in Kent. The U15 teams have been outstanding all year, and while this defeat will sting, I’m confident that each team will emerge stronger and wiser for their upcoming block against Dulwich College.

For the É«ÖÐÉ«ÊÓƵ’s senior teams, who had suffered heavy losses away to Tonbridge in September, this was always going to be a challenging afternoon of rugby. However, unlike the U15 fixtures, the conditions probably worked in our favor—particularly for the 1st XV, as Tonbridge was unable to fully deploy their expansive backline play. With the wind at our backs in the first half, we led 10–5 at halftime. The boys knew, however, that the second half would bring the full force of Storm Bert, and with the wind now against us, Tonbridge began to dominate territory and camped in É«ÖÐÉ«ÊÓƵ’s half. Our boys defended courageously throughout but ultimately conceded two tries, resulting in a 10–15 loss. This was a tremendously gutsy performance from the entire team, and given the 54–12 scoreline in the away fixture, this result reflects tremendous growth and character, coming within one converted try of victory. The same can be said of the 2nd XV, who displayed similar determination and progress. The 3rd XV also battled valiantly in what turned out to be the most closely contested home game of the day, narrowly losing to the Tonbridge 4th XV by 19–21.

The other home fixtures involved the U14s, who ended the day with four wins out of seven in their age group. Unfortunately, the U14 A team couldn’t complete the double against Tonbridge, narrowly losing a hard-fought match 8–12. Similarly, the U14 B and D teams came up short. However, the U14 C, E, F, and G teams all delivered strong performances to secure wins.

Congratulations to the winning teams, and commiserations to those who lost. The variety of results highlights just how competitive and unpredictable schoolboy rugby can be. Each team will no doubt look back on these two blocks to reflect on their progress throughout the season.