With one eye on next weeks game against Trojans in the cup and the need to continue to develop, the game was played as a development game and consisted of 20min thirds rather then 30min half’s, Saxons played the first third with nearly the starting line up for next weeks game and intern use it to develop our phase play and set piece accuracy, (if only the players had listened and done the same?) after the first 5 minuets it was apparent that Thatcham all though spirited and determined the Saxons were far to strong and the changes were numerous.

2 Saxons players even joined the Thatcham ranks to assist with numbers following injuries a big thanks to George Cotterell and Dan Maiers. It must be said and was a great testament to their spirit that Thatcham never gave up and showed some real grit and determination. 

 Final score 44-10 win for the Saxons

            The Champion backed Stoke side showed their willingness to play open rugby when on 2 minutes, following a turn over on half way May-Miller made a neat break to feed Kelly. The leagues top try scorer eluded several tackles before the last defender managed to force him into touch 5 metres out. After that it was the visitors who pressurised the home side into making mistakes and could of opened the scoring on 5 minutes when they missed a penalty.

            With no real pattern to the game and both sides defending with good aggressive play each side were forced into making mistakes and on 10 minutes Stoke opened the scoring with a Humberstone penalty following an indiscretion from the visitors and a 3-0 lead.

            The 1^st period of any pressure came on 20 minutes when Stoke spent time in their opponents 22 and were rewarded with a try. Following a lineout then a scum close to the line Stoke had another lineout which secured them good ball. They drove infield before coming back blind for Staszniewicz to dive for the corner and the ref award the try. If this had been at the highest level the T.V. replay would definitely have been called for, but to their creditDover accepted the decision without any back chat, and Stoke led 8-0.

            The home side had a repeat opportunity on the half hour mark following 2 more 5 metre line outs but lost the chance by giving away a needless penalty for the visitors to clear their lines.

            With half time approaching it was the visitors who were applying pressure and scored a converted try after Humberstone was shown a yellow card for taking a player out whilst in the air and a response from Dover’s 2^nd row saw him also have a 10 minute rest. From the penaltyDover kicked into the Stoke 22 to secure possession from the ensuing lineout. Recycling the ball well they scored under the post and now trailed 8-7.

            The 2^nd half started with the visitors on top and making the most of Stokes errors. The home side lost the ball in contact on the visitor’s 10 metre line on 42 minutes and a counter attack byDover was halted 5 metres from the Stoke line and conceding a penalty in the process.Dover kept the pressure on and only good defence stopped them from scoring.

            On 47 minutes the visitors had the chance to take the lead. Stoke lost their own lineout and then conceded a penalty which the visitors missed to still trail by a single point.

            Stoke then had a 10 minute period where they managed to extend the lead with 2 penalties. The 1^st on 50 minutes following a penalty which Fish took a quick tap but Dover were not 10 meters  so another penalty was given and Humberstone (now back on from his card) converted for an 11-8 lead. The 2^nd came on 57 minutes and started just outside the Stoke 22 with a lovely break by Humberstone who then sent Posthumus on his way. He was tackled on the visitors 22 but before Stoke could recycle the ball theDover defence was penalised and Humberstone added another 3 points and a 14-7 lead.

            On 65 minutes Stoke were once again applying pressure with a scrum10 metres out but the backs were penalised andDovercleared to touch on the half way. The won the ball and made progress up the field and rounded things off with a converted try to draw level at 14-14.

            It was not until the 75^th minutes that Stoke managed to break through the solidDover defence to score the decisive try. Play started on the half way and good interchange between forwards and backs saw the ball with Kelly on the 22. A jinking run saw him elude the defence to score in the corner and a good conversion out wide from Humberstone gave the home side a 21-14 advantage which was to prove the final score.

            Afterward head coach Croker added “That was what you call an ugly win but more importantly it was a win which keeps our momentum going. To be fairDoverput us under pressure at times and credit to the way they played. We were never allowed to settle into our stride and as a result we never got our patterns of play working. We will watch the DVD and that will confirm the areas we need to work on during training before next weeks game away atChichester.”

            Stoke hit the ground running and were on the score sheet within a minute. Stoke won the ball from the kick off and Hicks drove up the middle.Daviswas in support and then quick hands from the backs saw Gleadowe score and a Humberstone conversion gave the visitors a 7-0 lead.

            Stoke extended their lead on 6 minutes after the forwards won a Thanet line out and setting up a maul which pulled in the home defence. The ball was then spun wide where an overlap had been created for leading try scorer Kelly to touch down in the corner and a 12-0 lead.

            Having gained an early advantage Stoke once again seemed to relax and allow Thanet to come back into the game. Stoke were penalised for being off side and the home team kicked for the corner. They duly won the ball and set up a maul and drove forward before changing the point of attack to create an opening which they crashed trough for an unconverted try and now trail 12-5.

            The rest of the 1^st half lacked the intensity of the opening period as Stoke gave away numerous penalties and letting the home pack dominate the game pushing Stokes defence to the limit as Thanet played to their strengths. Stoke rear guard performance held strong and there were no more score to leave the visitors with a narrow 12-5 margin.

            The 2^nd half started in much the same vein as the 1stas Posthumus broke the gain line and quick hands saw a scoring pass knocked on short of the line. From the resultant scrum Stoke pushed Thanet off the ball and as it collapsed the ball popped up to Fish to dive over the line to extend the lead to 17-5 on 42 minutes.

            Thanet were up for the challenge though and keeping the ball tight in their pack meant Stoke had to defend their line. When the home side were given a penalty 5 metres out they took a quick tap and pushed the defence back to score a converted try and now trail 17-12 on 47 minutes.

            Stoke now seemed to step up a gear putting pressure on the home side. Humberstone made a neat break before feeding to Patterson who made ground to the 22. Drawbridge was 1^st in support and then Davis who moved the ball quickly out to Posthumus to crash over and a Humberstone conversion made it 24-12 on 56 minutes.

            As with last week Stoke sensed that applying more pressure and not relaxing would bring rewards with more tries to follow. On 60 minutes Patterson broke the line before passing to Kelly who ran down the line, skipping through several tackles to score and with Humberstones’ conversion extended the lead to 31-12.

            Thanet did not give up and their persistence was rewarded on 70 minutes as they took the ball through several phases via the forwards and as a gap opened up they drove through the hole for an unconverted try and now trail31-17.

            Stoke bounced back 5 minutes later as backs and forwards combined through several phases of play having successfully retained the ball before releasing young May-Miller to score in the corner and a 36-17 lead. With just 3 minutes left Stoke got their final try of the day following a collapsed scrum on Thanet’s 5 metre line. Captain for the day, Will Ford, took a quick tap to feed Humberstone who offloaded to Fish to spin over the line for his 2^nd try of the game and with Humberstone adding the extras to bring the final score to 43-17.

            Afterward Captain Will Ford added “We had to overcome a few obstacles in the 1^st half and never really got into our stride. We re-grouped at half time and upped the tempo in the 2^nd half. Once we started to play to our patterns we looked very good and our confidence levels rose. As a result the tries came and we got the result we were aiming for. I am very proud of the boys and to come away with a winning bonus point is always good. We need to take this performance forward to next week and keep the high standards we are setting into that match”

            The early pressure came from the home side without being able to put pressure into points and 2 missed penalties on 2 and 5 minutes did not help but Humberstone made amends on 8 minutes with a successful penalty and a 3-0 lead.

            The visitors had their number 8 yellow carded but Stoke could not take advantage of the extra man and it was the visitors who scored during this period to level 3-3 on 23 minutes.

            Stoke eventually scored their 1^st try on 28 minutes. Humberstone put a penalty to the corner which the forwards duly won and drove the ball to the line. With thePortsmouth forwards trying to stop the maul Fish spotted a gap which he exploited to score from close range and a Humberstone conversion making it 10-3.

            Stokes ill discipline this season continued whenDaviswas penalised for hands in the ruck and shown a yellow card whichPortsmouthconverted for 3 points and cut the deficit to 10-6.

            It was Stoke who had the final say of the half on 40 minutes with Fish taking a quick penalty and a race to the 22. Support was at hand and the ball eventually found Patterson to touch down and a half time score of 15-6.

            Stoke started the 2^nd half with renewed vigour and had the visitors under pressure straight away and scored on 44 minutes. Following 2 scrums 10 metres out and several drives from the forwards the ball was released to the backs. Humberstone dummied left then right to create a gap to go through unscathed to score and added the conversion for the home side to now lead 22-6.

            Stoke then had their customary spell of “switching off” time but this week did not allow their opponents to claw their way back in the game although they did miss 2 penalties on 49 and 60 minutes. In between Humberstone slotted a penalty on 55 minutes to give Stoke a 25-6 lead.

            With 20 minutes remaining and the bonus point 4^th try still not reached Stoke settled down to play some of their best rugby this year. They were now dominant in all areas of the game and most of the play being in thePortsmouth half or 22.

            Varying the point of attack was the key element and this allowed Stoke to keep the ball alive and complete several phases of play which were draining their opponents who were visibly tiring. The vital break through came on 67 minutes when forwards and backs combined in a rampaging spell of pressure for Fish to put Humberstone over for his 2^nd try.  He then added the conversion extending the lead to 32-6.

            Having been told by the coaches and the captain about not being able to finish off sides following last weeks performance the team went about rectifying this and did so in style. Sensible use of the ball again saw Stoke make inroads into the visitors defence and was again rewarded with another try on 72 minutes. Several phases of play again saw Stoke get to 10 metres out and Humberstone gave a sublime inside pass to Patterson who cut a superb line to score untouched and with Humberstone adding the conversion the lead was now 39-6.

            Stoke still piled on the pressure and got their final score on 80 minutes. Following a scrum Stoke once more put together some lovely rugby to finish the game off with Drawbridge crashing over for a try & Humberstone adding the extras and a final score of 46-6.

            Afterwards a delighted Croker added “That was a very impressive 2^nd half performance where we actually went about finishing our opponents off. Whereas the 1^st half we were a bit ponderous and not putting together any real patterns or phases. The 2^nd half we were clinical by taking our scoring opportunities and a lot more accurate with our passing and offloads. The spine of the team (2,8,9 and 10) played well and this enabled others to play off them to enable us to play some impressive rugby.”  

Team: John, Bird (Staszkiewicz 47), Young, Brougham, Drawbridge, Hicks, Horne (Hore 47), Ford, Fish, Mortem (Gardner 65), Kelly, Humberstone, Gleadowe, May Miller, Paterson.

The U13’s were away at Petersfield – Basingstoke won 58-0. Sunday saw the under 13′s visit Petersfield RFC to partake in a friendly match. The game started with the Saxons playing great flowing rugby and didn’t take long to score the first of what would be 10 tries. The performance from all 19 players was near perfect. The players performances have really turned a corner and their hard work at training is really paying dividends.

Last Sunday the U14’s played Vectis: The under 14′s hosted a side from Vectis on Sunday 4th December looking for the chance to overcome the defeat by Vectis in last year’s Hampshire Cup. The game started well with both sides being tentative in attack. However Stoke started to gain the upper hand in the set piece and allowing the backs to run some good ball. The early confidence soon gave way when a ruck was not cleared quickly allowing the Vectis wing to collect and run in from the 10 metre line unopposed. Stoke did not take the break lying down and quickly regrouped. With the forwards taking the game to a much larger pack, Stoke settled to some excellent set piece moves edging ever closer to the opposition try line. A good break from the backs allowed for a ruck to form from the 5 metre line and after 3 phases of pick and go Stoke ploughed over for the first score. After the break Stoke kept the pressure on and with some great work in the scrum, the backs were allowed to run moves almost at will and to good effect. A well worked and rehearsed move saw Stoke’s second try which was converted. The final try came from a scrum on the cross at 5 metres, this was picked up by the number 8 who powered over on the blind side for the final Stoke score. The final score of 17 – 7 did not give justice to the control that the U14′s had on the game. The excellent base from the scrum and rucks allowed some excellent and free running by the backs. A great team effort and good preparation for the next league game against Farnborough on the 18th December.

The U15’s were home training as were the minis.

The U16’s were away at Rutlishians. The U16s Travelled to London SW19 for a friendly last Sunday and returned to winning ways. The first half saw a converted try and a penalty kick from the side line on the 22, the 1/2 time score 7-15. It was a very physical match, however the Basingstoke U16s stayed focused & won by using skill & fantastic teamwork against a team that had speed and size in their favour. Final Score Old Rutlishians 7 Basingstoke 20. Well done boys lets carry this forward to the League match next Sunday

Thanks to all the coaches who have made a huge effort to get their licences all sorted, just a couple more to go before the January deadline.

Thanks also to you all in general, I have had some really great feedback from parents from all different age groups over the last few weeks all saying what a buzzing, friendly atmosphere there is at the club and how welcomed they and their kids have felt – big well done to everyone.

Well done in particular to Jez Brooks, Terry Davenport, Jon Cornwell, Karl Rand, Chris Williams and Simon Lovegrove who passed their Level 1 Coaching Award last weekend.

Cheers,

Michele

Minis were down at Trojans this weekend:

 U7’s – “U6 & U7s were made very welcome and with good numbers on both sides managed to split into 4 groups for some close matched games. Smiling faces all round!”

 U8’s -“U8 had a great time at Trojans. We out numbered the Trojans team 2 to 1! A selection of drills and mixed matches kept the children warm, happy and smiling. It was great to experience the different approach from clubs towards TAG rugby and how they measure success. I am pleased to say, Trojans view success as running straight, passing backwards, scoring tries and working as a team. Pretty much the same as the U8 coaches, thus allowing a fun and positive environment for the children to express their rugby skills. The Basingstoke U8s were a credit to the club as always. Exemplary behaviour and cracking manners. Harvey Cullen received special praise from parents, team mates and coaches for his play and overall behaviour. A cracking Sundays rugby with a great bunch from Trojans!

 U9’s – “Great session, 21 under 8′s there which is great! We had three teams out each playing 2 games after a great training session. We won 3 of the 6 games.”

 U10’s -  “I dont know the scores but they had a great training session and game with Trojans, I think the U10s feel very much at home at Trojans grounds which is nice to see …..There was some amazing tackles from both Basingstoke and Trojans …. All in all they had a great time…. The only complaint from boys was no Hotdog !!!…. The Coaches , Players and Parents made us all feel extremely welcome as always.”

 U11’s – “ Despite the fact we lost 6 players through illness,we won our first game by 2-1 and lost our 2nd one by 4-0.Trojans made us very welcome and organised various drills for an hour before we played the games.” The U11 had a good morning at Trojans. The boys played really well in their first game and won 2-1 and despite playing hard, with some great passing, the score of 4-0 to the Trojans in the second game didn’t really reflect the game. Great tackler went to Morten Van Der Schee and Man of the Match was Jonathan Hamilton with a special mention to James Griffiths for some great passing and forward thinking.”

 U12’s- “U12s had a good friendly at Trojans. 27 of our 36ish made the trip. The boys played their hearts out, listened to the coaches and put most of it into practice. There was good movement of the ball, strong work from the forwards, phases of joined up play and some great runs from the backs. As a non-coach (they would have seen much more!) I think there is some work with the scrums and getting support players to follow breakaway runners a bit better. Having said that the positives were many. All players getting involved and really trying to do their bit. It was a great ‘team playing’ morning. We had a joint warm up and then straight into games. We played five fifteen minute ‘sessions’ with a team change for Stoke and Trojans at each session. Stoke fielded ‘mixed’ experience teams for each session. The first session ended Stoke 3 and T’s 2 trys. Session 2 was stoke 4 to T’s 0. Session 3 was Stoke 3 to T’s 0, session 4 was Stoke 2 and T’s 0. The fifth and final session was evenly matched and T’s were able to score the only try. So in total 12 tries for Stoke to T’s 3 tries. Our U12s have really progressed to have such a dominant performance against a team that were U10 Hampshire Cup finalists.”

 U13’s played Slough at home – “A game born of development in it’s truest form, with 32 players this was the first true B game for the age group which saw players enjoying rugby against a team of equal ability, so often we have all experienced sides turning up with a B team that has 3 or 4 county players. Not Slough.The game was a real battle, to and fro and ended up with an appropriate score 5 – 5, excellent performance from all that played on both sides.

“A healthy crowd at Down Grange on Sunday saw the Saxons B team put in an excellent performance against a spirited Slough side. For several of the Saxons this was their first full game of rugby, for others this was a chance to stake a claim to a first team jersey. None of the players disappointed, the effort and committment shown against a physical Slough side was superb. A lot of players hit several of their individual goals which contributed to a fantastic team performance. All in all an excellent match and many parents and spectators commented afterwards how much they had enjoyed it and how well the boys played. The coaching team will have been given plenty of food for thought for selection for the next match! Well done boys.”

“An excellent game against Slough ended up with a 5 all draw. Having set each player personal goals for the game it was great to see every effort being put in to achieve them. We always ask the lads to work hard off the ball and that is exactly what they did. This was a game mainly for our developing players and the coaches and especially the parents were very impressed with a great all round performance. Man of the match was Robert Shaw who came off the pitch with an injury about 10 minutes from time to a huge round of applause.”

U14’s were away at Reading – “We had a great game at Reading, the boys performed very well overall, although we lost 24-12. Our forwards got the better of a far larger pack, and while we had some excellent work in the backs we just failed to turn it into enough tries.  In the end it was probably our tackling, particularly in the backs that let us down, but they all did us proud – the Reading spectators were very impressed and it was clear not many teams have stood up to them this season, which isn’t surprising as they have a large enough squad for an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ team and apparently 7 players in the county squad, while we were missing a few of our regulars.”

U15’s Div 1 played Havant – Basingstoke 7 – Havant 60
”Out rucked, outsmarted and out played. Sometimes you can only play as well as a team will let you play. We played very poorly but a lot of credit to Havant who played very well. We conceded 10 tries, which is 3 more than we conceded in the whole of last season! Lots to work on for the next game.”

U15’s Div 3 played Guernsey – Basingstoke 22 – Guernsey 42 “Guernsey are playing their first season in the leagues and they should really have been put in the league above as they are too strong for this league. At 35-0 down at half-time we looked out of the game but the boys rallied fantastically and really took it to them to win the second half. A very good performance against a very good side.”

 U16’s were away at Winchester – unfortunately we lost 27 – 7

 Colts played Totts in the afternoon – “Academy 52 Tottonians 33. An exciting game to watch yesterday , though I feel I (Jerry) aged about ten years!!!!”

 Cheers all

Michele

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Trojans vs. Basingstoke – 0-57

19th November 2011

Stoke scored nine tries against a side that 2 weeks earlier they failed to score any and in the process played some exhilarating rugby. With both Chichester and Sidcup losing the top 4 sides have now all won 9 and lost 2 with Stoke in third place a point behind the joint leaders.

All nine tries were scored by the backs but it was often the forwards who put the graft in to win the ball or turn it over along with some good counter attacking rugby, sometimes from their own 22.

Early exchanges saw Stoke start to dominate proceedings, particularly in the scrum, and wasted their 1^st chance of a score on 10 minutes when an overlap was created but not used and the ball was turned over.

The opening score came on 14 minutes following the 1^st period of sustained pressure from the visitors. The forwards kept the ball amongst themselves for several phases before the ball being given to the backs and Guilfoyle cruising through a gap to score and with Humberstone adding the conversion led 7-0.

From the re-start a loose ball was picked up by Fish to make the initial break on half way to pass to the supporting Guilfoyle to feed toGardnerto sore in the corner for an unconverted try and lead 12-0.

On 20 minutes Stoke extended their lead with a try following another superb but simple team effort. The forwards secured a turn over on the 10 metre line, and following 2 phases of play the backs were given the ball to pass down the line and Cummings to score in the corner. Humberstone adding the touch line conversion and were now 19-0 ahead.

The bonus point try was scored on 35 minutes following a series of kicks from both sides until a kick from Trojans found Humberstone just outside his 22. His long pass infield to Cummings launched a brilliant counter attack. The next pass saw the ball with Guilfoyle who drew the last man to give a simple overlap pass to Kelly on halfway. Kelly showed what he does best and outpaced any covering defence to score and the conversion from Humberstone made it 26-0.

Stoke finished the half with another score from inside their own 22 on 39 minutes. The forwards won their own scrum ball and Fish fed Humberstone going down the blind side channel who put in a chip kick which was gathered on the full by Cummings to make ground to halfway. He fed Gardner to race to the 22 before he timed a nice unselfish off load to the supporting Gleadowe to score and Humberstone again adding the extras for a half time score of 33-0.

The 1^st 20 minutes of the 2nd half saw Stoke having their obligatory period of play where they think its job done and take their foot off the gas. As a result Trojans were having more of the ball but could do nothing with it and Stokes defence coped easily with anything thrown at them.

On 60 minutes Stoke were defending on their own 10 metre line when they forced a turnover. The ball was passed to Hore who fed Gleadowe on the half way to once more gallop to the line for an unconverted try and extend the lead to 38-0.

Credit to the home side as they once again were having a period where they had the ball but good defence from Stoke kept them out. On 65 minutes, having been issued a warning from the ref about releasing the player in the tackle, saw John given a yellow card for not doing so.

On 70 minutes Stoke once more secured a turn over ball inside Trojans own 22. With space out wide Hore and Gleadowe combined well before Kelly finished off the move with yet another try and the score line now 43-0.

The next score came on 75 minutes following a turn over ball in their own 22 and again a great piece of counter attacking. Having secured the ballGardnerfed Hore who crossed the 22 metre line. Gleadowe continued the move up to half way before passing infield to Guilfoyle to outpace the defence and score. Cummings added the conversion to bring up the 50 points.

The final passage of play saw the ninth try scored and in doing so it brought a hat trick to Gleadowe. Following another turn over on half way the ball was passed to the centre to score under the posts and with Cummings adding the conversion for the final score of 57-0.

After such an emphatic win head coach Croker added “Today we saw how simple rugby is. The forwards did their job, which is to win the ball and the backs did their job which is to use it. I thought our decision makers had a good game which allowed us to play our patterns and choose the right options. The players did everything that we asked of them which has left all the coaches very happy.”