Sun 24 Oct 2021, 11:30
Back on our travels, the Paviors U16 road show pitched up at Leicester Forest RFC, always a testing opponent.
With limited time again for a prematch warm up I had dispensed with bringing all the bibs and what not, having just brought three balls for some handling work. And for once, the warm up was a bit more than lukewarm. We left the balls on the pitch side whilst we went to put on the match shirts, only to find one missing on return and despite my best efforts I couldn’t locate it - oh well.
The game was to be played on an all weather pitch which I always have reservations about because when I was a player myself, I always liked to wallow in mud. But to be fair this pitch is obviously one of the new generation ones and it played well.
Forest had some big units and play a very direct game but as long as we matched them I always thought our fitness would tell in the end.
They started off strongly and after initially manning the barricades and holding them out for 10 minutes or so eventually they crashed over in the corner. An excellent conversion from out wide put us 7-0 down and this was the crucial period of the match - would we crumble and let them in again or would we take the game to them.
Thankfully it was the latter, and whilst they kept trying to come down the middle, when we got the ball we span it wide and made progress down the flanks. We continued to drag their behemoths down and the referee rewarded our jackeling, which was excellent.
Our tactical kicking improved as well, so much so that their coach shouted to his team to be wary as we were winning the kicking game.
Eventually, with us deep in their half we worked an opportunity when Oliver stepped inside to put Jamie through a gap and with the conversion it was 7-7.
Half time and Forest were blowing whilst our confidence was growing.
We soon got another score when Eddie finished off a number of drives by forcing his way over and then Ethan scored a third, running in off the left wing to dot down under the posts, 7-19.
Forest re-doubled their efforts and we, probably thinking the job was done, eased off. We got on the wrong side of the referee who awarded a number of penalties against us and in the blink of an eye they scored twice, one of which was a penalty try for a shirt tug. It was now 19 all and the game was back in the balance.
We went in search of a winner and following a ruck on the far side, deep in the Forest half, the referee issued a red card to one of their players for punching. Invited on to speak with the players I told Oliver to kick the penalty and take the 3pts but he said no and was determined we’d score again.
However, we were repelled and I thought the chance had gone but back on the half way line we eventually worked the ball to Ethan again, who sprinted past the sprawling cover to go under the posts for a second time 19-26.
We saw out the last couple of minutes and the game was ours.
Whilst walking to my car I noticed their fly half had stayed on the pitch to practice kicking. One of the balls he was using looked familiar and so I wandered over to the posts as he kicked it and sure enough as the ball rolled to my feet I could see ‘Paviors U16’ written on it. Naughty.
So another W, some had to play in unfamiliar positions but acquitted themselves well and, whilst a work in progress the confidence is building and we’re heading in the right direction.
Mick
