Sunday 13th November 2011
Eastbourne vs East Grinstead (Friendly)
Final score: 10 - 10
Eastbourne U12s v East Grinstead U12s at Park Avenue, 13th November 2011
Match 1: Eastbourne 15 - 10 East Grinstead
Match 2: Eastbourne 10 - 10 East Grinstead
Following last week's typically harsh November weather, this week saw the gloomy skies lift temporarily, making way for spring-like sunshine and blue skies. This week's opponents were our West Sussex neighbours and local festival rivals East Grinstead. Order of the day was a joint warm-up session, followed by team specific training, before finishing with two 20 minute friendly matches. Was this change in the weather a good omen for a change in Eastbourne U12's fortunes?
The first match, by mutual consent of both coaching teams, would be regarded as a contest fielding only the most experienced players. With confidence and expectations at palpable levels the whistle blew and Eastbourne launched the ball high into the unseasonably blue sky. As the ball fell back down to earth, the chasing Eastbourne pack put down the marker early on with some great pressure forcing East Grinstead into some panicked passes. It was immediately obvious that Eastbourne were reaping the benefit of the pre-match training session by displaying some confident rucking and well executed tackling, and were able to control much of the play. This extra effort from the forwards was rewarded with a scrum inside Eastbourne's own 10-metre line. With a pre-planned chip and chase, the ball arrived swiftly from the scrum and was passed-out to Fly Half Harvey Warren who placed an inch-perfect kick over an advancing East Grinstead defense for Inside Centre Aaron Brown to pursue like an express train. As the ball gently rolled end over end into the scoring zone, Aaron 'Bullet Train' Brown, comfortably first to the ball, coolly placed his hands on the ball for Eastbourne's first try. The remainder of the first half saw continued dominance from the Eastbourne forwards and some great interplay between the backs. Eastbourne almost finished the first half with a second try following a great charging run along the touchline from Left Wing Harry Yates. Distracted by the huge number of East Grinstead players desperate to halt him in his tracks, the ball was placed behind the dead ball line to deny Harry a well deserved first try for the club.
The start of the second half saw a more determined East Grinstead side up their game and almost immediately leveled the scores with a crash ball try originating from a maul just five metres from Eastbourne's try line. Despite this, Eastbourne kept their focus and it wasn't long before a well-rehearsed line-out move saw Tight Head Prop Haydn Allport confidently win possession, enabling the backs to put another rehearsed back-line move into action. The resulting slick passing move allowed Outside Centre Angus Bingham to change the angle of attack and burst through a panicked East Grinstead defense for Eastbourne's second try of the game. Eastbourne continued to soak-up the pressure and further good work from the forwards resulted in another well-orchestrated scrum. As the ball emerged from the melee of feet it was quickly passed down the blindside to temporary Right Winger Luke James who's superior strength in the tackle was no match for the flailing opposition and a solid and well deserved third try was dispatched over the line. East Grinstead ended the game with a consolation second try right at the end of the match after finding an elusive gap in Eastbourne's defense. Result: Eastbourne 15 - 10 East Grinstead
The second match, saw both teams agree to field any new or inexperienced players, with all other regular players forced to play 'out of position', and for the safety of all involved the scrums were to be 'uncontested'. The idea was for the inexperienced players to get a chance to play a full match in their preferred position, and the experienced players 'out of position' to help them learn the disciplines and expectations of other playing positions, whilst hopefully appreciating the different skill sets required. The match got underway with a mix of excitement and trepidation and despite the occasional confusion over pitch position, this new look Eastbourne seemed very convincing. As the team settled into their unfamiliar positions, some good passages of play started to emerge, and from an ensuing ruck the ball flew into the hands of an 'out of position' Inside Centre Harry Yates who calmly passed to 'out of position' Full Back Louis Wood. Louis then cut back to the blind side in a steep arcing run, and in his usual barn-storming fashion headed for the opposition try line, whilst all the time flirting dangerously with the touchline, before slam-dunking the ball over the try line for Eastbourne's first try. With some end to end rugby, the equally 'out of position' East Grinstead players managed to string a series of good passes together and began to attack Eastbourne's 'out of position' defensive line. Half-a-dozen half-hearted and ineffective tackles later, East Grinstead frustratingly leveled the scores just before half-time.
After a few further changes of position and some encouraging 'high-fiving' and 'pats-on-the-back' the second half began in a similar manner with Eastbourne just edging it in terms of possession. With the 'out-of-position' players now growing in confidence and better understanding their role on the pitch, some nice interplay between the forwards and backs began to emerge. From an uncontested scrum the newly installed Scrum Half Zoe Balsdon (in her first ever competitive match) fired an inch-perfect pass to 'out-of-position' Inside Centre Callum Carlton, who in turn passed to 'out-of-position' Outside Centre Euan McGreevy. In similar barn-storming fashion Euan headed for the East Grinstead try line with equal gusto and touched the ball down for a well deserved try. Within a few minutes though, East Grinstead leveled the score at two try's a piece with an equally well deserved try. The final whistle was followed by rapturous applause from the spectators of both teams, who agreed that this potentially one-off 'out-of-position' match was 'out-of-this-world'. Great effort and determination from all the players. Result: Eastbourne 10 - 10 East Grinstead
Man of the match is voted for by fellow team players via www.teamer.net. The result of the vote will be published in 5 days time on the U12s webpage at www.eastbournerugby.com. A big THANK YOU to all the coaches, team manager, parents and team sponsors, and a huge WELL DONE to all the players.
MOM (via teamer.net): Harry Yates/60% of vote (Left Wing), Aaron Brown/20% of vote (Inside Centre), Angus Bingham/20% of vote (Outside Centre)
