11 Boys GSRU Rugby 7s

On Thursday 9 March a squad of year 11 boys travelled just minutes down the road to the playing fields of Bristol Grammar School to take part in the Gloucester Schools Rugby 7s competition. This is a competition that the boys have not played in before and it boasted some of the best rugby playing schools in the area. The competition was split into 2 pools of 6 teams. SK were drawn in a pool with Sir Thomas Rich’s, Wycliffe College, Wydean, Colston’s and St Bede’s. The other pool contained Bristol Grammar School, QEH, Marling School, Bristol Free School, KLB & Clifton College. You don’t need to know much about school rugby to know that this was a tough contest!

Ethan ANDO, Danny CONWAY, Ciaran DUNFORD-HENNESSY, Tom GREEN, Macie KING, Lewis MASON, Lowell MOTT, Ryley MURTAGH, Ben PAINES, Leon PAUL, Charlie RICE, Mason SMART, Louis STRATTON

Game 1: SK 19 v 19 Sir Thomas Rich’s

Sir Thomas Rich’s is a selective school for boys aged 11-18 in Gloucester with a very strong rugby playing reputation. The first minute of the first game didn’t exactly go to plan when the boys looked on as the drop start found grass shortly before it found a Tommies chaser who was just scragged to the floor. A decision to commit to the breakdown the gave their scrum half a chance to go blind for the first try – a harsh welcome to their first 7s rugby of the year! Two break away tries from gas men Danny Conway and Leon Paul and a further try against the head meant SK were up by 2 after converting 1 more try. The second half was a cagey affair with errors, line breaks and good scramble defense from both sides. Danny Conway managed his second try, just about still having the legs to go over while the opposition went over for one of their own which they managed to convert. A final handling error with SK deep inside their own 22 meant they finished with a draw in their first game which they were extremely pleased with.

Game 2: SK 12 v 21 St Bede’s

The boys next challenge was against St Bede’s and a good number of the boys play club rugby together so they knew only too well the strengths of their opposition. Unfortunately this inside knowledge didn’t go any way to serving any useful purpose in the first half as the boys were well and truly out muscles and on the deserving end of a 21 point deficit at half time. The only highlight of the first half was a punishing hit from Charlie Rice, fresh from a lengthy spell out due to injury – it was great to see him back on the rugby pitch! The second half saw a mini resurgence from the boys in the form of a try for Mason Smart followed by another impressive effort from centre Leon Paul.

Game 3: SK 15 v 5 Wydean

Reeling from their last defeat the boys took to a different pitch to face Wydean School. They started with some excellent ball retention and were also making good yardage. Wydean were forced into making a professional foul which they were punished for leaving SK with a numerical advantage which they quickly capitalised on. Leon Paul went over for both first half tries; one in particular was an excellent kick chase which he finished with some excellent footballing skills. Danny Conway helped himself to another try early in the second half after some neat rugby from winger Louis Stratton. The boys did concede one which I wasn’t overly impressed with as they were a little slow to organise from a quick penalty – pretty important in 7s!

Game 4: SK 0 v 56 Colston’s

There was one game that all of the boys had been talking about during down time and that was the Colston’s game. Colston’s is an independent school in Bristol with an extremely strong sporting reputation. Having taught these boys for 5 years I know only too well their thirst for competitive sport and there is no more enticing prospect than pitching your best game against the best. It just demonstrates the character of this group that every single boy who was there wanted a chance to take to the field in this game despite the fact we were being beaten quite comfortably! As it turned out Colston’s went on to win the tournament (not surprising) without conceding a single point which is hugely impressive! In actual fact we came incredibly close to scoring against them when a 2 v 1 presented itself out wide. After a deliberate knock on we had a 1 man advantage again and were camped inside their 22 exerting some real pressure. The best always raise their game when it counts and a well-earned turnover let them off. Colston’s proceeded to use the ball they had just stolen to go the whole length of the pitch keeping the ball alive through almost any means possible to score one of the best 7s tries I have seen for a while. We might have come close to scoring against them but unfortunately they had 56 too many points for it to matter greatly.

Game 5: SK 17 v 12 Wycliffe

Wycliffe College is an independent school located in Stonehouse in Gloucestershire and were the last opponents that SK had to face on the afternoon. I made it clear to the boys that their best rugby was still out on the pitch and that they should get out in search of it one last time. The first half was magic – the rugby was close to the best that they had played. Mason Smart scored the first two tries of the game and of the half; his first born out of a brilliant defensive set topped with a textbook turnover. The ball was shipped wide quickly to Mason who broke the line and went the length to score under the posts. Mason’s second was a bit of a blur to be honest. The boys had played great tactical rugby to earn good field position and possession. Mason hit the line hard in typical fashion but was stripped by his tackler; Mason then stripped the ball back without really knowing much about it to walk in under the posts for his second. Lewis Mason scored the final try of the half with an interception that only he could muster. His timely intervention gave the boys a 17 point lead at half time. If the first half had seen them play their best rugby the second half was almost certainly some of their worst as tired legs and heads led to some poor decision making. Fortunately for the boys they held on to get that deserved last victory.

I have only really mentioned the try scorers above but that doesn’t really tell the story of the sheer team effort that went into this fantastic afternoon of school boy rugby. Unfortunately for the boys Ethan Ando wasn’t able to continue play after starting the first game, Lowell Mott was unavailable to play but did travel and Jay Spicer was missing through injury – they were missing some big players!

Louis Stratton and Charlie Rice stepped in to fill the shoes of the two boys who couldn’t play and were fantastic all afternoon. Louis stepped in on the wing for the most part but also played at 9 in the final game to see out the victory they so desperately wanted. Charlie hadn’t played any rugby for nigh-on 18 months and this was his reintroduction to the game. Charlie was a real physical presence in all of the games as well as a vital cog in the 3-man scrum – brilliant to see him back in action & making it through the afternoon without injury.

Danny, Macie and Ryley took on the bulk of the responsibility for game management by covering the half back positions. Between them the three boys cover all of the bases and they all complement each other brilliantly. Danny keeps players honest at 9 and offers a real threat with his pace. Macie has a solid all round run, kick, pass game and is a brilliant leader on the pitch with the ability to bring others into the game through various means. Ryley has great versatility and can play at 9 or 10 and without a doubt has the best pass on the team – a must have for any 7s team.

Lewis Mason and Ben Paines were outstanding in the front row and both boys played some of the best rugby I have seen them play for the school. Ben is a real competitor with a ferocious appetite for victory. He gets about the pitch like a back, his work at the breakdown is that of a back row forward and he more than held his own in the scrummage. Ben took one ball on the run in the final game going at full tilt and I pitied whoever had to make that eventual tackle! Lewis Mason was an absolute pest at the breakdown all afternoon long and he loved every minute of it. He has a canny ability to turn ball over. Often players that do this type of work for teams go unmentioned but Lewis had so many turnovers in this tournament it was ridiculous. One particular breakdown springs to mind where he’d jackled hard on a ball and survived the mightiest of clear-out attempts remaining still on his feet with hands on the ball – I don’t know how he managed it!

Ciaran, Tom and Mason all offered real dynamism in the back line and each have their own unique style of play which gives me brilliant attacking options. Ciaran is a mercurial talent and I would put him up there with one of, if not the most naturally talented sportsman in the year group. Ciaran’s instincts and his ability to make great choices make him a real asset – when Ciaran is on it there aren’t many who can keep up and his contributions were really valued. Tom has incredible footwork and his illusive and evasive talents are some of the best I have seen. In his early rugby playing days Tom would always worry about his tackling but you couldn’t leave him out such was the quality of his work with ball in hand. In actual fact on the afternoon his defensive stats were faultless as he didn’t miss a single tackle and yes, he did make several – one of which left both ball carrier & Tom surprised! Mason is an extremely talented athlete which unbelievable physical attributes. His 0-60 time is crazy and he packs a punch far bigger than his size suggests. Mason is a huge threat in attack but never shirks his defensive duties – I would love to see him take his rugby that step further at a club but I know he has a huge passion for football. He’s not bad at that either!

Which leaves just one! I couldn’t really put Leon into any of the groups above and I suppose that will say more about his performance that this paragraph! Leon arrived in year 7 as a footballer who didn’t play any rugby and was still very much the same until year 9. His improvement on the rugby pitch has been meteoric to the extent that he is now really impressing the coaches at Bristol Rugby Academy sessions. Leon was instrumental in the team success at this tournament. His fitness levels and work ethic were incredible and he just eats up work in attack and defense. He can cover anywhere across the backline and has the range of talents to adapt to each position with ease. Leon scored tries, chased kicks, made hard yards, showed flair and creativity, hit rucks, made his tackles and was a real leader out on the pitch. It was an absolute pleasure to watch him play!

A fantastic afternoon of rugby which served as a welcome distraction from the pressures of year 11 and exams. I always look forward to working with this group – proper sportsmen!

Mr Cook