Plymouth College Rugby Season 2009 - Half Term Report - 3/11/09
Published: 03 November, 2009
With Half Term out of the way Plymouth College rugby teams
reflect on the busy first half involving all age ranges.
First XV
The First XV had a good start to the season, winning 7 of
their first 9 fixtures. Victories over QEH, Exeter School and
Queen's Taunton feature as highlights of the season so far.
All games have been tight and the margin of victory over Exeter
(one point), QEH (two points) and Queen's (five points) are
testament to the battling qualities of a young and emerging
side. The victory over Exeter was a particularly satisfying
performance as they were unbeaten and strongly fancied as the form
side of the region for this season.
Of the two defeats, the 8-3 loss to King's Taunton was
particularly disappointing as it brought to an end the College's
regular fixture unbeaten record of nearly two years. The
match was a scrappy affair, further disrupted by King's informing
us on Friday night that the game would have to be played with
uncontested scrums as they did not have any senior props!
Their pack of back row forwards adapted well to the unorthodox
format and seemed to have a clear game plan to execute, which they
did admirably. They were clearly delighted at the final
whistle and relieved that they were not on the end of an
unprecedented third consecutive loss. We look forward to next
season when we entertain King's in what will hopefully be a more
conventional format.
The First XV have a very busy last five weeks to the
season and still remain involved in the Daily Mail and County Cup,
having reached the third round and semi-final respectively of those
two competitions..
Second XV
The Seconds (below) are enjoying yet another successful
season with their only defeat being a one point reverse against
King's Taunton. That game was very tight the College led up
to the 7th minute of injury time before a succession of
penalties and a last minute score resulted in King's stealing
victory with the final play of the game. QEH, Truro, Exeter
and Shebbear have all been beaten, with a Truro College Rugby
Academy 3rd XV also being accounted for in a thrilling
27-22 win. Credit should go to many players with Captain Joe
Marshall and Vice-Captain Jake Luffman leading by example.
Third XV
The Thirds have had a busy schedule, most notable for the
large number of away games! Apologies are due here from the
fixture secretary and are duly offered. Although victories
have been thin on the ground, the team have been enthusiastic and
well supported. Tom Owlett continues to thrive under the
experienced tutelage of the wizened Adrian Lewis and but for
injuries would surely be knocking on the door of second team
selection. His desire to play at scrum-half, though, may be a
little misguided!
Under 15s
The 15s (above, right) are the team of the season thus far
and going strong in all competitions. The 15s have built on
their potential of last season and are currently unbeaten. A
good balance of mobile and energetic forwards allied to good skills
behind has proved too much for all opposition so far. The
arrival of Joe Martyn has added cutting edge behind and the strong
'spine' in this team means that they are versatile and
adaptable. The victory of the season has to be the 8-7 win
against King's Taunton. King's, unbeaten as a year group
since their inception last year at Under 14s, clearly believed they
were good enough to roll Plymouth over. However, steely
resolve, calm under pressure and collective will saw the boys home
to a most memorable win, to the delight of the home support and
considerable consternation of the opposition coach. This team
has considerable potential and if they keep their feet on the
ground, don't get ahead of themselves and continue to work hard,
they could well continue to make an impact in the Daily Mail
Cup.
Under 14s
The Under 14s have had a difficult season and have been
unfortunate to come up against some very talented and athletic
sides. They have persevered, though, and this endeavour
was rewarded with a most welcome victory against Shebbear in their
most recent fixture. Credit needs to go to the core of boys
who have kept their heads up, worked hard to develop and who have
focused on improving their fitness and skill levels.
Under 13s
The Under 13s have had a mixed season, but can reflect on
some pleasing performances. Victories have come against
Tavistock College and Kingsley, but injuries to key personnel have
often meant that the team have been under strength for key
matches. They should look forward to the second half of the
season with optimism and with clear targets to achieve as a
squad.
Under 12s
The Under 12s have worked well as a squad during training
and are starting to gel well as a squad. Although they have
lost their opening two encounters, they have been competitive and
with a bit more cohesion should go on to be successful. The
second half of the season should be very interesting and if key
leading players, such as Jack Brazier, Tom Dinnis, Miles Pillage
and Freddie Thompson continue to make good progress, the long term
prognosis is positive.
