Match Reports 9th January 2022
Under 16s Verulamians vs Hemel Camelot
First half
Vees U16s hosted Hemel Camelot for their second league game of the season. After a fair bit of rain of late the morning was bright and crisp and the pitch in good condition for a game of Rugby.
Hemel had won two of their 3 league games thus far riding high in second place in the table and this was a very tough encounter on paper with many a close battle with Hemel over the years.
The first action saw an excellent break by Sam FB into the Hemel half after good switch with Jamie F. The tackle was made and ball recycled which saw Olly P take a short crash and after breaking one tackle, he sped over for a try under the posts. Jamie F added the conversion. 7-0
The next play saw an intelligent kick by Jamie F deep into the Hemel 22 and despite them picking up the tackled and counter ruck by Vees forced a scrum in 10m out. A high tackle from Hemel from the resulting play saw a penalty in front of posts. Shaping to run it, in an expected tight encounter Vees opted for the penalty which was duly converted by Jamie F. 10-0
More good pressure was applied and a penalty was won by Vees in the Hemel half. Jamie F aimed for the corner but the wind held the ball out and Hemel tried to run out. The Vees defence was up quickly and turned the ball over. Ellis then hit the ball into contact drawing in 3 players but not quite getting over the line. Sam W attempted another blast but was met by two Hemel forwards, somehow as he went to ground he reached out to add the try. Conversion by Jamie off the post from out wid. 15-0 to the Vees.
Next up saw a great lineout take by Alfie under the pressure of contested lineouts. He fed clean ball off the top to Luka he in turn fed Jamie F to kick into space. Will was first to the loose ball and chipped it through all the way over the line for a well taken try. Defence to attack in seconds. Jamie F added the afters. 22-0
Further pressure from Vees and more strong running created the next opportunity and good hands to pass the ball down the line saw Will over in the corner. A good attempt at the conversion with £20 and a bottle of beer riding on it but it just didn’t quite have the legs to get over. 27-0.
There was still a few seconds of the 35 minute half left and Hemel were caught gamely trying to play their out of their 22. As the ball moved down the line the centre fumbled. Sam FB was first to react having pressured with excellent line speed. He picked up for an easy sprint under the posts for the first of his late Christmas / early birthday gifts. Another Jamie F conversion for 34-0 at the half. Wow!
Second half
Hemel started the second half with intensity as they looked to make a fightback despite the score. Hemel’s dangerous looking centre combo saw one make a fine break only to be hit with a try saving tackle from Matthew, who’d come on at 9 for Luka.
The next action saw a fantastic break from a set move from Sam FB but couldn’t quite round the last player. From the recycled ball, a penalty was awarded for a high tackle on Jamie F. Hemel turned the ball over but the clearing kick could only find Will who with, the most casual counter attack you’ll see, fed Oli R who then fed out to George to hit the line at pace and power over in corner. Jamie F couldn’t add the conversion as the team looked to test his wide kicking skills! 39-0
Next up Olly P added to the score line as he picked up from about half way and rounded the full back for another try in the corner. Excellent pace from the powerhouse prop. Another wide conversion couldn’t quite be made. 44-0
Next up was the second of Sam FBs holiday season gifts as Hemel passed the ball down the line trying to play out of their 22, his quick line speed saw him standing in their backline for the easy interception. Another try under the posts and converted by Jamie F. 51-0
The final minutes saw pressure following good work by Barney and Luke resulting in a 5m lineout for Hemel. Under duress, the clearing kick went high but not far enough. Will caught the ball and following some fast feet stepping, fed Charlie for the final try of the game. Jamie F hit the post but the ball didn’t cross the bar. 56-0
An excellent bonus point victory and even more impressive to keep a clean sheet with determined defence from the Vees. Not much between the teams physically but Vees made their own luck and pressure and a little more determination contributed a number of the tries.
Final Score: Vees 56 – 0 Hemel (Tries: Olly P x 2, Sam FB x 2, Will x 2, Charlie, George, Sam W. Conversions: Jamie F x 4. Penalty: Jamie F).
Players of the Day
Olly P: An all action display from the prop that surprises teams with his pace. 2 tries and some excellent defensive work from the powerful ball carrier. Chosen by the opposition team as best forward too.
Will: 2 tries and created several more with counter attacking and sure handed fielding of opposition kicks. Great all round display from the pacy fullback.
Special mention to Luka H who the opposition chose as their back of the day with his control of the game in the first half from the 9 position.
Under 15s: St Albans vs Welwyn Verulamians
On a bright sunny day at St Albans RFC, the game started off with two teams evenly matched and nullifying each other in the first ten minutes. However, as the first half wore on the forwards agression and dominance started to come through and wear down the opposition with the first try driven down the middle of the pitch and DJ placing the ball down just short of the try line however Lucas was on hand to pick the ball up and dive over the line for the first 5 points, unfortunately without our regular kicker the conversion was unluckily missed. Buoyed by our try, St Albans quickly responded with a try themselves and kicked the subsequent conversion to finish the first half 7 - 5 to St Albans.
The WVees had a strong squad available and in the second half their forwards continued to be dominant winning the majority of the scrums, with Dylan bursting through to the right hand of the posts with St Albans players hanging off of him, but unable to stop him going over the line, with a great kick by Alfie S to convert. 12 - 7 to the Vees.
The WVees continued to crash through the centre, as well as stopping St Albans in their tracks with the next try scored by Ellis. 17 - 7 to the Vees.
As the game was coming to a close Tunji went across the try line on the left hand side crashing through a number of St Albans players to secure the game and make it 22 - 7 to the WVees.
U14s Verulamians v Stevenage Plate County Cup 1st Round 52 - 0
The U14s enjoyed a comprehensive victory in their first 15-a-side game. Playing against Stevenage in the County Plate, Vees dominated the game from start to finish and scored 8 tries without reply to win 52-0. The first experience of line outs went well, the scrum continued to dominate as it has all season, and it was great to see the ball moving through the backs with more confidence. Freddie S completed another hat-trick, with Quinn scoring twice and Luke, Freddie C and Ned one each. In the first match with conversions, Arthur made a great start with 6 successful attempts.