Match Reports 27/03: Under 14s reach cup final and Under 16s finish as undefeated league winners

Vees vs Fullerians Under 14s

The mighty Vees were well up for this cup semi final.
Against the only team to have inflicted a league defeat on them this season, the under 14s were out for revenge.
Fullerians kicked off to start the game and about 10 minutes of intense play ensued.
With the Vees up to the opposition 10 metre line and winning a scrum, Freddie C picked the ball up at the base of the scrum and with two passes out to Freddie S on the wing who’s pace was too much for the Fullerians defence the Vees broke the deadlock.
Arthur added the conversion.
The Vees seemed to have the bit between their teeth and added a second try soon after with Arthur powering over the line from a few metres out.
Conversion scored.
Back came the Fullerians though, and they capitalised on a loose pass in midfield and scored a deserved try,
No conversion.
Freddie S then scored another well worked try at the end of the first half with the conversion slotted over.
Early in the second half Freddie S received the ball in midfield and his speed was too much for the defence, and he powered through to score a brilliant try.
Conversion scored.
The rest of the half was played at a high tempo with both sides creating chances, but also both teams showing heroics in defence.
The forwards were dominant in the scrum and i think that Luke and Oliver deserve a special mention as they were fierce in defence and bold in their ball carrying, winning seemingly unobtainable balls and more often than not needing at least 3 players to bring them down each time.
To sum up, a superb win over a well organised and dangerous team.
Every single starter and replacement gave their all.
But most importantly the team kept the somewhat vocal and loud Fullerians support very quiet at the end.
Final score 28-5.
And a place in the final, if they can put in another performance like that they will take some beating.

Hampstead vs Vees Under 16s

Vees seal undefeated league champion status in convincing style

First half

Our opponents this week - Hampstead - a club without a clubhouse but who are typically strong at all levels. The Vees hung around the changing rooms for 30 mins, waiting for the ‘key man’, before deciding it’s better to change at the pitch which was only a short 3 miles away from the changing rooms.

Hampstead kicked off on the freshly mowed but damp pitch. George secured the ball and looked to head off on one of his trademark bulldozing runs. He didn’t account for the power of the fully bearded 16 year old hooker who lowered himself and stopped a full pace George dead. The wind from the impact hit the crowd shortly before the sonic boom of the thud. Tone for the match set! Vees knew they were in for a game despite Hampstead’s position in the league.

Vees found themselves under early pressure and a poor pass out to Jamie F on our 5m saw a knock on and Hampstead scrum.  Hampstead won a penalty shortly after the scrum but the Vees did well to get bodies around and under the ball and held it up over the line.  A bad looking ankle injury then forced Hugo off having hit a pothole in the pitch.

Barney made a good break on the right hand side but with the ref calling release, Hampstead turned the ball over in contact. 

A couple of penalties for Hampstead saw them get into good position but the Vees defence was holding firm and they won a turnover themselves. George set off on another great run before absorbing another shuddering hit from his nemesis again. George won the contact this time making about an inch but clearly felt the impact of the heat seeking missile! Vees then won a penalty close to the 22 and wisely opted to take the points.

0-3 as Jamie F converted the opportunity.

Vees then had a line-out in good attacking position but the attempted maul didn’t go to plan and the ball hit the deck. However, the ball was shifted out to Jamie F who pirouetted and fed the ball to a full pace Sam FB who had taken another great running line for a try. Conversion missed as Vees took a hard fought lead after 20 minutes of toe to toe action.

0-8

Vees soon won another penalty near the 22 and kicked. This time he couldn’t quite convert as it remained 0-8.

George then got close in the corner but another big hit from the Hampstead steam train forced a knock on as George stretched for the try. The gravitational pull must have been drawing the two big men into the heat of battle.  Great physical contest which George seems to relish.

Hampstead tried to play their way out from the scrum but then opted for a clearing kick. The ball sailed to Will who had a huge run to within 10m of the opposition try line. The ball was recycled out to Luka twice and on the second occasion he fed Ben for a short range try.

0-13 as the kick was missed.

Next up from the kick off came a stunning piece of play from the Vees as they started to look confident. Jamie F caught the kick off and passed right to Luka who in turn fed Reuben. The free running hooker fed Sam FB who passed it back inside to Will. Will still had a lot to do but chipped last man and then tapped it once more and over the goal line for the try. Cracking try from long range showing excellent handling, vision and support.

0-20 as Jamie F converted.

Hampstead still hadn’t been deflated and soon found themselves attacking from a scrum and saw a pacy break from their centre (looked like a forward to the partisan coach). With only Will to beat, there was only one outcome . . . that’s right, Will made the try saver. Ethan and Austin also put in excellent tackles to repel the follow up attack and Sam FB finished the half by felling Hampstead’s ‘punisher’ with a perfectly timed ankle tackle which forced a knock on for half time. Great, determined defending which has become a hall mark of big games for Vees this season.

Second half

Vees were in action first, winning a scrum just inside Hampstead’s half - a great first phase dummy scissor pop move saw Barney hit the line at full pace, slicing through the opposition and rounding the flat footed full back to speed over under the posts. Great try and duly converted by Jamie F.

0-27 

Next up for the full flow Vees, Reuben made a great 30m break, flashbacks of 3 years ago from his days at centre, but the full back and flanker did enough to stop him, despite the side step attempt.

Ben had the next half chance following the ball going through quick hands of Will and Sam FB. Another good cover tackle from the Hampstead full back denied Ben adding to his tally.

Vees then won a penalty due to offside from Hampstead. Jamie F pinned the ball inside the Hampstead 22. A perfect ‘Ellis ball’ at the line-out (thanks to Tommy from the Colts for this move) saw Reuben throw short to Ellis who accelerate and broke the attempted tackles to touch down for the try. Set pieces moves were all coming off now!

A great kick form wide by Jamie F extended the lead to 0-34. Would have been £20er for Jamie if Alan F was there!

Another break by Reuben from deep in our half made 40m this time and foregoing any shimmies this time he opted for the Māori sidestep as he tried to crash through the full back route one. Quick ball saw the oval pill move through the hands to Jamie F and then wide to Will. Will was tackled but offloaded inside to Jamie S in support who then fed Barney. Sam FB looped around him, reversing the direction of play and sped in for another fantastic team try.

0-41 as Jamie F couldn’t miss now.

The final points came on a line-out that saw a perfect dummy scissor miss move to Will who briefly juggled before securing the ball and blazing in under the posts.

0-48 as Jamie F added another two.

Vees were hungry for the half century but couldn’t add to the score in the last 5 mins as Hampstead never gave up.

The bonus point win saw Vees secure the league title, winning all of their matches in a competitive league. A fantastic achievement, beating 3 teams who had been stronger than us in previous years. Today was a great display of team work, work rate, determination and a good dose of class in a number of the tries.

Final Score

Hampstead 0-48 Vees (Tries: Sam FB x 2, Will x 2, Barney, Ben, Ellis. Conversions: Jamie F x 5, Penalty Kick: Jamie F)

Vees vs Clifton - Under 15s

On an overcast and deceptively cold day at Cotlandswick, the mighty Vees played the touring side Clifton.

In an incredibly competitive game, both sides were even until Clifton were able to break through the lines with some incredibly fast runs down the wings. However, Vees were able to pull one back before half time, with their powerful forwards managing to keep battering the defence until Dylan went over for the try which unluckily was not converted, followed by Paul (who put in a great display all through the day) scoring a try which then was duly converted by Tom H. Half time score 12-40.

The second half continued in much the same way with powerful defence and our forwards battering through the centre, but the smooth passing of Clifton through the pitch and to the wings saw them score more tries. However, our wingers were not to be out done and a great try by Rhys saw him nearly burst through a number of times only to be tackled at the last moment, before he eventually found the space to fly through with no one able to catch him, and Alfie converting the kick.

Both sides battled competitively and it was a great game to watch - well done to Vees and safe journey back to the West Country for Clifton! Final score 19 - 59.

Under 11s Vees at Herts Tournament

Vees u11’s travelled to Fullerians on a chilly misty morning for the annual Herts Contact festival. The hours sleep lost overnight wasn’t evident (amongst the boys anyway) and Vees made a fast start against a Watford squad that was a little depleted but bolstered by our willing and as ever, sporting, volunteer players from our initial subs bench. The rucking from the off was determined and effective and passes sprayed out to both wings across the pitch, coupled with great support play and accurate finishing ensured we were soon several tries to the good. Esa-Kai swerved and side stepped through the Watford defence for first of his several classy tries.  Moments later a delightful long pass away from a breakdown by Tyler found  Patrick out wide who showed a goose step which Marcus Smith would have been proud of to bamboozle the opposition, before cutting back inside to scythe through to the try line. Strong work through the centre by the likes of Henry , Aron and Harry (with Henry in particular always tying up several defenders to slow his rampaging runs) and consistently good ball presentation when tackled, meant Vees dominated possession and territory for most of the game with more tries coming from Raymond , Aaron and Esa following great all round team play. After a long break we took on Stevenage in our second match in what was a tighter game with both sides trading the first few tries, some good interceptions by Stevenage and the lightening speed of their full back causing some problems. However the boys upped their defensive efforts and into the second half began to exert more pressure. The awareness of formations at set plays was impressive with a strong defensive line, always ready on the front foot to pressurise the opposition be it from a scrum or kick restart. Aaron W put in an assured performance at scrum half with good communication with his front three consistently securing us scrum possession. Ayrton put in some big hits and is worthy of mention for always stepping forward to try to stop, and more often than not succeeding, in halting  a giant Stevenage player who must have been twice his size. Alex, Michael and Callum were all over the pitch making tackles and then reorganising and spreading to keep the width in either attack or defence. A champagne moment where Patrick chipped through and then, as if in slo-mo, skilfully collected from a fortuitous bounce to score was rightly cheered by all supporters pitch side. Tenacious rucking by the Vees continued to sway it our way led often by the magnificent Thomas, who if not clearing out players and securing ball appeared as if magic,  time and time again, to act as scrum half when needed and recycle the ball quickly away. A couple more 2nd half tries secured the well earned victory and onwards, after a 3 minute breather, into our final match against Welwyn. We started well in what was likely to be the toughest test so far against a physically strong and well drilled side.  The boys kept fighting till the last scoring several tries and defending with heart and playing for each other. However with the minutes in the legs and several knocks starting to be felt, the difference between the sides was one of the Welwyn wingers who was rapid as well as strong in both defence and attack and was able to outpace the Vees defence to score several second half tries unfortunately taking the game out of our reach. But just before the final whistle,  the coaches play of the day came in a flying try saving cover tackle out of touch by Alex on the Welwyn winger. This epitomised the never say die attitude which the team displayed all morning in a performance bristling with commitment and desire. Well done to the boys - undoubtedly their most impressive showing so far this season and something they should be proud of, as much as us coaches and parents were. 

Tackler of the week - Alex for his last second try saving effort. 

TREDS  trophy - awarded to the whole team for what was an outstanding all round team effort. 

Lastly a big shout out to the mums for their forgoing of a lie-in and pampering on Mother’s Day. 

Under 7s: Vees vs Watford

U7s Warm Up A Chilly Morning
Vees U7s welcomed Watford RFC for joint training session on a chilly morning. After sharpening their dodging and passing skills with a few drills, the teams split off into a couple of matches.

There was some excellent running from all teams with those following the ball and making early passes being rewarded with some super tries.

A big clap to both Rory and Tom for a great all round effort. And congratulations to our Players of the Week, for their speedy running and excellent dodging & weaving:
Harrison, Zac and Ava.