Colts get back to winning ways in dominant display

Stroud needed to get back on the winning band wagon. Losing was a habit they didn’t like and victories were much more fun.
The injury bug was starting to recede slowly with Callum’s shoulder taped up like an Egyptian mummy, fly half Will back available after a long layoff and the GRFU County games having a rest week. Still 8 players missing with injuries or other commitments but a powerful squad of 21 players assembled at Fromehall ready to face local rivals Cirencester. Plenty of banter had been exchanged in the build up week as college mates at Ciren wound each other up and vowed to settle the debate on the quagmire that was Fromehall’s rain sodden pitch.

In F1 speak it was Max vs Lewis, Red Bull vs Mercedes, Toto vs Christian. Who would win the championship? It was winner takes all in both sports. Rugby was the winner as a sizeable home crowd chose rugby over F1 as kickoff times for each overlapped.

Forwards: Bernie, Freddie, Stoner, Laurie, Darion, Joe, Freddie, Mr T
Backs: Lewis, Will, George, Charlie, Arthur, Beau, Dougie
Subs: Callum, Rhys, James, Myles, Jonty, Ryan

Ciren kicked off with the wind behind them. The greasy ball wasn’t kind and Stroud lost control of the ball and Ciren went on the attack and quickly earnt a penalty that they kicked to the corner and threatened to take an early lead. The lineout was expertly stolen with a Laurie flick and Will hammered the ball upto halfway to remove the threat of an early score. Ciren won their next throw and quickly sent the ball out to their backs but good pursuit by flanker Freddie stalled the attack and then produced a turnover. The forwards took over the attacking runs with Laurie, Bernie and Joe making sizeable dents in the Ciren defensive line but eventually the ball went loose and Ciren escaped with a scrum restart that they duly won. They attacked through their backs but a stout tackle by Charlie jarred the ball loose and Mr T took advantage with a typical bullocking run through and over his opponents. Side steps not the speciality of a powerful #8! The ball came out to Arthur on the wing and he accelerated into the 22 but a great cover tackle saved a try and earnt Ciren a lineout.

Ciren won their lineout but good defending created a maul and Mr T didn’t wait for the refs whistle and instead stripped the ball away. Darion and George kept the momentum and pressured the Ciren try line. Rhino’s went nowhere so Lewis got the ball out to the backs. A great flat pass by Will found Freddie and he cut an excellent line to make 10 metres, then ran through some tackles for 5 more metres and was eventually felled, but had the alertness to extend his body at full stretch and reach for the line and just touch the whitewash for the opening score. Easy conversion and Stroud led 7-0.

Laurie ran back the kickoff with aplomb. Ball out to the backs but Will’s kick went straight out as the wind helped it on its way. Ciren lifted early though so Stroud had a freekick scrum restart but lost control of the ball as they attacked. Stoner put in 2 punishing tackles which made Ciren think twice so they sensibly opted for the kicking game. Beau fielded the ball well and kicked it straight back. Looking to put his own trademark big tackle in he lost control over his opponent’s body position and gave away a penalty. Ciren controlled the game for the next 5 minutes with attacking lineouts and scrums close to the the Stroud line but Strouds defensive effort was outstanding. Ciren had already been pushed back 5 metres on 1 scrum and were lucky to get a reset. 2nd time they got the ball out but Joe quickly saw the threat and knocked the ball loose and Will cleared it deep.

The next 5 minutes the teams exchanged possession around halfway. Darion and Joe having good runs for Stroud and Bernie and hooker Freddie tackling well on the defensive side. Ciren kicked deep and Dougie ran it back well. Stoner then went on a charge and expertly offloaded to Charlie who kept the ball alive. Then inside to Freddie but Stroud were penalised at the subsequent ruck. Ciren won their lineout on halfway but Joe stole it at the subsequent breakdown. Arthur had another good run up the flank and he passed back inside to the supporting runner who dropped the ball. Ciren showed expert vision and with no Stroud full back within 30 metres whacked the ball deep with wind assistance and earnt a 50-22 lineout throw deep in the Stroud half. Darion this time was the lineout winner to remove the scoring threat. As regular as clockwork Will kicked the ball deep and the Ciren pressure was removed.

Ciren were showing great poise though and kept the attacks going through their backs and forwards. Stroud’s defensive organisation and effort was first class though. Charlie at #13 was punishing his opposite number with quick rush defense and no time to think. If the ball came through the Ciren forwards they were met with crunching tackles from Bernie, Stoner and Laurie. Ciren went back out to their backs and this time Charlie broke his opposite number in half! Quick rucking from Joe and hooker Freddie then won Stroud a penalty that Will kicked into the 22. Darion won the lineout and Mr T had another crunching run. Will went for a flat kick to Beau who fielded it well and attacked down the right, lovely inside pass to Dougie and another try threatened. Dougie offloaded back to Beau who lost the ball in contact as a try looked likely.

Ciren had a scrum restart on their own 5. A great team push and excellent hook against the head by Freddie won Stroud the ball. Mr T crashed into contact but Ciren defended it well. Lewis to Will and a round the back pass set Arthur off down the left. Charlie was held up just short of the line and then Ciren gave away a penalty. Stroud lost their scrum penalty though and Ciren kicked deep. Will was well placed to field the ball and kick back into the 22 and all that Ciren could do was run it into touch to deny Beau a try. #7 Freddie caught the ball from his namesake’s laser like throw-in. The forwards kept it tight and drove towards the line at a rate of knots. The mass of bodies collapsed over the line and the try was awarded to Mr T. A hard kick from the right touchline just missed but Stroud were controlling the game at 12-0.

Ciren were not to be overlooked though. The last 3 minutes of the half was all theirs. A long kickoff was knocked on. Ciren won the scrum and attacked well through their backs. George and Arthur were tackling hard to keep Ciren at bay. Ciren edged closer to the line so Stoner and Joe then led the tackle counts. Back to the backs and George and Charlie in the centres were again busy keeping Ciren in check. They earnt a penalty and went for a lineout that they won. They drove towards the line but Stroud’s forwards competed well and turned it into a maul and that was the final play as the ref blew his whistle for the half.

Half Time: Stroud Colts 12 – 0 Cirencester Colts

Subs were taken and fresh legs would make a big difference in the 2nd half. Ryan, Callum, Myles, Jonty and Rhys came on to give Beau, Bernie, Joe, Darion and Charlie a breather. Ciren were down an injured player so James went to play for them and put in a good show against his team mates in blue.

Will kicked off short and Arthur expertly caught it at pace. The ball came right but Stroud gave away a penalty. Ciren won the lineout on halfway and attacked. James did a great run for them to suck in the defenders. Ciren kicked long and Arthur ran it back well. Good support from Mr T kept the attack alive. Great support and 2 or 3 interchanges of passes between Mr T and Laurie punched the ball into the Ciren half. Freddie got in on the act and swerved inside and broke into the 22 and as the defenders closed in he offloaded to Jonty and he finished off an amazing team try. The forwards had done all the hard work, and taken all the tackles and worked the space expertly with the cute interchange of passes, but as is typical in life they didn’t get their rewards and the glory went to the back who waltzed in untouched ! It was a pleasure to watch and the crowd knew it was a forwards try in all but result! An easy conversion kick and the score stretched to 19-0.

Ciren kicked off short and won the ball and then a penalty. They again kicked to the corner but this time Ryan was there to steal the errant throw. Stroud backed their skills and ran the ball out from deep but the greasy ball caused another knockon. Ciren went for a short kick that Myles fielded well. Kick tennis ensued for a few phases until Will decided to run it back up the left. A great pass to Dougie threatened another score but Ciren were resilient in defense and another last gasp tackle stopped a try and knocked Dougie into touch. Ryan again was to the fore to steal the throw and set Stoner off on a run. George saw a gap and gruber kicked into the Ciren 22 and the ball just squeezed into touch.

Ciren won their lineout and showed great poise for the next 5 minutes as they worked their way up the pitch with good runs from forwards and backs alike. James was putting in a great shift for Ciren and contributing strongly with ball in attack and great tackling in defense. Stroud’s defensive effort was immense though. Ryan and Myles were all over the pitch putting in big tackles. Stroud were competing well at the breakdown with Callum and Rhys clearing out players as if their life depended on it. Ciren had a lineout on halfway and Callum showed his shoulder was semi operational as he snatched the ball in the air. Stroud attacked through Lewis on a sniping run and then Jonty and Myles combining well but Ciren were still defending well. When Ciren had the ball it was often Will, Myles or Bernie that stopped them in their tracks. Dougie won a turnover and Arthur had an attacking run. For the 1st time in 10 years he showed footy skills and kicked it over the uprushing defender but Ciren defended it well. They too went the footy route and kick tennis was played until Ciren knocked on in their own 22. Laurie won the lineout. Lewis timed his pass to perfection and Will waltzed his way through the uprushing defenders and scored a try. The kick was missed but Stroud had extended their lead to 24-0.

Laurie took kick return duties with another good run back. Will threw a lovely long pass to Rhys who powered up the wing until he got isolated and Ciren got the ball. More good breakdown work by Callum and Bernie won Stroud the ball back. Hooker Freddie had a nice run and combined well with Rhys who was loving the contact. Ryan then took the ball on into the Ciren 22 and worked his magic to get right upto the line and as he reached out for the score the ball was jarred loose. Ciren saw their chance and ran it out from deep really well. They got into the Stroud half and looked to have a scoring chance but Charlie put in another dominant tackle and the ball popped loose. Myles scooped it up at pace and accelerated down the wing and outran the last defender to score another excellent opportunistic try. Another good kick made it 31-0 to the boys in blue.

Freddie was next on kick return duties and he was well supported by Laurie and Ryan taking the ball deeper into the Ciren half. Ciren were combative all game though and stole another turnover and ran it back with their big centre. The pitch opened up and he saw a gap but the gap was quickly closed by Bernie who was having a storming game – his 1st game in 20 months. Bernie chopped him down with a lovely tackle and the ball was turned over by Stroud.

The last phase of the game was shared between both teams. Dougie and Beau had another good attacking move thwarted by Ciren. Ciren were stopped from another score by another Bernie tackle. Jonty was equally tackling players bigger than himself without a care in the world. Lewis was also putting in big tackles to keep Ciren from scoring. Ciren were not going quietly though. They really wanted a score and to stop the whitewash. A great passage of play left and right got the ball into the Stroud 22 but Rhys did a fantastic job to win a turnover and then get tackled into touch to stop Ciren scoring at the death.

Full Time: Stroud Colts 31 – 0 Cirencester Colts

Tunnels and debriefs. Good camaraderie between the teams as always. The Stroud players who go to Cirencester College were going to enjoy the last week of term and bragging rights over their friends!

Even though Ciren hadn’t scored it wasn’t through lack of skill or effort. They had deserved more from the game but it was credit to Stroud’s defensive effort that Ciren hadn’t troubled the scoreboard. Ciren have beaten good teams this season so this bodes well for the remainder of the season. An excellent all round performance in all aspects of the game – attacking, kicking and defending – had created a formidable platform for Stroud to then benefit with 5 tries – the Laurie/Mr T combo up the middle being the highlight and wouldn’t look out of place on a Saturday afternoon with the First XV.

The last 3 losses had been forgotten as Stroud enjoyed the spoils of victory. Having a good turnout of players with ample subs and players able to play in their preferred position made a big difference. With more players back from injury soon the team is building nicely ready for the League season that starts after Xmas.

As the players tucked into their match food and the parents turned their attention to the F1 championship decider a shockwave ran through the clubhouse. Ciren (aka Mercedes) had lodged an appeal against Stroud (aka Red Bull) on a small technicality. Something linked to Callum wearing 3 km of tape on his injured shoulder. 4 hours later after a stewards inquiry we were allowed to leave Fromehall with Stroud’s victory intact after Delia’s medical note proved it was NHS approved tape and was safe to wear, and didn’t give Callum a competitive advantage over normal limbed rugby players.

Rest well over Xmas kids. 5 victories and 4 losses so far this season. Only friendlies until Xmas remember so let’s wipe the slate clean and go on a strong league run in the New Year and build upon this impressive victory.