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Rugby Reports 2022
Tuesday, 21 February 2023
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1st XV At the start of this season if someone had offered the players played 11, won seven, lost four I think many of the team would have laughed. On reflection the team would probably say that they should have won two more of these games and this is based on the journey the team went through this season. As I mentioned in my rugby introduction, the Year 13 boys within the team approached their last season for the club with huge commitment, good humour, and a passion for the club that they had maybe only ever talked about previously. It was a pleasure to watch them grow in confidence and commitment as the season progressed and I have no doubt this will be a catalyst for next year’s Year 13 pupils as they aspire to create more memories in the green and white jersey. This year’s squad were a good mix of both Sixth Form age groups and were lead by Harry H (1st XV Captain) who was assisted by Jay S and Will P (1st XV Vice Captains). The decision to appoint these positions was not made until after pre-season and it was clear in these sessions that these characters were the men for the job. The September start to the season was a strong one with wins against Yarm (25-0), Austin Friars (28-17), and Newcastle School for Boys (17-7). The team were not lacking in effort, with composure to take chances and be accurate under pressure being the main areas to develop for the squad. We had hoped to get one more game in before a third round National Cup game against a strong Dame Allans team. This unfortunately did not come due to two frustrating walkovers from local schools. The loss to Dame Allans 7-36 was one of the games that could have been won. In attack, the team lack composure at the train line and dropped the ball three times in the act of scoring. In defence, this was definitely our worst day. Dame Allans sailed through the middle three times and their fly half exploited poor positioning in our back field with lots of well executed kicks. Much was learnt from the match video and with the cancellation of the Sedbergh fixture due to seven injuries from this game, the remainder of the squad trained hard in the build up to the Noel Shearing Cup against Ampleforth College. With this season’s game being the 10 year anniversary of the Cup’s inauguration, there was a big crowd expected and Ampleforth were coming into the game on a three game winning streak. The game was one for the boys to remember, with Oliver C scoring two on the back of some flair play from Scott R. Scott’s kicking throughout the season was a huge part of the team’s success, as he rarely missed. The next three games of the season proved to be a tough period with a disappointing loss to Bradford Grammar in a game that should have been won, followed by losses to Woodhouse Grove and RGS Newcastle. Through this time the team improved a lot in their defensive organisation and the importance of building pressure territorially. It was these skills that they transferred into the last three games of the season with wins against Giggleswick, retribution against Dame Allans and a final re-organised game against Ripon Grammar after Christmas. During the Ripon game it was great to see three Year 11 pupils Dan T, Jack T, and Will H make their debuts for the 1st XV, an experience that I hope will motivate them for next season. Like I said earlier there is a lot to be proud of for this squad of players. For the Year 12 pupils returning next season, I hope it has motivated them to keep pushing forward and for the Year 13 lads I hope the memories you created this season are something you will treasure as you get together over the years. Thank you to the whole squad for all your effort and humour throughout the season, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The final thank you must go to Mr Powell, Mr Jenkinson, Mr Muchall, OD Howard Johnson, and Pete Hall from JP Physio for all their support to the team throughout the year. Floreat Dunelmia. Mr M Bedworth 1st XV Coach 1st VII The easter term was full of planned tournaments, with the caveat that we usually lose a few to the weather. For once this was not the case and on reflection we probably played one too many for the size of the squad we had. The competitions kicked off with the Bain Tens on top ground. The team showed glimpses of what they were capable of, with the best result coming against Glenalmond College. Unfortunately, when we hosted them in the School House after the competition to watch the Calcutta Cup match, Eddie Jones and the England team couldn’t replicate this. The first sevens competition was at Ampleforth College. Wins in the group against Ampleforth and Giggleswick lead to a quarter final draw against Woodhouse Grove. In a physical game against a good side the team missed out by a try. The North of England Sevens followed closely after, with the team coming third in the group to go into the bowl competition. Winning the quarters convincingly against Shrewsbury and the semi-final against Giggleswick, the team drew Old Swinford Hospital in the final. In an end to end game, the team missed out 28-22 in a game that could have been won. The major breakthrough that day was the team's ability to move the ball and trust the system. This meant that when we moved into the Durham County Sevens our ability to move the ball proved too much for our opposition with the 1st winning and the Hawks VII coming 3rd. Travelling to Merchiston Castle on the following Sunday was a great experience, but proved a bridge too far as the team blew up after beating Stewarts Melville in the first game. A good rest was needed before the national sevens at Rosslyn Park. We started the competition well beating Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege from Belgium 59-0, then Coleg Gwent 47-7. We then played RGS Newcastle in the group decider and lost. Quite frustrating to travel all that way and lose to a neighbour. As you probably tell, consistency was our biggest problem in the sevens season. On a big pitch with small numbers, mistakes get punished and this is where big improvements must happen for next year. However, on all the trips the boys were great value and never stopped playing. Thank you to Mr Gerrard, Mr Jones, and Mr Powell for all their help across the term and finally thanks to the team. Floreat Dunelmia. Mr M Bedworth 1st VII Coach U16s It was a frustrating season for the under 16s this year. With small numbers in the year group and a catalogue of injuries, it was very rare that the under 16s had the same side on the field two weeks in a row. That said, the boys that were fit and available always turned up with a lot of pride and passion, and worked hard for each other. The boys started the season with a bang, winning their first game against NSB 55-19. This was to remain as our solitary win in the fifteen-a-side format. The end of season results table read played seven, won one, lost six. The boys can be proud of the improvement they showed and character to keep working hard. This was rewarded at the Roslyn Park 7s where they played their best rugby, winning the group, and only narrowly missing out on progressing to the second day by one try. I would like to thank all the boys for their efforts this season and wish them better luck as they move into the senior squads. A special thank you must go to Dan T who captained the side very well both on and off the field. Mr Muchall U15s The under 15s had an extraordinarily strong start to the season with some great performances and comprehensive wins against Yarm and Newcastle School for Boys in the first few weeks of the term. The team were really trying to develop their individual skills levels and game understanding to go alongside the physicality they were demonstrating within the competitive fixtures. The team then went on to play Sedbergh, starting the game strongly however, losing Patrick H and Zack H in the first 10 minutes of the game proved difficult to get any go forward ball. The team struggled to get into the game and Sedbergh came away winners 49–0. Carrying a few injuries to key squad members, the team travelled slightly lighter to Ampleforth, we struggled to get any momentum and at times lacked some game management. We created numerous try scoring opportunities throughout the game but were only able to convert a couple of chances, losing the game narrowly 22-17. At this point in the season, it was lucky we had a large squad, as injuries and unavailabilities had diminished the team. We travelled to Woodhouse Grove, losing the game 6-0. We did not manage the game well enough and take the points at goal when they were on offer. This was a great learning experience for the squad as we had the National Cup games in the next few weeks. In the first round of the National Cup, we got a bye from Bede School in Stockton as they were unable to fulfil the fixture, so next up was RGS Newcastle at home on the Playground. Several players were now back from injury bolstering the team, Will M being one of them. It was a tough game, with both teams showing good rugby skills and physicality throughout. In the last three minutes of the game, we were able to move the ball into the wide channels to Matthew H, allowing us to take the lead and win the game. It was a superb squad effort throughout the game, with real determination shown. In the next round, the team travelled to St Peter’s York, a tough fixture which we lost, with the team not being able to impose themselves on the game as much as they wanted too. The following weekend we travelled to Weatherby RFC to play Giggleswick School, a comprehensive performance winning the game 47-12, with George F playing very well at fly half. This was also followed by another impressive performance and a win against Ripon Grammar, ending the 15-a-side season strongly. On the back of a really promising season, four players were invited to join Newcastle Falcons Academy: Will M, Patrick H, Jack M, and Zack H. A huge honor and well deserved for them all. This was as well as Jackson M, Reuben F, George B, Matthew H, Tom T, Lucas H all having been involved within the Development Player Pathway (DPP). 7s season was a fantastic opportunity to improve on the skill set and develop players' understanding of defense, a strong 7s season with plenty of players representing the school. The team travelled to Ampleforth on a cold, wet, and windy day not ideal for running rugby. We came out group winners beating St Peters York, Barnard Castle, and Crossly Heath progressing through to the next round v Sedbergh. The team came up just short on this occasion with Sedbergh having too much pace and won the game. Winning the county 7s was the highlight of the season, held at Barnard Castle School. The team showed great resilience in the games, playing some great rugby at the same time. With fixtures and competitions cancelled or postponed, a lot of the U15 boys represented the U16s in their competitions. This accumulated at the end of the 7s season with five U15 players travelling with the U16 squad to Rosslyn Park. Mr S Powell U15 Rugby Coach U14s The under 14s had a successful start to the year playing the full format of the game, playing nine fixtures, winning six, drawing one, and losing only two, away to Woodhouse Grove and Sedburgh. Preseason started well with a large number of boys participating and right from the get go it was clear to see the passion and determination in the group. The first game of the season saw us face a strong Newcastle School for Boys team, and a slow start in the first half put us under some unnecessary pressure. However, after a positive half time team talk and a strong start to the second half, the team finished the game the stronger and ran out eventual winners by 30 points to 15. The second fixture was away to Sedburgh and probably the less said about it the better. The following week was Ampleforth away and the tables were turned as the under 14s dominated from the first minute to the last winning comfortably 50-20. The only sour note was Gursher G suffering a season-ending injury with a broken collarbone. Woodhouse Grove followed and a string of injuries both before and during the game depleted the side. However, a spirited team performance ensued but to no avail, we suffered our second and final defeat of the term, losing 35-15. We were back on the victory train again after a superb performance at home against Emmanuel College, winning a very tightly fought game 20-15. Storm Arwen put pay to the Barnard Castle fixture which was to be re-arranged, more about that one later. Giggleswick and Ripon Grammar came in quick succession early on in December and yet again the under 14s showed their team spirit and determination, winning both games by a slender margin; 30-20 and 25-10 respectively. After the Christmas break, there was only two games left of the full format before the 7s season started. First up was RGS at home; this was a superb game of rugby with both teams playing to their full potential, and giving their all throughout the game. After the 50 minutes the teams couldn’t be split, with a fair result of 12-12 at the final whistle. The final game of the season was the re-arranged Barnard Castle fixture. To coin a well-used phrase, this was definitely a game of two halves. At half time the score board was 7-25 to Barnard Castle, and the Durham side looked beaten. However, the most enthralling 25 minutes of rugby was to follow. The Durham side managed to claw themselves back into the game and actually took the lead in the game with only minutes to go. However, the drama wasn’t yet over. Barnard Castle came back again to regain the lead. With the clock now red, Barnard Castle leading 35-29, Durham had one last chance, and they took with both hands, scoring a superb team try in the corner. With the very last kick of the game the conversion was successful and Durham won 36-35. What a way to finish the calendar! The 7s season was a mixed bag of results as it often is. However, as the term developed so did the performance level, and progress was definitely made. There have been lots of positives from the years rugby and it has been a pleasure to watch the team grow. Mr J Jenkinson U14 Coach U13s It was a really enjoyable U13 rugby season. Having not had any games in Year 7 I asked Mr Bedworth if I could carry the team forward into Year 8. So by the time we got to our first game in September, we had had what could be considered to be the longest pre-season of all time. The boys has an excellent attitude to both training and playing, and were a pleasure to coach. We had an unbeaten 13-a-side season with a record of played 14, won 11, drawn three. I am proud to say that the Rugby Club is in good hands with some excellent talent and a quality in depth and numbers as the boys progress higher up the school. Captain: Rowan B. Squad: Tom B, Mason B, Harry F, Oliver H, Toby H, Jackson K, Louie M, Zepaniah M, Archie P, Kaidon P, Thomas R, Lewis S, Spencer S, Oliver T, Hayden W, William W. Mr P Gerrard U12s The Season started with a triangular fixture with Dame Allans and NSB. Pleasingly, the team got off to a tremendous start and demonstrated clearly there is a lot of potential within this group of boys. Although scores were not kept on the day, and it was all about participation, the boys showed great attacking flair and determination in defense. The Tait Tens at Barnard Castle followed. The team started by winning the first pool game, unfortunately then falling short with the rest of the fixtures within the competition, however, the level of performance improved throughout the competition. Next on the fixture list was Bradford Grammer School, a strong defensive performance by the team against a physical BGS side enabled the Durham team to win the game 30-15, a noticeable performance by Olly J. Next was Yarm, a very entertaining game end to end drawing the game 30-30 which was a fair reflection on the game. The team was building nicely into the season now and really working on trying to move the ball into space. Next up was Barnard Castle, and the team produced a strong win with an excellent team performance, and most noticeably Simon G, playing well throughout the game, the final score line 55-30. The team then travelled to Weatherby RFC to play Giggleswick School, an impressive performance from Bobby C and Matthew B driving the team forward. Following this was Ripon Grammar away. After a long journey through heavy traffic and a delayed start time it would have been easy for the team to get off to a slow start, however the opposite happened, the boys started the game with a superb determination and desire to perform to their full potential. This was a excellent collective performance winning the game comfortably with excellent flowing rugby. Unfortunately, the season came to a close with two defeats to the hands of Dame Allans and RGS, however the team can be proud of their first season together at Durham School, and they have got off to strong start on their journey to the green and white hoops. The 7-season started well with the team away at Bradford Grammar finishing second in the group, playing some entertaining rugby through the group stages beating Bradford Grammar and Pocklington but then losing to Harrogate. The team then went to the finalist group and struggled with some of the physicality from the opposition. The team travelled to St Peters York and did not play to the potential within the team still stuck a little bit in the 15-a-side game looking for contact instead of moving the ball to space. We played Pocklington and RGS Newcastle in the group games and then went on to play Bradford with a much-improved performance, winning the game. The squad traveled to Woodhouse Grove next for a Saturday festival. A tough competition, and this showed within the group games playing Woodhouse Grove and QEGS, we lacked some intensity throughout the day and the day proved to be a great learning curve for the squad. To finish the 7s season we hosted the 7s playing some good rugby in the competition beating Durham Johnston and St Aidens but losing to Yarm in the last pool game. Some great rugby was played with good teamwork shown throughout the day. |