Under 13s (Boys)
Matches
Sun 12 Oct 2014
EXMOUTH RUGBY
Under 13s (Boys)
26
14
Barnstaple
Exmouth U13s 26 - 14 Barnstaple

Exmouth U13s 26 - 14 Barnstaple

Rob Masters12 Oct 2014 - 22:34
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Exmouth Defeat strong Barnstaple team to continue seasons unbeaten run.

This week saw the U13 Exmouth side face their first real test of the season against the highly regarded team from North Devon who they last met in a tournament two years ago and on that occasion Barnstaple won , so there was everything to play for.

The first 10 minutes began with Exmouth applying all of the pressure with the ball being passed from wing to wing. Eventually pressure told and Exmouth were awarded a penalty which was quickly taken by Sprague who smashed into the defence absorbing 3 players before spinning the ball out along the line. Then against the run of play a fine interception from the Barnstable winger saw the advantage and pressure unravel as he shot through to see himself clear for the first try. With the try converted, the visitors were 7 points ahead.

After the restart a series of scrums established the Exmouth pack as the dominant force winning the majority of scrums throughout the game. But again, another interception almost wrong footed Exmouth. This time the speed and courage of full back Luke Davis enabled him to take the attacking player down. Now deep inside their own half, Exmouth needed to fight back. After gaining possession, some fine teamwork released fly half Ben Dawson who from just outside the Exmouth 22, took the ball out wide handing off tacklers to score the equaliser between the posts. The try was converted to level the score and put Exmouth back on track.

From the restart the safe handling of flanker Owen Tidball got the game moving forward again instigating a passing phase that saw Davis clear down the left wing. What appeared to be a certain try was spoiled by a well timed tackle that sent the ball in to touch. From the lineout Barnstable committed a foul, so Sprague again took responsibility for getting the attack under way. He was bravely stopped but not before he sent the ball away down the line. Winger Corbin Gillman straitened up the attack and made a beautifully timed pass to prop Harry Neath-Rogers who nearly touched down in the right hand corner. The ball was played back to centre Thomas Priest. Priest using his hand-off to great effect was able to cross the line just to the right of the posts for try number 2. Dawson stepped up to convert the try and the first half ended with Exmouth ahead 14-7.

The second half saw a reversal of the first half with the first 10 minutes dominated by Barnstable. The onslaught brought about a penalty on the Exmouth 5 meter line. The ball was scrambled over and the score was equalised at 14-14. Barnstable came back from the restart but Exmouth were all over them. The visitors committed a foul following an Exmouth scrum. A fast quickly taken again released Dawson to break through to score and put the Cockles back in front. After the conversion the score was deservedly 21-14.

There was not long to wait before Exmouth were on the march again. Only this time after a great display of powerful forward running, Priest was denied his second and the ball was judged to be held up. However, following the scrum, Exmouth pressure ensured possession remained in safe hands and the ball was passed back to Dawson who was able to fight to cross the line putting Exmouth further ahead. This time the try was not converted and the score was now 26-14 to Exmouth.
Just before the end, winger Richard Forest almost broke through but the game ended with a well deserved victory for the Cockles.

There is no doubt that the move this season to a full size pitch and longer playing time has suited the U13's. The overall fitness levels and passing moves have enabled space to be available for runners to exploit the gaps. All players are gelling as a team and the effort by every player is creating great opportunities to score.
The forwards have demonstrated some real power at the scrum and are improving all the time in rucks and mauls. The new flankers are spoiling the advantage gained by the opposition at the scrum by putting the ball handlers under serious pressure. The improvement in hooking and great distribution by the scrum halves are also showing that the season ahead has great promise.

Match details

Match date

Sun 12 Oct 2014

Kickoff

10:00

Meet time

01:00
Team overview
Further reading