We scored 8 converted tries and conceded just one in the last play of the game and fully deserved the win this afternoon against what was, in fact, a plucky and strong running Belhaven side who competed hard at the breakdown but who found our tight and aggressive defensive line very hard to break down this afternoon. It was a really encouraging and impressive team performance today with every single player doing their job and our shape in both attack and defence was really good and promises much for the rest of the season, so very well played indeed, boys! Charles, Conrad and Zak led the side really well today and I was so pleased with they way they encouraged everyone and the sense of team spirit was really evident and will be key when we get in to the tough games against Sedbergh later this term.
With Form 8 having been away in France for the past week, the start of the season has been a little disjointed but we had two really good sessions this week to get back in to things, working hard on our defensive alignment at the breakdown on Monday followed by an excellent session from Andy Henderson from Strathallan on Tuesday where we focused on our alignment in attack. Both of these sessions bore fruit this afternoon as right from the whistle, we hit Belhaven hard when we had the ball, with our speed at the ruck outstanding and we moved the ball quickly out in to the wide channels: Sylvan was excellent at 9 today, making really good decisions whether to snipe down the side of the ruck, or else pass the ball away quickly to Charles who played really flat which made life really difficult for the Belhaven defence. Conrad controlled the midfield, stepping well off both feet, putting in some thunderous tackles and then releasing James at 13. He had an excellent debut today, scoring a terrific solo try with his quick feet whilst also putting Rafa away in to space which proved a really tough proposition for Belhaven with his very direct and very aggressive running with ball in hand. Ewan at full back was terrific, tidying up loose ball, proving almost impossible to get hold of with his quick feet and then being really strong at the breakdown securing a number of turnovers. Kit did well out on the wing too, cutting inside to look for the support of his forwards so he did not get isolated and Jamie deservedly came up from the 2s at half time and had a couple of excellent runs. A really good effort from the three quarter line who used our possession pretty well overall, with only a bit of white line fever creeping in towards the end of the game.
Up front, we made big inroads with Zak, Thabo, Freddie and Xander leading the way with powerful, bullocking running, off loading really well to keep moving forwards and our ruck speed was outstanding, allowing our three quarters to attack chaotic and unprepared defence which is how we are trying to play; Monty, Harry and Edward all had good games and I was pleased Harry scored an excellent close range try and Monty got his hands on the ball a lot and showed just how more comfortable he is in the team since the start of term.
The scoreline was pretty irrelevant to be honest. What pleased me most was the way we looked to play, the way we moved the ball quickly and the speed at the ruck: this is the key to future success as the season progresses, and we are back in action on Saturday morning with a game against Heriots at Goldenacre. Things are beginning to build nicely, and seeing the team gel so well and play in the style we did makes me excited for the weeks ahead. Well done, chaps!
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