Under 7’s at Staines RFC Mini Festival 2009

Pool 2 Match Results
Grasshoppers 4 Bank of England 0
Grasshoppers 4 Pinner & Grammarians 3
Grasshoppers 1 Farnborough 7

Semi Final
Grasshoppers 7 Twickenham 6

Final
Farnborough 7 Grasshoppers 3

A late appeal from Staines to fill a void at their festival meant the U7’s were on the road last Sunday, lining up against old & new acquaintances. With little time to prepare, it shows the maturity of this group of players that they were able to pull on the shirt, lace up the boots and get stuck in right from the first whistle.

I was almost bowled over by the pace of the game against Bank of England and in no time at all we had racked up 4 tries, 1 each from Tom, Aidan, Cormac & Ben without conceding a single point.

Game 2 was a little more nervy and despite having a small squad, Pinner proved to be worthy adversaries, twice taking the lead and really making G’s work hard. A real team effort was required, the match flowed from one end to the other and with tries from Ben, Tom & Alex put the score at 3-3. With the clock ticking down, a Pinner attack was disrupted by some good tagging from G’s & the ball eventually went loose. Ben seized on the chance to scoop it up & run to the corner to score the winning try.

Game 3 was a complete change around in fortunes for G’s, Farnborough started the game & immediately scored a try. The “Farmers” capitalised on their possession & were able to rack up a brace of tries forcing G’s to chase the game. A sole try from Aidan was not sufficient to turn the game around, Farnborough running out 7-1 winners.

Having won 2 of 3 games, we were through to the Semi-Final & after an anxious wait to find out our opponents, there was a buzz of excitement when we discovered there was going to be a local derby against Twickenham.

As a measure of how close this game was, the lead changed hands 3 times and Twickenham showed they were equally determined to get to the final by matching G’s try for try, tag for tag, throughout the game. A frantic final few minutes saw G’s pull 2 tries clear, only for Twickenham to pull 1 back, making for a very nervous finish. Final score 7-6 to Grasshoppers, tries from, Alex, Ben, Ewan, Cormac x 2, & Tom x 2, but this was a real team effort, they showed real grit, worked hard for each other, tagged endlessly & moved the ball up the pitch quickly keeping possession through each phase.

So, onto a final we never expected to be playing in a festival we never planned to be at, the only thing standing in our way of a trophy were the were the “Farmers” of Farnborough, who had beaten us comprehensively earlier in the day. With a renewed spirit & a little more confidence, we would treat the game as if they were fresh opposition.

Unfortunately the game didn’t quite go to script, Farnborough are a strong, fit team and used the long legs of their players to run through the G’s defence line without being tagged & score a handful of tries before half time. Despite a spirited fight back & 3 tries (Tom & 2 x Cormac) for the G’s, the Farmers were further able to add to their score meaning it was an uphill task to recover the game. Final score 7-3.

The team covered themselves in glory, they gave a great performance and despite not actually winning the shield, they deserve every accolade we can heap on them for their efforts.

A big thank you to all parents who gave their vocal support and of course to James who prepared the team on the day, not forgetting Paul & Nick who sacrificed seeing their own kids play to run the training at Grasshoppers…

Well done guys !!

Have a good easter break, training resumes on Sunday 19th April at 1000am, so see you all then.

Neil MacKenzie

U7’s at the Middlesex County Tag Rugby Festival – hosted by Ruislip RFC

Pool Matches
Ealing 5 Grasshoppers 4
Grasshoppers 8 Teddington 5

Quarter Final: Rosslyn Park 5 Grasshoppers 5

Semi Final: Kilburn Cosmos 3 Grasshoppers 3

Final: Grasshoppers 1 Teddington 5

Despite initial concern that the extra training session on Saturday may have sapped some of the teams energy, this was quickly dispelled with the first pool game getting off to a great start when Tom was able to run through the Ealing line & put the first score on board, despite being 2metres short of the line due to a pitch marking issue, the Ealing coach was magnanimous in agreeing with the referee to award the try and this was quickly followed up by a second try from Ewan only minutes later. With a solitary reply from Ealing & a third try for the G’s courtesy of Alex before the break, we were looking good for a deserved win, however Ealing started the second half with a series of tries to put themselves in the lead for the first time & despite another try from Adam, the clock was against us & we were narrowly defeated by our “Auld” enemy 4 tries to 5.

Game 2 of the pool matches saw us pitched against another of our bogey sides, Teddington, however we decided to upset the from book by outscoring them 8 tries to 5 in what was a pulsating game, even if it did mean leaving the coaches with slightly raised blood pressure ! The pick of the tries were scored by Cormac, with 2 individual breaks down the wing, and Adam demonstrating poise with a superb step inside the defender to place the ball over the try line.

As runners-up in our Pool, we then faced Rosslyn Park (winners of Pool 1) in a quarter final match. Despite the strong opposition, we were an equal match for their rugby scoring 5 tries through Adam x 2, Cormac x 2 & Ben, but it was particularly disappointing to concede a try at the very last whistle meaning the match ended in a 5-5 draw. The result eventually being settled on the number of tries scored in the pool games, leaving Rosslyn Park the winners, having scored 12 tries with none conceded.

Despite the disappointment of losing the Quarter-final, this was quickly displaced with smiles when we realized that we would now be competing in the semi-final of runners up cup, with our next game against unfamiliar opposition in the shape of the exotically named Kilburn Cosmos.

Having played 3 very competitive games previously, the team started slowly & allowed Kilburn to score 2 tries before the break, leaving them an up-hill task to overturn the result. With a few changes to the tactics, a hatrick of second half tries, 2 from Ben & 1 from Alex pulled the game back from the brink, despite conceding another try from Kilburn. With the final score ending 3-3, it meant the result would be settled by the Pool results and with a superior try count, meant G’s progressed to the final.

Given the number of teams & the remote location of the control tent, it was perhaps no surprise that some confusion would creep in as to what results had been posted, so we were incorrectly informed that our next opposition had already gone home, therefore forfeiting the trophy to Grasshoppers. So we were somewhat surprised when Teddington stepped forward to advise they were in fact due to play us in the final & a referee was hastily press ganged into officiating the match.

So into a final that we never thought we would be playing, against a strong Teddington team who took full advantage of the situation and racked up a hatful of tries, outscoring us in both halves. Our few chances were quickly snuffed out by the alert Teddington players, taking advantage of errors and the tired legs of the Grasshoppers players, with Adam eventually going over the try line late in the game, final score Teddington 5 Grasshoppers 1.

From a positive note, we reached a final, finally overcame one of our bogey sides, watched some incredible rugby that defied the age of the players & certainly enjoyed the whole experience. Well done to;

Adam, Aidan, Ewan, Ben, Cormac, Arun, Alex, Tom, James, Zinedine, Kendall, not forgetting the support from Paul, James & Nick in getting the team prepared.

Unfortunately this was our last festival as U7 players this season, however we are planning a mini-tour to South Wales in April, which means its not just club honour at stake, but also International pride, so expect the training sessions to get even more intensive over the next few weeks, starting at home next Sunday 15thMarch.

Finally, a massive thank-you to the parents and supporters who came along to cheer us on the day, your voices of encouragement were well appreciated by the players & coaches alike.

p.s I can’t write a match report without mentioning the weather, so despite the tent blowing away, it was a great day for playing rugby, missing the rain by 5minutes.

Neil Mackenzie

Grasshoppers B Festival Sunday 02November 2008

What a fantastic weekend we all had at last Sundays festival. The sun was shining (well almost), the pitch looked immaculate and the supporters turned out in force to make this a successful festival for Grasshoppers, both on & off the pitch. The level of organisation was a real testament to the help and support we received before, during & after the games and I would like to pass my gratitude to the families of players & non-players alike, who gave their time to ensure the smooth running throughout the day.

On the playing side, Grasshoppers were drawn in Pool A with Finchley, Hammersmith & Fulham, Pinner & Teddington, and with our first game kicking off at 1000am against Finchley, it didn’t give us much time for last minute practice.

Fortunately, the G’s got off to a flying start, with tries being scored by Ewan, Cormac x 2 and Tom, although we all had our hearts in our mouths for a while, as Finchley pegged back the score, with G’s edging it at the final whistle 4-3.

Unfortunately our next opponents, Pinner, were unable to field a team, so victory was automatically granted to the teams scheduled to play them, although we were all grateful to their coach for remaining through the day to carry out much needed referee duties.

Game 3 against Teddington Antlers proved to be a big challenge for the G’s and they were comprehensively defeated by the eventual finalists, losing 6 -1.

3 games played, 2 wins, so everything still to play for going into the final pool game against Hammersmith & Fulham.

Despite the result in the previous game, it didn’t seem to dent the G’s spirit or determination to secure victory and they were able to keep ball possession, capitalise from their opponents errors and make some darting runs to score tries through Ewan, Tom & Cormac again, coming out winners 4-1.

Having totted up the necessary points, Grasshoppers secured 2nd place in their group and were set up for a 3rd & 4th place playoff against Rosslyn Park.

The team took to the field bristling with confidence, but perhaps slightly overawed by the occasions, allowed Rosslyn Park to score 2 very quick tries, from which they never really recovered, shipping a further 4 tries. Despite a valiant fight back in the second half with a try from Cormac, G’s weren’t able to find the momentum to overcome the 6 tries score by Rosslyn Park. Final Score Grasshoppers 1, Rosslyn Park 6.

A great days rugby was topped off by the award of Fourth Place trophy to Grasshoppers U7’s team, who had more than earned this with their display on the day.

Well done to; Alex, Aidan, Cormac, Adam, Zinedine, Kendall, Lucy, James, Tom & Ewan

Back to normality, and just a reminder that on Sunday 16November we are training at Cheshunt RFC, meet at 0945am for 1000am start. This will be a normal training session for all age groups, so would hope to see as many players as possible.

The Cheshunt RFC website has directions to the ground from the M25.

Guildfordians Festival - Sunday 5th October 2008

Despite the driving rain, thick mud & half mile hike to the car park, the U7’s huddled under the tree & we prepared ourselves for the first taste of competitive rugby this season.

First game against Weybridge Vandals proved to be a competitive affair, ending in a 4-4 draw, with most of the tries (from both sides) seemingly scored whilst running downhill of the steeply sloping pitch.

Our 2nd game against Effingham & Leatherhead proved to be a clash of the green & yellows, with our opposition sporting an identikit shirt & perhaps causing some confusion amongst the G’s which perhaps contributed to our loss.

Game 3 against the hosts, Guildfordians also proved to be a difficult match and despite some valiant tagging by all the Grasshoppers players, we were unable to match their try tally, eventually losing by a margin of 4.

The final game v Old Alleynians saw the ball flowing from end to end with both sides scoring freely, however the final 8-5 score showed Old Alleynians had better use of possession and were slightly more clinical in their finish.

Although the results meant Grasshoppers didn’t proceed to the Semi-Finals on this occasion, there were lots of positives to the day, not least the hard work demonstrated by the squad and we can certainly learn from this.

As coaches, family & as a club overall, we can’t ask any more of the players than to go out, have fun and do their best, and this Sunday they didn’t disappoint.

Thank you to all the squad; Aidan, Adam, Alex, Ben, Ewan, Kendall, Miko,Tom & Zinedine & of course everyone who came along to support.