U15 Boys season finished.
What a season it’s been. 2nd in our league with only 2 defeats and managing to be the only team to beat the champions. Quarter finals in the cup too.
We ended the season properly by taking them on their first tour as a group.
Picked up at the club Friday afternoon heading to Huntingdon, shiny tour hoodies and shirts handed out enroute in the bus along with tour guides and regulations for the weekends fun.
We arrived at Huntingdon where the boys played their part in one of the best games of rugby I’ve watched this year. Scoring 3 worldly tries using moves they’d been trying to perfect all season. Narrowly losing by 3 points to a kicked penalty in the dying seconds.
Leaving Huntingdon having pencilled in hooking up again next year for at least one more game between the 2 sides. We arrived at Overstrand Hall very late, a quick tour of the building and off to one of the most uncomfortable beds I’ve ever slept on (kept reminding myself this was a weekend for the players, not the coaches or parents) not sure what time the boys went to sleep, but they could be heard through the corridors well into the early hours of the morning.
Up for Brekkie on Saturday morning before a day of crate stacking, problem solving, climbing and archery as well as being joined by the 2 late arriving team mates.
Onto Saturday evening to celebrate the seasons achievements and give out some well deserved awards and tour fines. Players Player of the year: Riley, Most Improved player: Big Jack, Coaches Player of the year: Matty.
Another late night, but not as late as the previous night, I checked on the boys before midnight and their rooms were silent. A few of us also managed to make friends with a Mini’s coach from another rugby team at the same venue. His name is Dave, it was his birthday and until his mates showed him some pictures on Sunday he had no idea he had met Harlow Rugby Club. I’m pretty sure Dave had a great Birthday.
Sunday morning and all hands to the pumps emptying the rooms and getting the team bus loaded up for the short journey to Beccles RFC for some more rugby.
We started off with a lively but pretty one sided match against a slightly inexperienced Norwich team
fielding some new players they had picked up towards the end of their season. This saw the game end with a resounding 5-47 Harlow victory. A short break and debrief and then onto the second and last game of our season and tour.
A few changes of personnel and switching some positions around and the game got started. It seemed that the confidence gained from the first game had the boys with their guards down a bit.
Especially after taking an early lead, Beccles hit back pretty hard and were a lot more spirited than the boys thought, grabbing themselves a decent well worked try in the corner near the end of the first half. Thankfully this woke the boys up allowing them to dominate the remainder of the game eventually running out 5-24 winners. Ending the tour and season on a high.
The overriding comments the boys received was how well they represented the club with their play and behaviour.
A very proud coaching team.
3 games played:
Huntingdon 29-26 Harlow MoM Riley (prop)
Norwich 5-47 Harlow MoM Flynn (lock)
Beccles 5-24 Harlow MoM Henry R (10)
15 tries scored, 7 tries conceded, lots of memories made, lots of smiles laughs had. A huge amount of team bonding completed, as well as toy dinosaurs protected throughout.
Onto planning the next one…
