Rugby: Review for 2008 - 09

Rugby
Played 68 Won 44 (64%) Lost 20 (31%) Drew 4 (5%) Cancelled 34!

The weather did its best to disrupt the rugby season and a third of our matches were lost due to frozen or waterlogged grounds. Despite this another successful season was enjoyed by the boys winning 64% of all games played.

Seniors

The 1st XV had a mixed season with some excellent victories notably against Ashdown House; a couple of battling defeats against strong sides from Cumnor House, New Beacon and Holmewood; and a couple of narrow losses which should really have been turned into victories against Vinehall and Brambletye. Skill was never a problem with this side and the three quarter line was as good as anything we played all term when going forward. Nick Holder played with great intelligence at fly half and the running lines of Guy McNamara and Will Page created and finished a number of breathtaking tries. Up front a sheer lack of size made life difficult but all the forwards had combative seasons they can be proud of. Campbell Hinshelwood and Sam Henderson were strong throughout. Half of this side were Y7 boys and this year’s experience should set them in good stead for a more successful rugby term next year.

The 2nd and 3rd XV’s enjoyed more fruitful seasons in terms of results indeed the 3rd XV won all of their 6 matches against some tough opposition, a fantastic achievement for a side that featured 25 different players. Dillon Lefler and Teddy Turpin were particularly impressive. The 2nd XV also recorded 5 victories against 2 defeats with good wins over Holmewood House, Ashdown House, Brambletye, Vinehall and Ardingly. The team was competitive and skilful, but above all took responsibility for defence, showing they were prepared to risk a great deal of discomfort to secure wins and minimise losses for their team. Matt Bond at fly half and Freddie Hoare on the flank were key contributors

Middles

The Y5 and Y6 boys continued to show their talent and were not fazed by the change in ball shape as they continued to produce some great performances. The Colts A team won 7 and lost 2 in the 12 a-side game including a thrilling 15-14 victory against a strong Hilden Grange side. They also continued to do well in local tournaments, winning the Hawthorns 7 a-side tournament and coming runners up in the Ashdown 7 a-side tournament. The Colts B team again emphasised the strength of depth at this level wining all but one of their games including hard fought victories against New Beacon and Holmewood House. Their solitary defeat came against Brambletye’s A team in a match that they were leading up until the final play only to lose 25-19. The U11C’s fixtures were hit hard by the weather but the boys had some fun in their three games scoring over 100 points in two wins and 1 defeat.

The Y5 boys were also one of the unluckiest year groups in terms of cancellations but the progress they made throughout the Lent Term, despite the weather, was again tremendous. The U10A team followed on from their unbeaten football season with an unbeaten rugby season. Led very capably by Max Rossiter and Will Higgins, who shared the captaincy, they proved to be especially strong handlers of the ball and ran with pace and determination. They proved much too strong for local prep school opposition but came up against much stiffer competition in the Nationals tournament at Epsom College and went out in the qualifying rounds despite competing manfully on a bitterly cold day. With good competition for places, this team looks set to develop into a powerful 12-a-side unit next season.

Lower down the age group there were more unbeaten teams; the 10B and U10Cs both played an exciting brand of attacking rugby that left the opposition grasping at thin air for the majority of the time. A couple of narrow defeats were recorded in the D and E teams but it was fantastic that despite the cancellations we could get every boy in this large and very sporty year group at least two matches against other schools.

Juniors

Rugby proved to be the strongest of the three sports for our juniors particularly in the U9 age group. The A team showed a great deal of potential winning 7 of their 8 games, in most cases impressively. Their only defeat came against Hawthorns a result which was reversed comprehensively towards the end of the season. The straight hard running of Dan Teare and the not so straight running of Freddie Brewer were instrumental in the side’s success but this was a real team effort with ability and determination on view in every position. The tackling and all round play of Edward Bowness and Dylan Taylor were a joy to watch. The season was topped off in style by winning the Ardingly U9 tournament, playing some wonderful rugby en route to the final which they won comfortably against Great Ballard.

The U9 B team enjoyed a strong term winning the majority of their games. Euan Fraser was outstanding throughout and fully deserved his promotion to the A’s. Elsewhere Matthew Newton and Charlie Page utilised their pace to full affect scoring a number of scintillating tries. The U9Cs were competitive in the matches they played and can be pleased with the progress they made.

The U8 boys really enjoyed there first taste of rugby and whether they played touch or tag they really got stuck in. The weather again played a major role and only 4 block fixtures were played. It was clear to see, however, that this yeargroup has a great deal of potential on the rugby field and they will enjoy moving on to contact rugby next season!

The Schools at Somerhill are members of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools and are listed in The Good Schools Guide.

The Schools at Somerhill are under the care and control of The Somerhill Charitable Trust Ltd.
Registered in England No. 2331296. Registered Office: Somerhill, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 0NJ.
Registered Charity No. 1002212.

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