A great match report from their coach, Mr Lewis:
‘They have a big 8’. ‘Their
centre is massive’. ‘They beat Bluecoat by 30 points’. ‘They are hard’. ‘We are gonna get smashed’.
And so it went on and on as we
prepared for our fixture Vs Forest School yesterday. With 15 fit boys and
morale at an all-time low we set off for the fixture as wrathful winter
vented her furious anger in positively antediluvian conditions. We arrived to find
a quagmire of a pitch and a Forest team who did not seem up for it at all. I
told the boys this was it, all or nothing, we have to be up for it and fight
fire with fire.
In the opening skirmishes Forest
were camped on the Pangbourne line but the defence was, as ever, committed and
brave from our heroic and slightly potty flankers Stan Walker and Jamie Steljes. Willing to
put their heads when no man would put his hands they fought tooth and nail to
prevent some vertically unchallenged and belligerent Forest boys form crossing
the whitewash. The wind continued to howl and the rain beat down as we absorbed
wave after wave of pressure. There was something in the air and the boys were
well-drilled and knew the game plan, and we eventually began to pick and go,
pick and go, punching holes in their defence around the fringes. Raja Kahn, like a man
possessed, carried the ball with vim and vigour, always making precious yards
from the base of the rucks. John Grieve began to carry with pugnacious confidence and was used as
our battering ram with gleeful alacrity. With the loquacious and sage-like Crocket pulling the
tactical strings like a master puppeteer the pack began to dominate up
front. Out of the blue, our gentleman and scholar No.8 Lukas Jones had had enough
and went smashing through their defence to score the first try of the game. Our
tails were up, we scented victory, yet there was plenty still to do. The first
half finished 5-0, now they had the wind, would they use it, would our defences
stand up?
The indefatigable foot soldiers Bearn, Reardon, Jeram continued
to tackle with determination and they simply would not give up at any stage.
They made tackle after tackle, their kit becoming muddier and muddier as
they put their bodies on the line. In the backs, our majestic leader Hills continued to carry
the ball with strength and never missed a tackle. Costin –Pratt sniped and
stepped and box kicked with accuracy. Sprake,
Tao and Bunting tackled low and continued to
get involved as much as possible, dealing with much bigger and heavier
opponents. At the back, Bosley was solid as a rock and carried the ball with panache
and rigour, always breaking through gaps and looking to offload. The old
fashioned game plan was the same, pick and go, pick and go – kick for territory
and play rugby in their half. As we made our way up field Lukas Jones again broke
free and ran like the wind to touch down for our second try of the match. This
was it, victory was in our midst. Khan and
Grieve, like oxen laid to plough, were
relentless in their pursuit of glory, terrifying the opposition. Steljes and Walker continued
to chop down their players with accuracy and courage. Forest were beaten,
Pangbourne were not giving up the fight and, in one last foray into enemy
territory we closed off the game. Jones, on a brace already, sprinted free from their defence
and finished with a hat-trick, capably converted by Sprake! What a
performance, 17-0! They never gave up and should be commended for their mental
strength and determination. Not once have they criticised each other or
complained, not once have they been ungracious in defeat. This team epitomise
our flag value of integrity and should be very proud of their victory and their
attitude. What a cracker of a game. Never has the Churchillian aphorism,
"rugby is a hooligans game played by gentlemen," been more apt.
