Under 16 Boys
Matches
Sun 17 Apr 2016
Horsham Rugby Club
Under 16 Boys
20
0
Chichester
Under-16s Do The Double

Under-16s Do The Double

Dayle Kirby29 Apr 2016 - 21:39
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Horsham Under-16s secured League and Cup honours in a perfect end to the season.

Having secured the League 1 title with an unbeaten record, Horsham secured The Double, by defeating Chichester 20-0 in an exhilarating Trophy Final at the Coolhurst Ground on Sunday 17 April.

Casting aside memories of Horsham's 34-7 win during the league campaign, Chichester applied pressure to the hosts, right from the opening kick-off, through ferocious forward play. Horsham scrum half Aaron Linfield and second row Max Wright showed the home side's fiery intent with big tackles in the game's opening exchanges. Speedster Dale Connellan and the irrepressible Charlie Best made searing runs from the counter-attack. Despite strong carrying from Alfie Burchfield and Ricardo Vasconcelos, Horsham committed uncharacteristic handling errors, and failed to convert possession into points. When Chichester, sporting their striking red 'away' jerseys, conceded a penalty just inside their 22, Horsham Captain Joseph Blake stepped froward confidently to kick the 3 points from the left.

With hooker Nathan Wadey relishing the front-row battle, and Vice Captain Hayden Brock contesting powerfully at the breakdown, the favourites began to look more confident. Chichester were relentless, though, and it was all that the home side could do to deny them a score of their own. A breakout engineered by centre George Allen almost saw Best touch down for the opening try of the match, but sadly, his kick-ahead was grounded by the Chichester defender first. From the ensuing 5-metre scrum, Brock committed the defence with a number-8 pick-up; the ball was recycled quickly, and Vincent Everitt carried two defenders over the line to claim Horsham's first try. Blake deftly added the conversion, to give the young green-and-whites a 10-0 advantage.

Restarts continued to cause problems for Horsham, as the Chichester back row showed athleticism and desire in contesting in the air. Playing with a useful lead now, Horsham repelled the visitors with resolute defence, particularly around the fringes. Towering above the lineout, second row Sam Jewell snared clean ball for Linfield, and pressured the Chichester jumper. Another long-range scamper from Best saw him hauled into touch agonisingly close to the try line, much to the excitement of the vocal home supporters. Later, as the visitors attempted to play out of defence, Eddie Grogan pounced onto a loose ball. The ruck formed, fly half Blake received the pass, and he kicked for the opposite corner, where flying wing Max Paterson outpaced the defenders to touch down just within the in-goal area. After consulting with the scrupulously fair linesman from Chichester, referee Phil Bowers awarded the try.

Seeing their side 15-0 ahead at half time, the Horsham coaches sought to settle the players, who were still showing signs of feeling under pressure. Last-minute call-up Jordan Prior entered the fray, replicating the encouraging form that was witnessed on the team's recent tour to the Netherlands. Oscar Quigley challenged the Chichester defence with his powerful running through contact and reliable ball retention, and the fresh legs of locks Dan Phelps and Luke Powell brought renewed spring to the lineout and useful muscle at the breakdown. Replacement scrum half Jack Penny possibly had one of his finest performances too, in moving the ball at speed and harassing his opposite number.

Now, with all of his replacements in play, Head Coach Dayle Kirby could see just how well the squad had become integrated. A third try seemed likely as Chichester struggled to contain Horsham's full attacking repertoire. Scrambling the ball away into touch, the visitors failed to maintain the chase. Quick-thinking Henry Skipton-Carter fielded the ball, and immediately pitched it infield to Paterson, who weaved his way past three defenders, before being dragged down too high and illegally. Penny took the quick tap but Horsham were called back to the referee's mark to take it properly. This time, Blake darted for the narrow side and carried the ball into contact. Everitt out-muscled the first defender, and Penny popped the ball to Grogan, who shrugged off a tackle and touched down for the final score of the match.

Sensing that time was against them, Chichester tried to cling on to possession, and employed the pick-and-go to good effect. By contrast, Horsham continued to release replacement wingers Skipton-Carter and Cameron Homer, who just failed to evade the final defender. As one of the visiting flankers made an excellent break, Horsham blindside Simon Powell raced back to fell him with a mighty open-field tackle. (Unfortunately, his brave defence forced Powell to leave the pitch, suffering due to the impact on his head.) Chichester recycled the ball, and their tall fleet-footed centre was heading for the try line until Burchfield chased him down to bring the move to an end. A consolation try seemed to be beckoning, moments later, as the visitors pressed Horsham's line. When Everitt tried to steal the ball, and Bowers awarded a penalty against Chichester, all that remained was for the ball to be kicked out, and Horsham were Trophy Final Champions!

After the match. Head Coach Dayle Kirby said, "I'm incredibly proud of the whole squad, including those whom I was unable to select for today's roster of 22. The boys have worked very hard, and this represents careful preparation throughout the season and real dedication from the players. I'm grateful to my fellow coaches and to the parents for their support in this, my final season with this age group."

Match details

Match date

Sun 17 Apr 2016

Kickoff

12:30
Team overview
Further reading

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Shirt sponsor - Mansell McTaggart