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Sun 16 Dec 2012
Littleborough
U9s (Year 4)
11:00
No Xmas shopping when the Dale are on !
John Stevens18 Dec 2012 - 21:58
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Dale under 9s enjoyed the novelty of a match kindly accommodated by our friends at Littleborough and were rewarded with a well fought test last Sunday
Sunday morning approached and everyone awaited either the inevitable cancellation or the latest mystery training location, however thanks to Littleborough we had a match on at last. Eager anticipation greeted the day , partly due to the prospect of play but also to the taste of those marvellous bacon rolls - can we play you every week ?
There was also a sense of trepidation - the team hadn't played a competitive match since half term, and then it was Littleborough who emerged triumphant and superior that day, especially with their well organised rucking. Our boys - and girl - have worked hard at this aspect of the game and we hoped that they would forget their manners and get stuck in !
As ever Rossendale were superbly well represented with 14 players showing up instead of being dragged Xmas shopping , and so 2 matches were duly agreed with everyone dying to get in the action.
For the record, both teams claimed a victory apiece by the narrowest of margins , the odd try in each case, Dale won 3-2 and lost 3-4.
The first game started where the last encounter with our opponents finished - on the back foot, closed down hard and under pressure. An early score from Boro and we struggled to break out of our half. And then it happened - Jack Tracey intercepted and broke free , flanked by two team mates and no Boro player made any ground to prevent a score. Jack has been a revelation this season and this sparked a complete about turn in the balance of play. Dale defended and scrapped hard to keep strong surges at bay, some tiger ish tackling and no quarter given by either team. "Rowanator "Tweedale put us 2-1 up only for Boro to exert relentless pressure reminiscent of the Alamo until finally one got through. Then a second driving run from Dan Stevens ended in a painful high- ish crunch but from the resulting restart Max Dunn burst through to score an opportunist try and put us 3-2 up - high 5s all round, more resolute defending and an unlikely but well deserved win against very decent opposition.
The second game was equally well matched, and followed a similar pattern and flow. Jason "Wilkybob" assumed the role of scrum half for this one and set about tackling anything that moved with great zeal - deservedly the tackle hero of the day and adding a try as a bonus, this was Jason's match of the season by far. Jack continued his form of the first game, earning man of the match and this time scoring 2 excellent tries. He was " controversially " denied a third which would have equalled the scores in the last seconds but unfortunately was flagged for a toe in touch ! But the overall result of spoils shared was a fair outcome for two evenly matched sides.
A great couple of games played in excellent spirit , competitively hard but fair and enjoyed most importantly by all. It was just nice for the team to play competitive rugby and gain valuable match experience ahead of the Christmas break and the players should take confidence from an excellent hard working effort. Lots to anticipate for 2013, Happy Christmas and New year from the Coaching team to all our squad and their families. Cheers !
There was also a sense of trepidation - the team hadn't played a competitive match since half term, and then it was Littleborough who emerged triumphant and superior that day, especially with their well organised rucking. Our boys - and girl - have worked hard at this aspect of the game and we hoped that they would forget their manners and get stuck in !
As ever Rossendale were superbly well represented with 14 players showing up instead of being dragged Xmas shopping , and so 2 matches were duly agreed with everyone dying to get in the action.
For the record, both teams claimed a victory apiece by the narrowest of margins , the odd try in each case, Dale won 3-2 and lost 3-4.
The first game started where the last encounter with our opponents finished - on the back foot, closed down hard and under pressure. An early score from Boro and we struggled to break out of our half. And then it happened - Jack Tracey intercepted and broke free , flanked by two team mates and no Boro player made any ground to prevent a score. Jack has been a revelation this season and this sparked a complete about turn in the balance of play. Dale defended and scrapped hard to keep strong surges at bay, some tiger ish tackling and no quarter given by either team. "Rowanator "Tweedale put us 2-1 up only for Boro to exert relentless pressure reminiscent of the Alamo until finally one got through. Then a second driving run from Dan Stevens ended in a painful high- ish crunch but from the resulting restart Max Dunn burst through to score an opportunist try and put us 3-2 up - high 5s all round, more resolute defending and an unlikely but well deserved win against very decent opposition.
The second game was equally well matched, and followed a similar pattern and flow. Jason "Wilkybob" assumed the role of scrum half for this one and set about tackling anything that moved with great zeal - deservedly the tackle hero of the day and adding a try as a bonus, this was Jason's match of the season by far. Jack continued his form of the first game, earning man of the match and this time scoring 2 excellent tries. He was " controversially " denied a third which would have equalled the scores in the last seconds but unfortunately was flagged for a toe in touch ! But the overall result of spoils shared was a fair outcome for two evenly matched sides.
A great couple of games played in excellent spirit , competitively hard but fair and enjoyed most importantly by all. It was just nice for the team to play competitive rugby and gain valuable match experience ahead of the Christmas break and the players should take confidence from an excellent hard working effort. Lots to anticipate for 2013, Happy Christmas and New year from the Coaching team to all our squad and their families. Cheers !
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