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We won. That’s a really satisfying way of starting the match report. It’s not just that we won, it’s the way in which we won. Those kids today can be so proud of the mature and committed display that they put on. Everything clicked today. The things they’ve worked so hard on all year, the difficult skills they’ve been learning and their attitude and genuine will to work hard for each other was rewarded ten fold today. You can’t coach team spirit like this and you can’t coach someone who doesn’t want to learn and week in week out these kids turn up and train hard and put 100% effort into everything they do and today was a testament to their character and ability.

Leo joined us today after turning out for the under 11s and had what I thought was his best ever performance. He carried hard, he tackled hard ,he competed doggedly at the rucks and scored 3 trys but what he did best was galvanise those around him with his effort and encouragement and game direction. His positive play had an impact on everyone around him who then followed suit. Captain
Iestyn was outstanding today. He organised the team, he was vocal and communicated with everyone at key times to make sure the team stayed focused. Iestyn scores 4 excellent trys beating countless defenders. Iestyn also dominated the ruck area and put in a tireless effort in defence.
Marie improved once again today. Marie made several metre eating runs and showed a fine turn of pace in the second half in a long and speedy surge upfield that set up a try. Marie worked really hard in getting back in covering in defence when our line had been breached and put in countless tackles.
Jack had his best game of the season today. Jack carried powerfully and aggressively and was incredibly hard to put down once he got going. Jack also worked really hard for his team mates in defence. I was so pleased to see how much he enjoyed the physical nature of the game today and how well he defended. Jack has worked really hard on defence in training and it really showed today.
Harry put in the sort of display that he is consistently showing week after week now. Harry is a top notch centre at this age level and his appreciation of space and the effortless way he found gaps today was a pleasure to watch. Harry is another player who has worked hard in defence and today on three occasions Harry chased back to pull off a last ditch tackle to prevent a try being scored. Great commitment Harry!
I think every week I must write that Poppy has improved on her previous performance and once again today Poppy raised her level of play. Poppy seemed to pop up at the base of every ruck getting the ball away quickly and accurately. Poppy also made a great clean break in the second half that put Fishguard under huge pressure as well as tackling everything that came her way to prevent a Fishguard comeback.
Trystan was an incredible physical presence this morning. We talked about him making an impact with his aggression and strength just before kick off and he really took it on board. He was focused and hunted down attackers relishing his role in putting Fishguard under pressure forcing several errors that gave us possession. His carries were also direct and impressive. He is surely the strongest player around at this age level and gave us impetus time and again when we needed it.
Alex played up an age level after playing for the under 9s and was a tackling machine. When you have Alex in your defensive line you don’t worry about anyone running through him. He again floored players much bigger than him with his perfect technique and timing and really fitted into the team brilliantly. His tackling lifted those around him and had a big influence on the team performance.
George was excellent. We had a larger pitch today which we thought would play into George’s hands. Unfortunately we spent 90% of the game attacking the same ten metres of pitch so the ball didn’t get to George as often as we’d hoped. However this didn’t deter George looking for the ball and carrying off first phase and hitting rucks all game. It was in the last play of the game for us in which George showed his class when supporting a break from Leo and running a perfect angle he took a pass at full pace pulled clear of the defence and scored the perfect wingers try. A good winger never switches off and never misses an opportunity for glory.
Manny put in a mature display of game management today and him and Iestyn are showing real potential in their direction of play from scrum half and fly half. They work really well as a unit and understand the game and what is needed in each facet of play. Manny was physical in carrying today and put in tackle after tackle when Fishguard were going forward to thwart their momentum and put in a huge amount of effort for his team.
Today the player of the match could go to anyone as everyone was outstanding so I’ll award it to the entire team who were superb in everything they did particularly their positive attitude and team spirit. Well done all.

Marc Davies