EG U14
Matches
Sun 17 Dec 2017
EAST GRINSTEAD RFC
EG U14
29
22
Lewes
U14s continue winning run

U14s continue winning run

Cathy O'Donoghue20 Dec 2017 - 20:14
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https://www.egrfc.com/teams/14

U14s defeat Lewes to extend winning run to 14 matches in 2017

The final game of 2017 turned out to be a titanic battle against Lewes in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Saint Hill. Both teams showed great passion and played with the right spirit, giving 100% but with respect for each other and the referee.

Lewes started the match at a very high tempo, winning the first scrum against the head as they managed to hook the ball and hold firm against East Grinstead pressure. The Lewes backs passed the ball wide and scored behind the posts, making the conversion simple. 0-7 after 1 minute.

Lewes scored again soon after the restart via a combination of strong running and missed tackles and before we could blink it was 0-12. It would have been easy to crumble.

However this East Grinstead side is made of stern stuff and started to settle into the game and control possession. Excellent play through multiple phases allowed territory to be gained and an offload from Jon Jon set up a flowing move through the hands to James Bull who showed pace and beguiling footwork, jinking through the Lewes defence to score – very reminiscent of “That Try” by Ieuan Evans.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qlKlwlh1sY
Colm Geraghty calmly slotted over the conversion. 7-12

Another series of powerful runs and good ball retention at the breakdown put Éoin O’Donoghue into space and he produced a great finish, diving past the corner flag to level the game 12-12 at Half Time.

At this stage it was easy to think that the tide had been turned and that we had gained the upper hand psychologically but Lewes were determined from the kick-off and they scored again quickly to remind the East Grinstead lads that any victory was going to be hard to come by. 12-19.

East Grinstead pressed again, gaining territorial advantage and a pick and go from Elliott Vincent, 30m out, saw him break several tackles and storm across the line to take the score to 17-19. Lewes then gained a penalty which they successfully kicked to establish a 5 point gap at 17-22.

The final 10 minutes were incredibly tense but several boys showed outstanding character, leading by example. Notably, Éoin O’Donoghue who put in a series of four consecutive tackles and Owen Peel who was relentless in putting the Lewes players under pressure, turning over possession on numerous occasions.

Éoin scored his second try, just reaching the line to put East Grinstead ahead for the first time in the match. 24-22 with only a few minutes left.

The game could have gone either way at this stage, but some great work at scrum-half by Cameron McInnes spread the ball away from the break-down and we finally managed to get the ball to Toby Hawes in some space and he showed true pace to fly round Lewes’s despairing attempts to tackle him as he rounded the posts to score and finish the game. 29-22. There was unbelievable character shown by the entire team to keep bouncing back after falling behind and to eventually win the game.

Enormous credit must go to Lewes who lost their unbeaten run, yet conducted themselves like true gentlemen after the game. We look forward to meeting again in the new year.

Head Coach Simon Luxton said “The coaching team and parents are immensely proud of what this squad has achieved in 2017. To win 14 matches in a row is a huge achievement for a squad which is relatively small in numbers compared to some of our rivals. We have welcomed some new boys into the fold and they have added an extra dimension to our game. 2018 will bring new challenges but we’re very excited to see what this group can accomplish”

Man of the Match was awarded to Elliott Vincent who was superb at the breakdown. He put in a real shift and turned 50/50 rucks into secure East Grinstead possession. His hard work and dynamism was the platform that the rest of the team’s performance was built upon. Well done Elliott!

Match details

Match date

Sun 17 Dec 2017

Kickoff

10:00
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Sponsor - Leggat Plant Ltd
Club Sponsor - Kingscote Paving
Sponsor - Prolojik Ltd
Sponsor - Champain Financial Services Ltd
Shirt Sponsor - Elite Physical Rehab
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