MATCH REPORT
Haywards Heath U14
Sunday October 2nd 2022
Venue: Crawley RFC
Attendance: Lots and lots

There’s nothing like a sunny Sunday in rural Sussex to start your day and this was certainly nothing like a sunny day in rural Sussex to start our day. In fact it was so wet we needed two coverings, it’s fair to say it was a real “two tenter”. This weeks offering was an old skool minis tournament which allowed us to reacquaint ourselves with some old friends and some new. The ethos from previous weeks, that of trying new things and learning from them, was continued again as the season starts to ramp up. If you don’t take risk, you won’t go out on the branch and you will miss the best fruit, or something like that.

Match 1 vs Pulborough 0-4
As the rains lashed down we were up against a very strong Pulborough side, only to find our that they’d merged with “our friends” from Midhurst. Gulp. Now this alliance may not have been on the same proportions as Simon and Garfunkel (reference there I’m sure the youngsters would appreciate) but they posed formidable opposition all the same and ran out easy winners. The Heath heads did not drop and the tackling continued in the improvement trajectory from last week. The coaches were able to take the learnings from the match, more aggression in the rucks and mauls, playing together as a team to avoid getting isolated. We learn we move on.

Match 2 vs Hove 2-2
The match started with much improved front foot rugby and the pressure soon told as Toby S took a quick tap penalty to score and after a great run JPReynolds, Will K was able to pick up from a turnover and run through and put Heath 2 up. Heath continued to enjoy possession in the second period and with less than two minutes to go the victory looked assured. But years of supporting Gloucester teaches you never to take anything for granted until the full time whistle and so it proved as Hove ran in two late tries to tie the game. Credit to the boys, whilst a little despondent they didn’t let their heads drop and continued the following matches with a positive attitude – great emotional maturity.

Match 3 vs Hastings and Bexhill 1-0
Heaths tactics are often innovative and again we tried the 16 man starting line up until some eagle eyed do gooder on the touch line spotted it and spoilt the fun. More importantly some positional changes made within the team enable a much better balance to the team (the learning and risk taking paying off handsomely). The match was played in the midfield as the teams were obviously fairly evenly matched. After and exchange of high tackles, a great run by Yuen L and a jackal by the fully gum shielded Linus T, Heath were in the ascendancy. After a great deal of pressure, George H did a typical jinking run and dived placing the ball over the line. All very well but sadly the line in question was the 5 metre line (it is dashed and not continuous) and again a very switched on referee decided not to allow the try, on the basis that it hadn’t actually been scored. Into the second period and further attacking rugby, and great hands down the line sent Linus T over to give Heath a deserved lead. As time drew to a close nerves were beginning to jangle (I’m not quite sure how that works or even what it means if I’m honest), and to be fair nobody was thinking Heath had won until the final whistle blew. I’m not superstitious but I am a little stitious, so I made sure I didn’t tempt fate in those final few seconds.

Match 4 vs Worthing 3-0
As the weather brightened, layers were being stripped off on the sidelines as quickly as the boys were stripping the opponent of possession on the pitch. The clouds from earlier were lifting, both metaphorically and meteorologically (I think that’s a word). Front foot rugby was again the order of the day and speedster George H ran in an early try. Pressure from Worthing led to a drop out from under the posts excellently despatched away from danger by Brodie R. As the pressure mounted good game sense from Toby M say his kick dribble into touch to close the half. An early phase of possession lead to Linus T race into score, he adjusted his run in order to score under the posts which made the non existent conversion we didn’t take much easier. Either way it’s a good habit to have. After excellent tackling from Carter M the ball went down the line and a good tactical grubbed kick through by Toby S, followed by a well weighted kick by Joe D saw Joe scoop the ball and dive over for the concluding try, great hands lad, great hands.

Overall after a challenging start the boys were able to learn from their early experience and make true progress even through the course of the day, each performance building on the previous one. Dare I say (again) an advance from last week.
The squad sends its best to Sam S for again putting his body on the line and getting a knock on the head for his effort – hope you feel better soon and to Gordon D for this exemplary referring as ever, I saw him in at least 3 different outfits today, as parent, as Sussex ref and as Sussex ref change short to avoid clashing with the opposition – now that’s being prepared. We go again next week when the league matches start.