Newton Abbot Rugby Club Colts VS Ivybridge Colts

The Newton Abbot Rugby Club Colts VS  Ivybridge Colts “friendly”; a tough lesson on how to play the players not the reputation. Ivybridge Colts were always looking for intensity and opportunity and our lads had moments of of matching that brilliantly, but also spells of hesitancy. Ivybridge occupies a unique headspace in their opposition’s psyche that means they can swiftly convert inches into miles when given to them. Physically the lads could have easily dominated them for the whole match, not just the 1st and 4th periods that they did. They just needed to believe that they could shut down the fast hands and feet that they were almost resigned to allow Ivybridge to use. Huge personal performances from every lad on the park that, for the second run out of the (pre)season, shows rapid signs of improvement and exiting promise as the two year groups bond as a band of brothers (which they set about with gusto in the clubhouse in doing!).

This fixture was played over 4 periods of 20minutes and enabled the teams to deploy various combinations of players still new to each other after merging last year’s U16s with the experienced second year Colts. The first period showed no love lost between local sides, with Newton Abbot Rugby Club Colts presenting Ivybridge Colts with fearless physicality. Their forward power garnering 2 tries from close range line outs. One gathered by Owen Mcauliffe at the back of a driving maul and the second awarded as a penalty try as Ivy were deemed to have collapsed the maul a meter out. Sadly, the score was levelled by 2 carbon copy break out tries from Ivy. Well known to be accomplished technical handlers of the ball, they ran in both by turning over All White possession well inside their own 22 and feeding it wide to their speed merchants. They also converted sustained goal line pressure for another.

Despite grit and huge personal performances in the following two 20 min periods, much of which was camped inside the Ivy 22, the boys were continually stretched wide as Ivybridge out paced them with hands and feet to run in two more in the corners and one through their forwards in the middle.

By the final 20mins our Colts rediscovered the fire in their bellies and took the game to Ivybridge in a manner not seen since the beginning of the game. Some solid positional dominance from the forwards and very skilful kicking by Connor Mackellar and Ash Goulden gained territory and unlocked the Ivy defence resulting in tries from Ash Goulden and very soon after, Ben Wilson. They finished knowing that Ivybridge is most certainly beatable, with the right mindset.

36-26 to Ivybridge

Huge personal performances from every lad on the park who, for the second run out of the (pre)season, show rapid signs of improvement and exciting promise as the two year groups bond as a band of brothers (which they set about doing so with gusto in the clubhouse!).