
Down High 19 Friends 0
The game started with a steady but equal attack from both sides. Friends maintained ball well. They were able to steal from us in the scrums and line-outs, as well as being able to counter ruck effectively. Despite this, Down High played some of the best rugby our team has played in a long while. Robin Wilson made some fantastic kicks when given the opportunity. The forwards persevered in the rucks and mauls, managing to win back some possession for Down High. The ball was often played wide to left wing Rhys Patterson who made some excellent breaks in the opponents defence whilst gaining ground. The ball was handled well by Harris McConnell who was able to move it smoothly and quickly down the line. Whilst Down High maintained a consistent attack, Friends managed to keep their ground and by half time there was still no score.
After a stiff talking to from Fly-Half and captain Robin during the half time group huddle, we all shouted “123 SQUEEZE!” and took our positions, heads held high and ready to receive. The ball was caught cleanly and we immediately pressed forward. Our forwards became more aggressive, and our backs more swift. We managed to force our way almost up to Friends’ try line. The ball was passed to right wing William Browne, who made a break in the defence to score a well earned try, with Robin securing the extra two points with a good conversion.
Down High kept the pressure on, and as a result, Harris stormed through the defence with a number of hand-offs to award another five points with a try. Robin narrowly missed the exceptionally difficult conversion. The score was 12-0 and time was running out.
Although we had secured a win, we needed to keep the pressure up and prove that Down High were not just any rugby team. The ball was passed to Rhys who gained ground to the halfway line, until he was tackled, but not before he passed to Prop Michael Donaldson who somehow managed to score a try under the posts by sidestepping about 4 or 5 players. The conversion was easily landed and play continued, but not for long as the referee soon blew the whistle for full-time.
This dynamic win against a strong Friends team means that Down High have now won an incredible 6 out of their last 7 matches.
The game started with a steady but equal attack from both sides. Friends maintained ball well. They were able to steal from us in the scrums and line-outs, as well as being able to counter ruck effectively. Despite this, Down High played some of the best rugby our team has played in a long while. Robin Wilson made some fantastic kicks when given the opportunity. The forwards persevered in the rucks and mauls, managing to win back some possession for Down High. The ball was often played wide to left wing Rhys Patterson who made some excellent breaks in the opponents defence whilst gaining ground. The ball was handled well by Harris McConnell who was able to move it smoothly and quickly down the line. Whilst Down High maintained a consistent attack, Friends managed to keep their ground and by half time there was still no score.
After a stiff talking to from Fly-Half and captain Robin during the half time group huddle, we all shouted “123 SQUEEZE!” and took our positions, heads held high and ready to receive. The ball was caught cleanly and we immediately pressed forward. Our forwards became more aggressive, and our backs more swift. We managed to force our way almost up to Friends’ try line. The ball was passed to right wing William Browne, who made a break in the defence to score a well earned try, with Robin securing the extra two points with a good conversion.
Down High kept the pressure on, and as a result, Harris stormed through the defence with a number of hand-offs to award another five points with a try. Robin narrowly missed the exceptionally difficult conversion. The score was 12-0 and time was running out.
Although we had secured a win, we needed to keep the pressure up and prove that Down High were not just any rugby team. The ball was passed to Rhys who gained ground to the halfway line, until he was tackled, but not before he passed to Prop Michael Donaldson who somehow managed to score a try under the posts by sidestepping about 4 or 5 players. The conversion was easily landed and play continued, but not for long as the referee soon blew the whistle for full-time.
This dynamic win against a strong Friends team means that Down High have now won an incredible 6 out of their last 7 matches.