The new rugby season gathered pace this week as most
Shiplake teams played their first fixtures of the term against Windsor Boys’
School. On the whole, it was a hugely positive week with almost a
clean sweep of victories. It was great to see so many parents turning out to
support the boys, many of whom were sporting the new Shiplake sports kit. Scroll down for reports from each match:
1st XV 28 - 14 Windsor Boys' School
Due
to a late cancellation of the planned 2nd XV fixture, Shiplake took
a 28-man squad to Windsor to give all senior players a run out. Shiplake had a
light warm up, and after beating Windsor comfortably in a recent tournament,
were confident of registering another victory. However, perhaps due to a small
degree of complacency, Shiplake started the game very slowly and made silly
errors. This led to the concession of three penalties, which were all converted
to give Windsor an early lead.
After
the early wake up call, Shiplake began to click in their usual mode and the
comeback began when Fili Savou powered over the line. Further tries from Will
Janes, Callum Heppner-Logan and Greg Cooke built up a healthy lead. Squad
rotation ensured almost the entire bench got some much-needed game time, and
several 2nd XV boys put in impressive displays. Most notably,
perhaps, Head of College Yeem Chanthanawan, who made a vital try saving tackle
near the end. Captain Tom Harman commented: “The boys learnt a lot from the
game and are looking forward to a successful season.”
U16A 21-3 Windsor Boys
Thanks
to U16A captain Sam Wisely for providing the following report:
“
On
Wednesday 10 September Shiplake’s U16A squad faced a strong and determined
Windsor Boys’ side. We knew this would be a tough game following previous years but we were hoping we could bring everything from the
training ground together on the pitch for our first match.
We
started by receiving the ball and maintained possession well, but the Windsor defence
was strong and well organised. A clever kick through from Miles Bridgeman allowed
Hassan Rubbani to go over for the first try of the game. This was followed by a
pressing Windsor attack, which kept us in our own half until we gave away a
sloppy three points via a penalty in front of the posts. Although it was
getting very heated between the two sides, we managed to defend the try line
for the remainder of the half.
Following
a positive half time team talk from Mr Dix and Mr Diez-Urkidi, we were eager to
get another try under our belts. After holding the ball in the opposition’s 22
for the first ten minutes, a strong maul off the back of a line-out let Ross
Johnstone in for a try. The rest of the half was played in the middle of the
pitch. A pick and go from Freddie Davis from the back of a scrum, on the half
way line, let him punch through the Windsor flankers and full-back to score a
third try, making the final score 21-3 to Shiplake.
This
was a promising start to the season against strong opponents.”
U15A 50-5 Windsor Boys
Mr
Curtis’s U15A side started the season in clinical fashion with an emphatic 10
try victory in Windsor. Shiplake, captained by inside centre Harvey Hendry,
played some brilliant flowing rugby. They will look to continue this form at
home to local rivals Reading Blue Coat on Saturday 13 September.
U15B 21-37 Windsor Boys
Mr Duncan’s side suffered a defeat in a close
game, but the Skipwith Housemaster was keen to focus on the positives following
the match:
“There is lots of potential in this team and many of the boys
had good games. Consistency and positional/tactical awareness are the key development
points to take into training this week. Sonny Pong was very direct and
difficult to put down. Alfie Sheppard was ferocious in attack and defence,
earning himself two tries, while Justin Janse Van Vuuren worked very hard and
was found all over the pitch. Ben Westbrook-Burr has a great drop kick. All of
these elements hurt the opposition but our lack of organisation and support
play meant that, whilst we looked dangerous, we were also sloppy and gave the
ball away too much. A decent start but plenty to work on.”
U15 SAB Academy Match
The SAB Academy matches kicked off this week
with the U15C boys being given the opportunity to get some match experience
under their belts. The practice game was a high scoring encounter, with the
Spitfires coming out on top by 38 points to 17. Man of the match went to Ben
Tracey.
U14A 53-19 Windsor Boys
Given that the squad had only had three short training sessions
prior to the game a score line of 53-19 suggests that this group of players
have the potential to develop into a very decent side. A blend of pace, power
and precision allowed the side to play with a great deal of width; this
resulted in first half tries for Bradbury, Philliskirk, Fitzgerald and
Shortland, meaning the score was 26-12 at half time.
As the second half
progressed, the boys began to offload with more accuracy and this resulted in a
number of notable tries being scored from deep in our own half. Further scores
by Philliskirk, Howard, Fitzgerald and Gorringe left the final score at 53-19.
U14B 50-5 Windsor Boys
The U14Bs followed in the footsteps of the A team with a
similarly excellent performance. Tries from Marcus Brown, Luke Mullin, James
Dallas and Ben Dinsdale helped add gloss to the scoreline and get the term off
on a positive note. Coach Mr Muhley was full of praise: “Well done to the boys on
a great victory and let’s get excited about Blue Coat on Saturday!”
Please note - more photos from all Shiplake events can be accessed by clicking on the camera icon at the bottom of the site menu.