Although it wasn’t a clear win across the board from Shiplake teams, the effort and determination was clear and it seems as though the weeks of training are starting to pay off. The U14A XV enjoyed another win this week, whilst the 3rd XV kept their winning streak with a convincing victory against The Oratory School.
Rugby
3rd XV 24-12 The Oratory School
‘In windy conditions we elected to kick with the wind at our backs in the first half. Started strongly and scored two quick tries from Tom Riches and Jonny Meadows. A conversion by Ellis gave us a 12-0 lead after ten minutes. The Oratory defended well and we found them hard to break down. However, a great break and offload from Matt Sloman to the supporting scrum half Harry Rees lead to a third try from Ellis, which he also converted. A fourth try at the stroke of half time by George Emeny gave Shiplake a 24-0 lead.
With the wind now on Oratory’s favour, much of the match took part in our half. Two tries by Oratory were punctured by some great defence from Shiplake. A final score of 24-12 gave the 3rd XV a well-deserved win.’
Mr Jonny Howorth
U16B 10-19 Leighton Park School
In what was a closely fought match, the Shiplake U16Bs took on local rival Leighton Park with a very close end score. Unfortunately, the driving wind and rain made for a fairly dismal match for both sides. Zeb Hjatlun-Rayner and Tom Ibbitson were the try scorers for the match, although the breaks in defence meant that the opposition were able to score and get the all-important conversion, giving them a slight advantage and, ultimately, the win.
U15A XV 14-41 Kings College School
Mr Richard Curtis provides the following report on a well-played match from the U15As:
‘A top-flight rugby school with an age-group that was really rated on that circuit was always going to end up being a tough encounter; and so it proved. Shiplake were soon under the cosh with the opposition hammering at our line. However, resilient defence limited them to only two scores in the first half.
The most pleasing aspect of this match was that the new attacking structures practised in training earlier in the week really created a number of line-breaks. With a little more pace many of these openings would have resulted in tries. As it was, Shiplake had to be content with one score either side of half time; both these tries coming from periods of pressure created by good ball retention and strong running lines.
The final score of 14-41 did not reflect the respective teams’ performances and Shiplake should take a great deal out of this game going forward.’
U14A XV 17-12 Kings College School
‘After a minute’s silence to respect the lives lost in the Paris terror attacks, another cold wet day of rugby loomed. Unfortunately the poor weather was matched by the poor intensity levels shown by the Shiplake team in the first half. Our tackling was too soft and we turned the ball over carelessly. King’s Wimbledon took an early lead after a series of unforced errors. Shiplake then hit back through a try by Callum Creighton after a lovely show and go. King’s scored again soon after, and the half time score was 12-7 to King’s.
The body language and intent was much better in the second half with Billy Parrish and Rhys Ash really setting the example with their physicality. Isaac Beasley scored, which levelled the game, and then Shiplake set about gaining good field position to force the winning score. Cameron Jones marshalled the forwards well and Max Smith picked well around the fringes. Seb Hjortland Marks and Josh Walne enjoyed the close quarter battle, and Olly Frisby positioned himself well to prevent King’s from getting easy territorial gains. With five minutes to play Callum Creighton intercepted a pass and ran 40 metres to score the winning try. Captain Rory Diez Harrison spoke of the team’s need to play for the full 60 minutes after the game and not just half the game. Perhaps a degree of complacency had crept in, but we now know that we have to follow Rory’s advice until the end of the season.’
Director of Sport Mr James Gaunt