U18 Rugby 7’s Win Silverware on First Outing

The U18 1st team squad travelled down to Hurstpierpoint on Sunday to take part in an Invitational tournament composed of some of the strongest schools in the South-East of England. The squad defended resolutely during the group games which saw possession held by the opposition for extended periods of time. This work-rate in defence set the tone for the day with the Caterham side unwilling to allow the breakdown to be a simple affair. Impressive turnovers happened time and again, from the likes of Zach, Ethan, Jack. The team used these turnovers in possession to their advantage by moving the ball to width and utilising the power of Jack F and the speed of Seb T-S who ended the day with a personal haul of 5 tries.

The team progressed through the to the semi- final where Worth School lay in wait eager to avenge the result from the 15-a-side season. Playing on a wider pitch than the group stages, the team started strongly stretching Worth with excellent link play playing down the hill. Only lapses in concentration allowing Worth to stay within touching distance. The score at half time a nervy 5-5, the messages; minimise error count, challenge the initial restart and continue to support with and without the ball. The side did just that. A challenge from the kick-off led to Jack speeding round his opposite man on the far side. Multiphase efforts from Alex S and Theo B on the nearside showed that Caterham wanted victory more, popping up from tackles quicker than the opposition and winning the race to the breakdown. A key contribution from Sam W lured the Worth defence to the short side, only for him to move the ball to the open side where it was finished with great accuracy by Seb. The final score 26-7.

The final saw us drawn against St John’s Leatherhead where a few decision-making errors saw us 10-0 down at half time after playing down the hill. Unphased, the group agreed to keep possession, trust in their superior levels of fitness and keep the ball moving to put pressure on the high-pressing St John’s team. Straight after half time Ethan used his speed linking well with Max to claw back one try, 7-10. Sam W, spotting a gap in the defences broke through and kept possession for the try to be finished by Seb again 12-10. The final passage of play saw Captain Zach F’s lightening reactions to enact a turnover, quick tap, utilise footwork to create a half break, then have the composure to link-up with Jack F who went under the posts to secure a 19-10 victory.