HRFU

03/02/10   Hampshire Cup    Overton   (H)  W 20 - 12

A good sized crowd gathered at Trojans to see the home side overcome a plucky but ultimately out gunned Overton side in the Hampshire Cup Quarter Finals.  Trojans had a full squad from which to choose, apart from man mountain Matt Jupe, and gave a committed performance in excellent rugby playing conditions.

Trojans came out of the starting blocks with whole hearted commitment and clearly had their focus on the game.  From the kick off the forwards surged, breaking tackles and off loading in contact with accuracy and no little skill.  40 metres were gained before the move broke down and although making an impressive opening statement perhaps there was a time when the ball could have been moved wide to alter the focus of attack.

The first half saw Trojans encamped in the Overton half and indeed Overton did not enter the home side’s 22 for the whole half.  The pressure told and after a series of penalties close to the Overton line Luke Frost crashed over with all the passion in the world.  Prop Aidan Taylor continued his march at the top of the try scoring table with a muscular wrench from the arms of an Overton player, and an athletic spin and dive for the line to score another and again the reaction on scoring from one of the quiet men of the squad gave every indication that the Trojans side were very much up for the occasion.

 Still the pressure built with precious little relief in sight for Overton and just before half time Max Self’s vision caught the visitors napping and a long spin pass off the supposedly weaker hand saw wing Jonathan Andrews in the clear for a crucial score.  Lest the above has a familiar ring to it with the usual suspects scoring there were great performances in the pack by Reuben Santer, Jake Walder, Rob Colton and Matt Richter with ball in hand and in defence.  Ollie Murray filling in at prop scrummaged well and showed his confidence with ball in hand always breaking the gain line emphasising the improvement he has made this year.  

So at half time it was done and dusted.... or was it?  Surely Overton would understand that their only duty was to simply concede more tries in the second half, shower, eat a baked potato and go home.   To their great credit they did not concede and put up a superb second half performance.  Within two minutes of the restart they had scored probably the best try of the game and it was clear that there was to be a dog fight to the end.

The Overton pressure grew and Trojans were forced to dig deep to hold on.  The Overton large outside centre was a constant thorn in Trojans’ collective side and perhaps the defining moment of the match was when Andy Mead Briggs flattened this danger player when one on one with the try line beckoning to save a certain try with an excellent front on tackle.  From that the Overton main threat could only continue for a few more minutes and with his departure went Overton’s hopes.  Trojans re-established their forward dominance and Stonehill stole line out ball and drove through to complete Trojans scoring.  In the final minute Trojans were close to a fifth when an interception led instead to a final Overton scoring thus bringing Overton, perhaps, a bit closer on the score board than they actually were on the day.

Trojans backs had a good day as well being strong in defence and sharp in attack with the gain line being continually breached.

So a semi final beckons against our old friends Basingstoke against whom we have had many close encounters.  It is also thought that the semi final berth will also mean a chance to compete at the top table in the Under 14 league next year which will be a just reward for the efforts and commitment this squad have made throughout the year. 

24/01/10   Friendly    Gosport & Fareham    (H)  W 39 - 5

Trojans concluded their last friendly before the Hampshire Cup Quarter Final in style with a conclusive victory against Gosport and Fareham.  A squad of 24 arrived to play with two debutantes Andrew Sanders and Mark Mitchell and all contributed to the victory.

From the outset the Trojans mindset was positive and aggressive and they dominated the contact areas.  Mindful that there was pace in the Gosport back 3 the ball was kept in hand and this combined with the stranglehold up front and our own back 3 standing deeper than normal meant that the Gosport threats were effectively starved of ball and neutralised.

The scrummages were satisfactory if not spectacular probably caused by Jupe’s absence but lineout ball was plentiful and the breakdown was dominated by the Trojans forwards.  Once again continuity and support in contact was in abundance leading to many passages of play that were pleasing to the eye.  The backs ran with a pleasing directness and defensively they marked their counterparts out of the game with Mead Briggs especially catching the eye in this area.

Seven tries were scored with Taylor, Haisman and Stonehill bagging a brace each with Kingshott securing the other.  Haisman added two conversions.

What is most pleasing is that the squad are clearly enjoying their rugby and that no matter what fifteen are placed on the park they appear to be highly competitive against any team they play against.  The major difficulty is to juggle the players sufficiently to ensure that all have adequate game time to demonstrate their skills as we are caught between having too many for one squad but not enough for two.  The coach hopes that all will bear with him!

So now on to the Quarter Final against what appears to be a decent Overton side.  It is pleasing that we are able to go into the match on the back of a couple of substantial wins and no doubt the quarter final will be a testament to the qualities of Hampshire Youth Rugby.

7/01/10   Friendly    New Milton    (A)  W 51 - 7

Trojans under 13s continued their fine season with a resounding victory against a plucky New Milton side.  There was little sign of any rustiness from the long lay-off over the Christmas period caused by the weather and Trojans dominated the match.  It was a perfect day for rugby with a yielding surface and bright sunshine to cheer the attendant Trojans crowd.

As so often this season the victory was set-up by the complete dominance Trojans enjoyed in the forwards.  Matt Jupe was as always immovable in the front row and every scrummage of New Milton was either badly disrupted or won.  There was dominance in the rucks and the continuity in contact was impressive.  There was barely a maul in the game such was the ability of the Trojans forwards to go to ground and present clean possession.

Playing with a breeze at their backs Trojans were soon camped in the New Milton 22 with Max Self kicking beautifully for the corners.  Tries came regularly in the first half with six being scored in the twenty five minutes.  James Kingshott opened the scoring with a trade mark snipe from scrum half,  Luke Frost barrelled over for a couple from No. 8,  Johnnie Andrews used his pace to good effect to score another on the left wing, Aidan Taylor combined twinkle toes with raw aggression to score yet another from prop and Max Self’s dancing feet made a welcome reappearance to score tries for Trojans.  The only cause for complaint could have legitimately come from Cameron Haisman, surely the best goal kicker in the County at under 13, as all the tries came within 10 metres of the touch line of a wide pitch thereby making his job very difficult.

In the second half there was consistent swapping of personnel and positions to give all a game and so the game became slightly more fragmented.  Even with the changes the play was almost exclusively in the New Milton half despite playing into the wind and even the New Milton try was from a break out and a length of the pitch run by their centre.  Aidan Taylor added another try and Ollie Murray, improving with every game, drove over from 10 metres from an attacking ruck.  Charlie Stonehill did an excellent Forrest Gump impersonation by crossing the try line and then kept running past the dead ball line and as he was going West one assumes he will be close to Exeter now.

The game finished with some quick thinking from Max Self from a tap penalty which saw Brad Apps score his first of the season.

Another good performance by the side and an excellent day out for the squad who showed that they were glad to be back playing rugby again.  Thanks to New Milton for their hospitality and in particular to Steve who refereed the game in a positive and clear manner from which all boys benefitted.

29/11/09   Friendly    Petersfield    (H)  W 17-12

Trojans Under 13s continued their winning run with a hard fought victory in difficult weather conditions against a strong and confident Petersfield side.  Bookmakers would have found the odds hard to set taking into account Petersfield’s  victory last season in Trojans first fifteen a side game and Trojans easy victory against a weakened Petersfield side in September. Most telling of a hard game to come was Petersfield’s victory in the County Cup against champions Havant.

Trojans, playing with the wind, were shocked early when Petersfield outflanked them with a fine three quarter move to a score a try that was subsequently converted.  Trojans regrouped and started to place pressure upon the Petersfield forwards in the loose and a quickly taken penalty from close range by Luke Frost provided the equalising score.

A major difference from previous matches was that Trojans did not have this match all their own way up front having to graft for possession throughout.  The scrum which had worked seamlessly all season creaked and the line out did not work to its full potential.  Nevertheless the forwards worked hard to generate another attacking position and following a further close range penalty Max Self tapped quickly to feed Cameron Haisman who scored with ease.  12-7 at half time.

As always the changes were rung at half time with no less than 6 replacements coming on.  Hamish Jackson in the back row made a promising debut and Ollie Murray continued his upward curve with a number of confident pick and drives.  The second half demonstrated the resilience of this Trojans team where defence was key.  Andy Mead- Briggs again looked good both with ball in hand and in defence but the tendency to defend too narrowly kept the crowd on tenterhooks.

As the match ebbed and flowed the Trojans lighthouse Charlie Stonehill took a ball from the front of the line out and loped fully 22metres to score the decisive try.  Petersfield stuck gamely to their brave game plan of spinning the ball wide at every opportunity and eventually scored wide out leaving a nervy last 7 minutes.  In keeping with the close nature of the match the game finished with Petersfield attacking and being held up 5 metres from the line.

A fine match, well contested in tough conditions, provided a great advertisement for under 13 rugby in the County and both teams can take much away from the encounter. 

15/11/09   Hants Cup Rnd 1    Eastleigh    (H)  W 31 - 0

The monsoon of the weekend subsided and the sun shone on a convincing Trojans performance.  In a season of friendlies the Hampshire Cup is the only silverware available and expectations were high as we welcomed our local rivals Eastleigh.  The visitors had scored impressive recent wins and Trojans were fully aware that they had to be at their peak to progress.

Trojans roared out of the starting blocks and tore into the opposition.  The tenor was set in the scrummage early with Trojans driving and stealing opposition ball.  Good low body positions in the rucks supplied plentiful possession and the early signs seemed positive. The scoring was soon opened by Frost charging down a kick in Lewis Moody style and falling on the ball to score.  The trusty boot of Haisman converted.  For the majority of the first half Trojans despite winning substantial ball failed perhaps to make full use of the same with often the final pass going to ground when a score was winking salaciously not so far away. Eastleigh rallied and came close to scoring on two occasions but stout defence close to the line meant that the Trojans line remained unbreached.  Just before half time Taylor continued his try scoring run by carrying most of the Eastleigh pack over the line on his own to extend the lead to 12-0.

With the breeze at their backs in the second half the kicking of Self and Haisman continually pinned the Eastleigh side back in their own half.  Self kicked through and followed up with a tackle on the line and Mead Briggs now seemingly reborn in the Centre from his sojourn in the forwards fell on the loose ball to score. By this time the full Trojans bench were on and positions were being swapped faster than telephone numbers at a speed dating convention.  Walder broke clear of a maul to almost set the line clear and Andrews and Savage out wide showed good hands on other occasions.  Notwithstanding the coaches’ plea to try and widen the point of attack both Frost and Stonehill managed to crash over straight through the middle before the close.

A comprehensive win then against an improving team, all of which augurs well for the future.  Although at times not as fluent as one would have liked the victory was hard fought and thoroughly deserved and was again testament to the effort and commitment being put in by all the boys.  We look forward to the second round of the cup with relish which will be at home to Overton on 7th February.

08/11/09   Friendly    Havant    (A)  W 26 - 19

Following last weekend’s disappointing capitulation at Bournemouth the Under 13 squad rose phoenix like from the ashes to gain a deserved win against their perennial rivals Havant.  With the first round of the cup looming both sides took the opportunity to give their full squads a run out on a dank November morning.

Trojans, shorn of their usual recent starting half back partnership, had at their disposal a very strong pack following some absences over half term and looked to experiment in the backs.

Both teams opened with the best teams at their disposal and the tenor of the game was soon set with the Trojans forwards rampaging through the middle and the Havant backs spinning the ball wide at every opportunity.  Both sides probed in the opening exchanges when lax tackling allowed the strong running Havant fly half to score under the posts.

Undaunted by this set-back Trojans chased up an excellent kick off and pressurised and harried the Havant half backs until Luke Frost burst over for a trade mark try.  An excellent conversion by Cameron Haisman from wide equalised the scores.

The battle continued with Charlie Stonehill dominant in the line-out and Ollie Murray in the loose.  Scrummaging honours went to Trojans and two against the head by Matt Richter from defensive 5 metre scrums proved decisive at the end of the day.  But still Havant came on and notwithstanding a desperate tackle from Andy Mead Briggs in the corner Havant had enough support to take the half time lead 12-7.

Both sides made substantial changes at half time but the second half was no less competitive.  Early Havant pressure was thwarted by fine tackling from Duncan Loader and then slowly but surely the Trojans forward pressure told.  Dominant in the scrums and loose Trojans forced their way against the wind through excellent driving support play.  Aidan Taylor crashed over for two tries following excellent forward play and Havant scored from a tap penalty which caught the defence napping.

19-19 with ten minutes to play.  Trojans dug deep and backs and forwards combined to send Cameron Haisman scything through the Havant defence under the posts and  to add insult to injury he kicked the conversion.  That just left Trojans to weather a late Havant storm to secure a well deserved victory.

A fine game of youth rugby played in an appropriate spirit against worthy opponents.  It was more than enough to show that last week was an unnatural blip and that progress is being made.  Well done boys!

11/10/09   Friendly    Winchester    (H)  L 0 - 10

Spectators at Trojans were treated to a keenly fought battle on a near perfect day for rugby.  Expectations were high following Trojans’ comfortable win against Petersfield in their opening match of the season and the visit of joint County champions Winchester was sure to be a stern test of their credentials.

The pattern of the game was established early with Trojans forwards having the edge up front and the quicksilver Winchester backs with the edge out wide.  Much of the first half was played outside of the 22s with neither side being able to gain a clear advantage or sustain too much pressure.  Haisman for Trojans missed a long range penalty and from the ensuing 22 a lapse of concentration gave Winchester a huge ground advantage from which they capitalised eventually with a speedy try down the left wing.  Within 2 minutes they had doubled their advantage down the same channel and the omens were ominous for the home side.

Despite losing Jupe’s destructive power in the front row Trojans rallied before the half forcing a 5 metre scrum only for Winchester to scramble clear.

In the course of the second half Trojans used their full bench and the team responded magnificently in having much of the territorial advantage.  A further long range penalty went narrowly wide and Frost touched down only for the referee to correctly penalise him for a double movement.  Stonehill continued to win good ball in the line out and the Winchester scrum continued to creak under pressure.  Self and Haisman used the elements to pin Winchester in their own half but the elusive score failed to materialise as the Away defence held firm.  Trojans man of the match Taylor scrummaged superbly and was much in evidence in the loose.

A narrow defeat but much to be pleased about especially against such strong opposition.  The forwards showed that they would be a match for any team they play against and the issue for the team will now be to convert pressure into points.  The commitment shown by the Trojans’ squad is a testament to the hard work and effort they have been putting into training so far this season.  Well done boys and long may it continue.

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This page last updated:  13 August, 2010