Rugby 1st XV Rugby Report P14 W5 D1 L8 I was not very optimistic before the season started but the arrival of 5 potential new 1st XV players enhanced what would have been a weak squad. It also increased competition for places and consequently by the end of the season 25 players had appeared for the team. Preseason training was the usual mix of hard work interspersed with the occasional good spirited laugh and as well as welcoming the new players we were glad to have PPC from Australia who has joined the school to coach Rugby and assist with Maths. The season began with the usual game against an OS team all of whom had to be under 19 on the day of the match. This weakened their potential but having said this they scored two tries while we achieved none; however Mark Critchley came to our rescue with 5 penalties and one superb drop goal from outside the 22 from a rather poor drop out by the OS. We therefore eventually ran out winners by 1812. The next game was a scrappy affair in which we were never able to turn our territorial advantage into more then just one try. Our major problem was with the backs who seemed unwilling to run in straight lines but thought they were playing very well because they could pass the ball across the pitch to the winger without dropping the ball, though rarely making the gain line. This was to prove to be one of our major problems which only began to be corrected towards the end ofthe season. Nevertheless we did manage to beat Sir Roger Manwood's 11-3 to record our second victory. Already better then last season ! This was followed by a very tough match against Cranbrook for the Bob Chance Trophy. We in fact played with great courage considering that we spent most of the time on the back foot. Cranbrook were on top form and j udging by their results from the rest ofthe season this was one oftheirbest displays. They ran out winners by 35-0. The next game was against Dover College and one I had earmarked as a victory. In fact formost of the match we were in the lead, had a measure of control in the forwards and our backs were defending well. We were leading 14-10 with 15 minutes to go when James Vincent scored what seemed to us a legitimate try but the Referee was unsighted for an instant and the opposition player lying next to James stole the ball from under his outstretched arm. The referee gave a five
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metre scrum insteadofatry. Had the try been given I am sure that we would have gone onto win. But to Dover's credit they seemed more determined to win while we were content to hang on and they scored a lovely try from a tap penalty to win 15-14. I was very disappointed with the result but both PPC and myself knew we had a lot of work to do to get rid of apparent softness in the side and to create the will to win. The next game against Reeds College was a similar encounter; a game we should have won on paper but never looked like winning afterthe first five minutes. The result was a depressing and very boring 3-3 draw. The season now appeared to be on the slide and with some tough matches ahead I was a worried man. We went on to lose heavily to Hurstpierpoint 3-34 and Duke of Yorks 5-50 with displays I would rather not remember. Our next game at St. Lawrence College proved to be the turning point of the season. Although we lost 3-35 we put up one of the finest second halfperformances I have seen from a 1st XV. We trailed 35-0 at halftime and after team talk I thought that we would be looking at a 70 odd point defeat. But the side rallied and outplayed the opposition for the rest of the game and with a bit more thoughtful play by the backs could have scored two or even three tries. In the end we had to be satisfied with only a penalty. The first game after halfterm was against Chatham House in which we were caught cold after only one practice. We were not helped by the departure of James Ferris for the rest of the season. The game was a messy and untidy fair best forgotten. I felt optimistic that we could give King's School Rochester a run for their money but some poor defensive errors and a lack of punch up front meant that we were easily defeated; however this was the first game in which Mark Cntchley played scrum half and Martin Slattery had moved from fullback to fly half. They looked a very promising partnership and Martin 15
