1st XV v St. Hugh’s

It was with a little uncertainty that the 1st XV set off for their first fixture of the season, at St Hugh’s. However, any nerves quickly vanished as the side proceded to dominate the first 10 minutes, playing some excellent rugby. The pack was particularly dominant, with newcomers to the front row, Seb Jenks and Kaamil Walilay, providing excellent support for hooker Sam Bennett, who managed to take 8 strikes against the head. The backs were looking quite slick, running well onto the ball and shutting down the opposition in defence, although some match rustiness was evident in a number of misdirected passes. Marcus Wong caught the eye on the wing, with some darting runs and he was first to cross for a try, converted by Luca Illien. BG then soaked up some pressure, clearing their lines to good effect, to hold on to their 7-0 lead at half-time.

The second half brought more solid play from BG, again dominating the exchanges up front and the backs having plenty of ball to play with without ever quite making the final pass stick. The pressure, however, finally told, producing another try for Marcus and 2 for James Walker. Henry Bletsoe fielded the ball well at full-back, always running back with interest, and Ben Barwell combined well with James at centre. Will Richards began to settle into his new position at flanker, making a number of strong breaks to cross the gain line and keep the side moving forward. Most impressive of all was the performance from debutant Roddy Giles, at scrum half. With steady service and a number of searing breaks from the back of the scrum, he kept the opposition on the back foot all game. Roddy also found time to make a number of excellent cover tackles and he quickly formed a most effective defensive partnership with Charles Hurley, who turned in a neat performance at fly-half.

So, the season is off to a winning start, with a dominant performance against a side which had won its opening fixture. Most pleasing of all was the way the whole team worked together to achieve their fine 24-0 victory.
Tags: Sport