| Saints U16’s 26-man squad included 19 players from the East Midlands and six players who, while still U15, have shown potential to play above their year.
Saints played Worcester in their first game and went immediately on the attack. They were only denied a try by last ditch Worcester defence on several occasions. The pressure finally told and Old Northamptonians centre Sam Collins went over for a well deserved try.
Sam Collins scores for the Saints
Playing into the wind after the break meant a change in tactics and Saints had excellent ball retention and well organised defence to keep the Warriors at bay for most of the half. Neither team could score and the match ended 5-0 to Saints.
Saints took on Leeds in their second game and again started well. A try was disallowed in the first two minutes when Towcester RFC scrum half Chris Smart’s break was pulled back for an infringement at the previous ruck. The Leeds team regrouped and made several yards from the resulting penalty. A powerful centre pairing threatened the Saints defence and finally broke through on the stroke of half time.
Action from the Leeds game
A crucial lost lineout (the only one of the afternoon) in the Leeds 22 cost the Saints side and Leeds were always strong at the breakdown, winning turnovers as Saints tried to keep numbers wide. The Saints threw everything at the Leeds defence but were unable to link with support after a line break opportunity. The match ended 5-0 to Leeds.
The final match of the tournament saw the eagerly awaited meeting of the East Midlands rivals Northampton and Leicester. Determined to finish on a high the Saints side put together some impressive attack patterns playing into the wind. The first try came from good defensive pressure by Bedford School centre Will Dunkley who intercepted the ball and sprinted clear from 30 metres.
Will Dunkley receives congratulations for his try
Two minutes later Dunkley went over for his second try thanks to the Saint’s half-backs Chris Wood and Jamie Elliot moving the ball to space from a turnover. Eastern Counties U15 wing Alex Day nearly put the icing on the cake with an outside break but was adjudged not to have grounded the ball. The match ended 10-0 to Saints.
Results:
Leeds 10 0 Leicester
Northampton 5 0 Worcester
Leicester 5 10 Worcester
Northampton 0 5 Leeds
Leeds 5 0 Worcester
Northampton 10 0 Leicester
The day was a huge success and I would like to thank the referees from the East Midlands and all the schools and clubs who allowed the release of their players to play in the Tournament.
The next Saints U16s match is on October 28th where Shelford RFC (celebrating their 75th anniversary) will host us at 12pm.
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