U11 Wgtn Short Blacks

MVP: Jack
Most Improved: Eddie
Team Player: Nicolas

Well done boys!

Captain: Ben R
Player of the Day: Angus
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Some good all round play from both sides today for the final match of the season. It was the original game of two halves.  Short Blacks in the first half, and the Axemen dominating the second half when the rain bucketed down. Hats off to that winning Wellington Club spirit with neither side giving an inch to their friends on the other team.

Player of the day Angus showed once again his solid range of skills by stepping up to fill the halfback position today.  With plenty of pressure from the opposing forwards it wasn't easy to clear the ball from the rucks and mauls but he did well and followed up with great support play to often be the first to the breakdown.

Tim deserves a special mention for his solid forward play yet again.  His reliability throughout the season has made him a mainstay of the team.  Solid driving and selfless off load skills help set the backs up nicely. Josh too for coming into the team as the new guy this season and adjusting nicely to the wing position with great covering defence and some nice attacking runs.  The ball never dies with Josh, he always manages to set it up or pass well. Thanks also to Sam and Alex for helping out from the U10s. Have a look at the photos for proof that you were both valuable players contributing strongly to the team's effort.

Its been a great season, dropping only one game then nicely taking our revenge later in the season to have now beaten every team in the grade. Like anything else, strong parent support has helped the boys to perform well, week in and week out, so take a bow. Winning the regional sevens tournament too was another wonderful result.

The final word must go to Mo, Tim and James for taking time out of everything else they have to do to give our kids some of the best coaching they could receive at this vital early age.  And they did it with style. The kids developed and grew their skills and team values while having a great time.  If I could bottle that recipe I'd make millions!  Heartfelt thanks from all parents and boys.

Captain: George
Player of the Day: Ben R
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Player of the day, scoring 6 of the team's 10 tries, was Ben R with some trademark length of the field runs, sidesteps, fends, and swerves. It wasn't just the tries scored that won Ben R player of the day, he also defended well and distributed the ball across the back line extremely well by drawing the man and providing the receiver space to move. His support play and cover defence was once again of a typically high standard demonstrating, as he does week in and week out, that he has the complete set of skills.

Five tries in reasonably quick succession seemed to deflate this quality Wests side but they came back well in the second half, giving it everything they had.  Of particular note was the fearless defence of their line when we had three successive five metre scrums but couldn't cross the line.  There were some wonderful forward mauls with neither side giving an inch.

Nicolas made a scorching run down the sideline after some clever passing by Ben R and Jack put him into space.  He eyed the corner and ran straight for the try line showing some good pace for a winger's try.  Ben W scored another nice try barreling over the line with his shoulders low and his legs pumping. George scored two tries after some classic mauling and hard driving.  One try was from some nice back up to Angus who made another scorching run down the sideline only to be cut down by the cover just metres from the line.  He placed the ball nicely though for George to pick up and finish off the try.

Finally, our line wasn't crossed which is testament to sound defence in both the forwards and the backs against this quality Wests side.

Captain: Sam
Player of the Day: George
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With a win over Wests Lions this means we've beaten every team in the grade.  By one man's simple reckoning that puts us at the top of the unofficial table. And let me boast for a moment.  We deserved the win. Our boys were magnificent.  The forwards reminded me of the 90's All Blacks when people would say you could throw a blanket over the forwards at any time - they were so tight.  There was no way through the forwards for Wests and our Backs shut their opposite number down every time.  The only try scored against us was from Wests classy and pacy winger who got a rare touch of the ball with some space to move and made a beautiful run straight for the corner, scoring with an inch to spare.

Under Sam's captaincy the boys played in top gear all game.  Tommy deserves special mention for his tight game and Lewis for tackling that made some parents cringe.  In the backs, Ben R played a magnificent cover game at fullback making at least two try saving tackles when he was the last man standing.  William's straight running at second five kept their backs in close to the forwards making space on the outside for second phase play.  Jack was in the thick of everything, earning a beautiful shiner.  Eddie, James and Tim did us proud once again in the tight game as they do week in and week out and Ben W was fast and clinical in the loose winning us turnover ball. Angus gave everything he had as both a back and forward showing his solid grounding in a broad range of skills that will continue to serve him well in future.

And finally, player of the day George, was simply magnificent.  It was fitting George got player of the day when it was such a team effort as his style and dedication is what often moulds the boys into a unit.  I'm sure Wests had a plan to double up on George but not once did they wrestle the ball from his grip.  His go forward drives got our boys mauling metres up the field which resulted in the first try scored by appropriately, George.  Well done.

The icing on the cake is the way the boys love playing the game. No matter how tense (the parents get) the boys just go out and play their best and have fun doing it.  Lets not forget too, its easier to enjoy a game of rugby when you've been coached well in the technical aspects of the game - thanks Mo, James and Tim.

Captain: James
Player of the Day: Sam & Nicolas
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The game of the season. It was a great contest. Ories were unbeaten this season and it was clear just why.  Their forwards are very well drilled and the backs have some real pace and skill.  The weather and the ground made for a tough up front encounter although both sides threw the ball around with some scything runs through the middle.

Sam won player of the day for a fantastic no holds barred performance.  He was in the thick of everything, never intimidated by the size of the opposing forwards, and never slowing down his pace for the whole game.  He won us a lot of possession and made some standard setting tackles for the others to follow.  Well done Sam against a tough opposition.

The win was a classic team performance.  Our tackling was a little soft in the middle of the first half but a clear half time message by Tim, James & Mo put that right with not one missed in the second half, keeping Ories scoreless for that half. Three of the four tries scored were from wonderful break-out runs by Jack, Tim, and  Ben R. who all showed some amazing skill and some never-say-die straight and hard running all the way to the try line. Each try was a body blow to the opposition as it was hard to see how each could have been stopped.  George scored another classic 'George try' straight through the middle of the opposing forward pack.

A second player of the day was named, Nicolas, for an all round demonstration of skills.  Standing on the wing as the last line of defence meant a missed tackle against this opposition was a sure try.  Nicolas didn't let one through, tackling like a demon.  His hard straight running was classic winger material but if caught he set the ball up nicely, giving support players time to get there and keep possession.

I'd like to mention every boy by name but we won the hardest game of the season because all our boys played together as a true team.  A testament to the coaching of Tim, James & Mo.

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I want to acknowledge a great tournament out at Waikanae Park last Sunday.  The boys were awesome and played brilliantly throughout.  It was good to see us adapt to 7’s so well; we were mean up front and silky skilled out in the backs. 26 tries for, 9 against.  I know there were a few boys that got a bit more game time than others, but a big part of our success were our reserves coming on and making an impact and really contributing to the performance, so well done to you all.   Also a big thanks for our continued parental contribution and support.

Tim, James & Mo

Captain: Eddie
Player of the Day: James
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The first game on artificial turf at the superb new Te Whaea ground received positive reviews from the boys.  The ground allowed for a fast game, despite the rain. 

However, the team seemed to play at only half pace today.  Each boy played well individually, but the trademark collective team intimidation of the opposition wasn't in evidence.  While our tackling and one on one defence was great, the forwards stood off the rucks and the backs failed to distribute the ball as well as they normally do.  

Fortunately MSP's high number of missed tackles allowed us to keep the scoreboard ticking over which must have been very dissapointing for their forwards who had an excellent game.

Player of the day, James, showed just how good a player he is week in and week out by leading from the front with a number of great bursts through their forward pack, one of which resulted in a well deserved try.  Together, James and Eddie won more than their fair share of lineouts which kept the backs well supplied with quality ball.

Captain: William
Player of the Day: Eddie
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With only one try scored in the first half, this was a close and tough game.  Our boys defended their own five-metre line for over 10 minutes without letting Wests cross for a try.  It was both forwards and backs not giving an inch that made the gutsy defence a complete denial to the opposition. 

Player of the day Eddie led the way, making every tackle count and driving the opposition backward, even when they had the ball, in an attacking defence that took its toll on the opposition.  Wests must have wondered what it took to break through particularly as the resultant try went to Wellington when Ben R used an inch of space to break out and score a length of the field try.

As Wests became more tense we became more relaxed and the second half opened up with some classy back tries.  Notably, a kick pass from first five to the wing and superb, patient dribbling skills over 25 metres to score in the corner.

Honourable mentions must got to Sam for his front row performance and Tim for tackling like a demon plus Josh for his excellent cover.  Also to Alex and Milo who both made straight incisive runs through the Wests backs and tackled their hearts out.  Not one of the West backs broke through to score - a tremendous contribution from these two.

Tommy won us possession time and time again with George making the most of it through his surging drives right through the forward pack.  Ben W gave his all with quick follow up to the breakdown that kept the other team wondering what it took to get possesion and keep it. The forwards delivered a ton of possesion which Lewis used wisely delivering a great set of options to William who ran straight and hard with some fantastic drawing and passing to the outside backs.  Finally, mention must go to Harrison for his tremendous support play in keeping the movement going time and time again as he freed himself from the tight forwards to be close to the action as it moved up the field.  

A tough start first half for the boys but a tremendous win in the end as they did what they do best - enjoy themselves on the field.

Captain: Tommy
Player of the Day: William
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An all round comprehensive performance by each and every boy. George, Tim, Sam, Ben W all made a wonderful contribution.  Locks James and Harrison paired up well too. The collective effect was amazing defence and relentless pressure on the opposition even when we didn't have the ball. 

Special mention to Tommy for his captaincy.  He led from the front as usual and set the standard for the rest of the team to live up to.  Special mention to Adam as well for his relentless work effort.  Well done, you made a big difference to the team.
 

With such a great team effort, picking a player of the day was near impossible but William simply played out of his skin.  Wonderful straight running and passing to the outside backs and merciless tackling in the mid-field.  Keep it up William. 

Captain: Jack
Player of the Day: Tommy

A reasonably strong Northerly ensured that Hataitai Park had dried out pretty well after a very wet week.  Playing conditions were good and The Axemen turned out in a Black team tee shirt which was great as it avoided the confusion of all having the same jerseys.

The Short Blacks started into the wind and got into the game right from kickoff, scoring some good tries through the forwards.  We were keen to keep the ball close to the rucks and got some really good momentum.

We went into the game with a rearranged backline featuring Jack at first five, William at second and Ben R playing at full back.  We only had very limited time to train with this set up and I thought our backs played really well, particularly on defence, covering what is a good Axemen backline.

Well captained by Jack and congratulations to Tommy for a hat trick of tries and a player of the day performance.

Captain: Ben W
Player of the Day: Jack
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Wests had their first taste of success in four years against us and deserved it.  They outplayed us in most aspects of the game with their forwards dominating possession and winning plenty of turnover ball to set their backs up.  With the half time score being two tries each it was still anyone's game.  The intensity lifted in the second half met with superb defence from our boys.  Jack led the defensive effort by example.  He tackled relentlessly and drove the oppositon backwards even when they had the ball.  He also attacked straight and hard every time he had the ball, showing his obvious class, but also a gutsy resolve to win.  Well done Jack.

The boys have learned from the game and to their credit are keen to keep improving.

Captain: Lewis
Player of the Day: Ben W

The team had the best warm up possible on the bouncy castle. Once we got them off and focussed it was game-on.  Player of the day Ben W led the forwards superbly who operated like a well oiled machine once again with great structure and discipline to provide the backs with ample ball.  All our tries were scored by five backs, meaning we are playing a very good forward dominated platform allowing backs to do the finishing.

Captain, Lewis took great options to set the backs up with Ben R making some stunning runs through the opposition well supported by Jack.  Excellent distribution too from Angus to put both wings into space. Six tries to one against a very focussed opposition was a very rewarding result for the boys.

Captain: James
Player of the Day: Lewis

A classic game of two halves.  The team played wonderful running rugby with excellent passing and tremendous support from the forwards to be up 8 tries to nil at half time. The second half saw Poneke come alive and play like the quality team we know them to be. While we won the second half, it was only two tries to one. 

We are all very proud of the way our boys lifted their game under James' captaincy (he got 3 lovely sprig marks for his trouble) in response to Poneke significantly raising the tempo, mainly through their forwards.  As a result the second half was largely played in a hard fought pick-and-go forwards battle along with superb defence.

Player of the day Lewis, pushed himself hard all day in every part of the game with relentless tackling, excellent running support play, hard driving and tireless mauling. He led from the front, taking good options, and did us all proud.

Josh also receives special mention.  He played out of position on the wing and adapted superbly.  Poneke tried to play it wide in the first half but Josh's solid defence, great positional play and excellent cover at the breakdown put a major dent in their attack.  Well done Josh.

Captain: Nic
Player of the Day: Tim

Today's outstanding win can be put down to teamwork.  Of particular note was our forwards ability to lift the intensity when down to seven for most of the second half and getting a collective POD from Jville.  Also we haven’t had our line crossed so far this season. Tim led by example in the forwards with uncompromising discipline despite the pressure placed on us by the opposition, inspiring his team mates for a deserved player of the day award.

Special mention must also go to coaches Tim (backs), James (forwards), Mo (technical) and Sean (support) for moulding the boys into a cohesive, skilled, unit. 

Captain: Eddie
Player of the Day: Nic

A really pleasing first hit-out for the season on a full size ground with 15-a-side.  The team adjusted brilliantly.  The forwards played as a pack led by George, winning plenty of ball  for the backs who spun it wide through the backline with great passing, using the full width of the field for 10 tries. Tackling and all-round defence was equally as good, denying the opposition any tries.

Player of the day was winger Nic who set a benchmark for himself for the rest of the season with a good demonstration of running, tackling, passing, and placing the ball in the tackle.