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Throughout this term, we have both been heavily involved in work leading up to our GCSE's. We have also been involved in the build up to U16 7’s Rosslyn Park tournament, and have competed in the Stowe 7’s tournament, in which we reached the quarter-final of the plate. Recently, we have been building up to today's Stonyhurst 7’s Tournament, and our hopes are high.

Mr Johnson and Mr Hughes have been building up our confidence and 7’s knowledge so that we have the best chance possible. The preparation has been intense and we have progressed to a much higher standard than previously where at the start of the 7’s season. Our training sessions normally consist of a contact session on Monday followed by a light session on Tuesday to avoid injuries before the actual tournament. Even with this well-structured plan, there have been injuries including the losses of Jonty Newbould, Harry Tomkinson and Jack Hodges ranging from a dead gluteus to a broken shoulder. 

We are told that this year's Shrewsbury U16 7's squad is one of the best yet, so the pressure is on. Stonyhurst is supposed to be easier than the Stowe tournament, so without complacency, we must use what we have done in training and put it on the pitch so that we may achieve what we think we can.

We leave today, getting up at 6:30 to be able to get down to breakfast and then leave at 7:30. The journey is around about 3 hours and with Mr Johnson’s and Mr Hughes’ great music choice, we should be in the right frame of mind when we get there. Previously, we have enjoyed ourselves massively and this should be as much fun or better!

Match Report
After a mind-numbing coach drive followed by Mr Johnson's favourite square drill, we finally walked onto the pitch at 11.00 to begin our first match.

We had a relatively shaky start and conceded a try in the first few minutes; Rufus Lichfield ran in our first try to steady our nerves.  Our second also came pretty quickly as William Waterworth ran a switch that opened up a gap for Stuart Brown to waltz through under the posts. Half-time came and went, and with an energy boost from Mr Hughes’ famous jungle juice we showed our dominance with a try from Oliver Brown and then another from Marcus Bedson. Oliver Brown managed to convert all the high kicks that brought the final score to 28-7 - a good start to the day.

After an hour’s break, we again took up our places on the pitch. The first few minutes consisted of the Shrewsbury 7 maintaining possession in our own 22” followed by a line break from William Waterworth to start off are scoring streak. William Waterworth ran in another followed by two from Oliver Brown, one by Ben Listerbins and another to cap it off by Oliver Roberts. Sadly though Oliver Roberts received a head injury in a bit of a scrap and wasn’t deemed fit by the medical staff to continue playing for the rest of the day. The final score 38-0.

After two confident wins we came up against a very strong St Ambrose team. They scored two very quick tries in the beginning and maintained very good pressure on our team. Sadly, though, most of the boys had already admitted defeat and not even a very good solo effort by Oliver Brown could raise the moral of some of our players. The second half opened up more with multiple line breaks mainly from Oliver Brown and William Waterworth but a good scrambled defence disallowed us from crossing the line. With some strong running from the opposition left us with our biggest defeat of the season at 39-7.

With two big wins earlier on in the tournament we came up against the winners of group H, Kings Macc. Are pre-match warm up consisted of another one of Mr Johnsons’ square drills followed by an inspiring talk by Oliver Brown. We started the game with some of the best 7’s we played all season with Oliver Brown leading from the front to score are first try. Hugo Scott ran in our second but a well worked King Macc’s overlap gave them a try to end the first half. The score now stood a 14-7. The second half started strong with some good pressure but Kings Macc’s weathered the storm and scored another well-worked try. With full time looming the game became rather frantic but Robert Treasure seized advantage of a dog leg in their backline and scored under the post. All looked certain for a Shrewsbury win, but a good piece of individual skill by their centre allowed them to equalise at full time. The rules of the tournament state that in the event of a draw, golden try rules apply. After another toss of a coin for who kicks Shrewsbury won and opted for Kings Macclesfield to kick to us. As we were walking to our positions a rather small man, I think he was the King Macc’s coach, quoted from 300, “give them nothing, but take from them everything”. Hearing this, I had a feeling they would put everything into these final few minutes, I was right. A high kick went up from the kick off were and Ben Listerbins contested for the ball with two opposition player. This gave us the advantage as he managed to tap the ball back to James Moulson. James quickly acted on the situation and passed the ball out to Stuart Brown who was positioned on the wing. Stuart backed himself against his opposition and managed to beat him on the outside and ran in a try to win the match. The team celebrated as if we had just won the whole tournament.

Then it came to the daunting semi-final in which we would play a Stonyhurst side which had not yet lost that day. It was a very tight match, Stonyhurst got off to a good start scoring the first try under the posts but however their kicker managed to miss the kick putting us right back into the game. After a sensational bit of retaining the ball, Oliver Brown sliced his way through the centre to score under the posts and convert, 7-5 to Shrewsbury. Half time came, things like “keep it the same, keep hold of the ball and we can win this” were heard. So the second half kicked off and Shrewsbury were immediately pinned back on their own 5 meter line, however nothing could go through us. Some magnificent tackles from Marcus Bedson to stop a certain try really kept us in the game. 1-2 minutes from the end there was a chip kick from Oliver Brown who gained the ball on the bounce but then got smashed in a tackle and had to go off injured. Without the team’s captain, Shrewsbury had to keep their heads and try and grind out this win. And so, we got it to last play with Rufus Litchfield reaching skywards to collect the ball in the line-out, which was then passed down to Will Waterworth and - a moment which he will never forget - he passed the ball out thinking that it would be the end of play; in fact it was a penalty to Stonyhurst who tapped and went, created the overlap and scored. A sad moment for the boys but a good performance throughout the day. We may forgive Will in the future weeks, but now the banter is going to have to be on flow!

Ollie and Stuart Brown

1st XV
The boot of William Mason and a superbly well worked try finished by Charlie Farquhar kept Shrewsbury in touch last Wednesday against a big, physical and uncomplicated Welbeck College side who had lost two matches all season up to this point. With 25 minutes to go, the score was 17-14 to the visitors and Shrewsbury looked in a good position to challenge, however Welbeck were the next to score and with time running out, Shrewsbury’s heads dropped a little acknowledging that it was going to be tough to get back into the match. Welbeck went on to score two more tries in the dying minutes, but Shrewsbury were a credit defensively for most parts of the match, and walked off the pitch with pride intact.

In other news, both the 2nd XV and 3rd XV were beaten by their Welbeck College counterparts, whilst the U15’s recorded a strong victory against Church Stretton 24-12.

Mr D. Kirkby

1st XV Match reports:
Despite starting the tour with a defeat (3-29) against a strong U18 regional side, the Shrewsbury boys went from strength to strength recording good victories over local club sides, Tecnidex (50-5) and CAU Rugby (46-7).  Performances of the highest order were more pleasing than simply the results, with the team producing some of the best rugby Shrewsbury has seen over recent seasons.

Match 1 vs Comunidad Valencia
LOST 29-3
In a match that was always going to be the toughest on the tour, the 1st XV played well in fits and spirts but could not counter the speed and physicality of the U18 Valencian regional side who compete in the Spanish National Championships this week. This representative side pulls from around 10-12 club teams as far north as Castellon de la Plana and as far south as Alicante. A new experience for many of the team was playing on an artificial grass and rubber crumb 3G surface, and apart from a few burnt knees, it was a positive introduction. Charlie Farquhar scored Shrewsbury's three points, and many of the opposition's tries came from tight and powerful running around the fringes of the breakdown. There were enough encouraging signs and opportunities to give Shrewsbury heart for the rest of the week.

Match 2 vs Tecnidex Valencia
WON 50-5
This was without doubt one of the best performances in recent years by a Shrewsbury XV against a defensively sound club side, but one which didn't have the opportunity to threaten the Shrewsbury line that often. The tempo of play was lightening quick, the speed and aggressiveness at the breakdown outstanding, and some superb handling and back play a real feature. Most improved player of the tour Jamie Galyer really stood out in this one, carrying the ball with real determination and strength and was almost always responsible for stealing some of the opposition ball. Player's Player of the Tour Alasdair Pollock ran the show very well at fly-half and his accurate distribution set off some impressive back moves, finished with precision by Ed Wilson, Tom Fletcher-Wilson and George Ellery amongst others. The boys were on a real high after this one - they knew that the quality of their play had reached new heights.

Tries: Ellery (2), Wilson, Bridges-Webb, Fletcher-Wilson, Mason (J), Galyer
Cons: Mason (W) x 6
Pens: Mason (W)

Match 3 vs CAU Rugby Valencia
WON 46-7
It was perhaps always going to be difficult to surpass the performance of the night before, but following a good active recovery and stretch in the swimming pool, the team were determined to match the tempo and quality of play, and finish the tour on a high. Once again on a 3G surface, the game was played in an excellent spirit although the officious nature of the referee perhaps spoilt the flow of the match somewhat and there were periods of play that were very stop/start and tedious. However, once again the backs delighted the crowds with some good handling and impressive running lines, and once the scrummage started going forward, the points started to pile up in Shrewsbury's favour. The Spanish defence always threatened more than their offensive patterns or play, but they did breach the Shrewsbury defence once late on in the first half. Captain Oliver Hughes was impressive as ever from number eight with some good ball carries from the base and in midfield. Will Mason, having recovered from a knee injury, always looked threatening with his good pace and quick step. We were treated to some excellent hospitality and a presentation after this and every match.

Tries: Mason (M) (2), Bridges-Webb, Mason (W), Wynne, Galyer, Fletcher-Wilson
Cons: Mason (W) x 4
Pens: Mason (W)

PG

Under 15 XV Match reports:
The tour provided the U15 squad with a chance to experience rugby outside the UK and to play, for many, on artificial pitches. Valencia is something of a rugby enclave with a number of clubs sharing facilities in and around the city. The multiple usage of pitched necessitating the switch to 3G from grass and the building of some impressive facilities.

Our touring squad was somewhat depleted because of injuries sustained in the weeks leading up to the tour and it was fortunate we didn’t sustain any injuries to the backs! The standard of opposition varied somewhat as did their approach to the game and the high quality of most of the referees came as a pleasant surprise. Although the coaches did have a different interpretation of her laws at breakdowns than the referee in the last game.

Match 1 vs Comunidad Valencia
WON 22 - 12
This game was against a Valencia representative team and proved to be a difficult opening game. The opposition were well organised playing a tight forward based game; a pattern we were to see again during the course of the tour. The game was always close and well contested particularly in the early stages although fitness and general match awareness gave Shrewsbury an edge as the game progressed. Shrewsbury looked the more threatening out wide but had to defend stoutly in midfield particularly against a strong Valencia back row.

Tries:    Litchfield (2) Smith
Conversions:  Humes (2)
Penalties:  Humes (1)

Match 2 vs Tecnidex Valencia
WON 41 – 0
A somewhat more straightforward game. The opposition was quite strong and committed in the forwards but Shrewsbury had a real advantage out wide and scored regularly throughout the first half. The lead at the break being 36 points. Whenever quick ball was won and moved with purpose a score always looked on the cards and James Plaut led the way with four tries. In the second half Shrewsbury tried to vary the play but the game became very ragged and lost much of its structure which meant the various moves which were tried often came to nothing. However a very strong first half performance had secured the win long before the interval and the game provided an opportunity to rest a number of key players in readiness for the final game.

Tries:    Plaut (4) Smith Peat  Rowley
Conversions:  Humes (3)

Match 3 vs CAU Rugby Valencia 
LOST 20 – 10
Local knowledge indicated that this would be the hardest game of the tour, and so it proved to be. Returning to the 3G surface where we played the opening game, this time under lights, all was set for the final game of the tour. The opposition were well organized and played a tight aggressive game. Unfortunately the referee’s liberal interpretation of laws regarding the breakdown area and players staying on their feet counted against us and Shrewsbury never really got out of third gear against a team which could, and perhaps should, have left the squad unbeaten after 6 tour matches together. However a slight lack of focus and continual changing of players meant that no real pattern of play could be established. At one stage on of the coaches lickened the replacements bench as a scene from MASH!!. Fortunately there were no serious injuries and the game ended in a mixture of frustration and disappointment. However lessons will have been learned and the experience was far from wasted.

Tries:    Smith Litchfield

In a game of contrasting styles, the result was decided by some poor decision making rather than quality of overall play in the last few minutes of the match. King Henry’s led until the beginning of the 2nd half, when Shrewsbury went up a gear and finished off two smooth passages of play involving many pairs of hands. This was in contrast to King Henry’s typically limited forwards based game which only cam into it’s own inside Shrewsbury’s 22. Shrewsbury led 15-10 entering the last ten minutes, and when losing possession of the ball when playing inside their own 22 twice, King Henry’s capitalized upon basic handling errors. The result did not reflect Shrewsbury’s superiority and flair.

Mr P Greetham

Once again, Adams GS have reached the latter stages of the Daily Mail U18 Cup this season, so the 1st XV knew it was going to be a tough match on Saturday. However, the 1st XV put together a very creditable performance, and although the score line might not suggest as much, the Shrewsbury defence dealt with most things Adams threw at it, particularly in midfield and around the fringes. Adams' tries tended to be scored from broken play and spilt ball when the Shrewsbury defence was at it's most disorganised and struggling to shape itself from offence to defence. Oliver Hughes was impressive at No.8 and Paddy Lynch-Staunton a terrific target and example as captain. Will Mason kicked Shrewsbury's points.

In other results, the 2nd XV had a pleasing 30-5 victory against Kings Chester 1st XV. This was a most encouraging performance and some good team tries were scored. Saturday’s opponents Adams were a different proposition and they were more streetwise and battle hardened. Several basic mistakes lead to avoidable tries being conceded but the team battled bravely to the final whistle and will have learnt from the experience.

The 3rd XV suffered a heavy defeat against their Adams Grammar opponents (0-43), while the U15 A’s also suffered defeat, losing out 7-40. Results continued in a similar vein, with both the U14 A and B sides losing out to their Adams counterparts, 12-36 and 5-17 respectively. However, despite the defeat, a patched up U14 B side came away with huge credit, after dominating large spells of the game. Regardless of the results, many of the sides produced positive performances, and they will learn to cut out the costly errors that are being made across the board.

Mr D. Kirkby

1st XV vs King Edwards School, Birmingham
The 1st XV lost to an organised and speedy KES Birmingham team on Saturday. After going four tries down quite quickly in the first half, Shrewsbury fought back with two early penalties (Will Mason) in the second half and some spirited try line pressure. Max Mason was particularly aggressive and effective around the park. Unfortunately KES possessed a terrifically powerful and quick wing who is an U18 GB Rugby league international, and when given space, he was too hot to handle. Final score 50-6 but there were positives and a fantastic spirit shown.

Other results
The U15 A’s had a convincing win against a poor Ludlow side earlier in the week, however they were then on the end of a heavy defeat themselves against KES losing 0-43.

The U14 age group got their Shrewsbury rugby career off to a flying start, recording a crushing 83-5 victory over Ludlow, followed up by both the U14 A and B’s beating KES 24-12 and 50-17 respectively. Well done to all involved.

DK

In the meantime, please see our 2011 news page.