U12’s coach Alwyn Hanekom brings us this week’s update on the progress of the team through the Waterfall cup.

This week the Warlingham U12s travelled to Effingham & Leatherhead for their second outing in the Waterfall Cup and came away with a hard-fought, statement-making 3–3 draw.

It was another cold, wet morning as the teams warmed up for an 11:15 kick-off. Effingham & Leatherhead arrived with a squad of 29 players, some towering, some formidable, all seemingly built for battle, with heads closer to the heavens than the earth. From the first glance, it was clear; this was going to be a brawl.

The opening whistle saw Warlingham receive, but the pressure from Effingham was immediate and unrelenting. Warlingham held their nerve, sticking to short, precise carries and inching forward over the advantage line with phase after phase of bruising drives. A knock-on halted the momentum and brought the first scrum. Effingham’s well-drilled back line struck from the set piece, running hard at the defence. With rucks ruthlessly efficient, they caught Warlingham slightly narrow on the right and broke through for the opening try.

A brief huddle followed. Captain Jack G delivered a message that cut through the rain and fatigue: this wasn’t about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. Heads lifted. Shoulders squared. From the restart, Warlingham’s tackling was ferocious. Relentless pressure from Charlie C, Chace H, Edward H and Jack G forced errors, dragging Effingham back into a scrum. The ball moved wide at pace, momentum building, gaps beginning to appear. A powerful carry from Santiago V pushed play deep into Warlingham territory, but Effingham lost possession. Warlingham were clinical at the breakdown, clearing their lines yet again. Spotting space on the blind side, scrum-half James H fired a quick pass wide to Woody O, who dived over for Warlingham’s first try. Game on.

Effingham responded by unleashing waves of fresh replacements, but Warlingham’s front five were now fully firing, meeting every challenge head-on. As pressure mounted, Effingham’s discipline began to crack, conceding penalty after penalty at the ruck. Charlie C continued to smash through the middle, drawing defenders, and with quick thinking from the back line the ball was spread wide. Harry A burst through the defence to score, giving Warlingham a deserved 2–1 lead.

Half-time arrived and the team regrouped. With limited replacements available, Warlingham knew fitness relentlessly drilled by coach Steve Dey would be their greatest weapon. Effingham, meanwhile, sent on yet another battalion of fresh legs as the second half kicked off. Warlingham immediately applied pressure, pinning Effingham near their own try line for several minutes. From a ruck, the ball found Edward H, legs pumping like a Grand National horse, driving for the line. It took multiple Effingham players clinging on like hair on a biscuit to somehow smother the ball and deny a certain try.

Effingham’s fresh legs began to show as they counter-attacked, but outstanding cover defence from Fabio S, Nathaniel R and forward Joel S made every metre brutally hard earned. Switching tactics, Effingham moved the ball wide and eventually found space to score, bringing the match level once more.

Warlingham struck back quickly. From the restart and a sharp reset at the ruck, Oscar G made a strong carry before the ball was whipped out to Christiaan H on the wing. Known this season for covering more ground sideways than forwards, his inner compass finally locked onto true north. He tore down the right-hand touchline, outpacing a chasing pack of Effingham backs, finishing with a superb hand-off before diving over for Warlingham’s third try. Spirits soared.

Effingham refused to fade. A brief lapse in Warlingham discipline gifted penalties, allowing Effingham to advance. After repeated collisions with the Warlingham defensive wall, a gap finally opened. The ball was spread wide to a runner with pace reminiscent of Usain Bolt, who crossed to tie the game at 3–3.

Warlingham made one final push, spending the last five minutes camped deep in Effingham territory. As Effingham attempted to move the ball wide, Joel S read the play perfectly and went for the intercept. On another day, it would have been the match-winner but the wet, slippery ball denied Lady Luck her final say.

The match finished 3–3 with Woody O voted as player’s man of the match. Both coaches agreed it was the toughest contest of the season. A monumental display of character from Warlingham, who had previously lost to Effingham by ten tries. The Waterfall Cup is now truly alive.