U14 end of season review

In several ways the U14 squad has grown this year and gives us great confidence for the seasons ahead. We have grown in number thankfully enjoying some new intake from surrounding schools and other clubs swelling our ranks to 45 registered players. A committed recruitment drive from many of our community including players and parents alike has enabled this.

We have also grown in stature with our boys increasing in size, strength and stamina. Finally we have grown in confidence with some of the earlier shortcomings being corrected throughout the season thanks to a dedicated pool of committed coaches. But more importantly the confidence through camaraderie and a sense of belonging has grown which is a byproduct of a great community of volunteers including coaches, managers and of course parents who are intrinsic in making the whole thing happen.

U14A: - W5 L2

The A Team have been successful finishing second in the league to just behind the dominant leaders Chipstead. What lies ahead is in the lap of the Surrey RFU while they decide upon next years league structure at U15 level. The A squad enjoyed some good wins in both their friendly and league fixtures. League successes up to Christmas and New Year were only slightly marred by a narrow defeat coming into 2016 which whilst some may say decisions within the game were contentious, actually was our weakest performance and one to learn from.

The theme throughout the season which echoes slightly with some of the resonance of last year has been our slow start. With only 25 minutes each way at this level giving a relatively short match, the squad not hitting the ground running from the first whistle has been our Achilles heel. We have experimented later in the season with some success in this area by ensuring the boys are warmed up so thoroughly ("sweating before the whistle!”) that there is less room for doubt.

As with the entire mixed squad we have always had a slightly dominant forwards department with a bigger gene pool to choose from. But this year the disparity has evened out a good deal with some new blood coming in and adding strength. Luca Fassio, the Sullivan twins and more availability from Harvey has given us a boost. We were unlucky to lose Chris Lip to injury towards the end, and wish him and his recovery well. Aadi too was unlucky with his injury as he was developing well into a tough front row corner stone and we wish him the best with this too. Occasionally some difficult decisions in the front eight has created some competitive pockets of success with boys raising their game and committing themselves even more.

Our overall potency has been enhanced by a number of players in development from both the Surrey DPP program and also Quins Academy. This further development shows through in their individual gameplay having picked up new skills and stamina.

The boys have grown together well and whilst I am probably not alone in looking forward to the rest, secretly I know they would all be happy to carry on every Sunday throughout the summer if it were possible! Well done to all, drink water, eat beef, exercise, watch rugby and see you soon! MQ

U14B: - W3 L4 D1

The U14B team's season was an odd one as it was book-ended with wins in our first and last games as well as a draw and a further win late on, but with a mid season lull when we suffered our losses. And notwithstanding that we lost more games than we won, the team actually got stronger as the season went on and ended up on a high, showing some real promise for next season.

The B team has always had a strong pack and this continues to be the case, with a good mixture of some of last year's players, some new boys who have strengthened things and also some of last year's A team who have dropped down to the B's and bring a lot of rugby knowledge and experience. Where we suffered previously was from a lack of pace, power and size in the backs, where our smaller boys were often overwhelmed by bigger, stronger, faster opposition. However, new blood in the form of several newcomers and one returning player has changed that and we now are much stronger than before.

Given the number of newcomers it's perhaps not surprising that the team took time to gel and in many of the games we lost it was simply misunderstandings between individuals that led to missed scoring opportunities. The middle part of the season was typified by games that we lost despite actually being close contests, with plenty of ball being won but there being an inability to score. In short we ended up with too many bagels, which was frustrating!

But towards the end of the season some of the combinations started to click as greater understanding grew, especially in the midfield of the back division, and this resulted in something of a try fest as nine tries were scored in the last two games, leading to a great win and a hard fought draw. Yet even these were tight matches where we could have lost because our defence was too easily breached and we conceded too many soft tries. Defence continues to need more work.

That said, the spirit and determination in the team is excellent and even when losing heavily the team never once gave up and the recent win against Battersea Ironsides and 29-29 draw with Old Alleynians, where we came back from 0-17 down, really should give the boys plenty of belief going forwards. And those who came to the club this season, often with very little rugby under their belts, will have learnt a lot and be much better placed to compete toe to toe next season.

The boys deserve a good rest over the summer and when they come back in September we expect them to be competitive and we are looking for a strong showing in next year's league. Well done to all those who won awards, which were all thoroughly deserved, and well done to the team as a whole for all their effort over the season. DH