Playing for 7th place in the Birch league, Warlingham U14s knew this Waterfall Cup final would be a fierce contest, and from the opening whistle, both teams delivered exactly that, writes Assistant Head Coach Chris Short.

First Half

Old Rutlishians kicked-off and immediately showed their intent. Their first try came from a loose ball secured on Warly’s 5m line, with their No. 8 crashing through. The conversion was good, giving Old Ruts an early 7–0 lead.

Moments later, another scrum on Warly’s 5m, again finished by the Old Ruts No. 8 picking from the base, stretched the score to 14–0.

But Warly were far from finished.

A long kick upfield from Ted, chased down at Olympic pace by Declan, forced a knock-on and gave Warly a scrum deep in Old Ruts territory. Alfie picked and went, offloading to Harry McCann to keep the attack alive. A high tackle gave Warly a penalty, and a quick tap from Jacob released Alfie, who powered through a gap to score Warly’s first try. Declan converted confidently: 14–7.

The restart was taken superbly by Alex, who carried hard back into Old Ruts’ half, where Warly would remain for the rest of the first period. Sustained pressure and another high tackle allowed Declan to kick to the 5m line. From the lineout, a long throw from Fintan found Alfie, and the forwards went to work.

A penalty for obstruction kept Warly on the front foot. Captain Seb called in his trusted pod of George, Max F and himself. Mitchell secured the lineout and fed Seb, who carried strongly. George sealed, Max punched forward, and was caught high again. Another quick tap from Jacob sent the ball wide, and Declan kept it alive long enough for Harry M to squeeze over. The conversion drifted wide, but Warly were right back in it at 14–12.

Second Half

Both sides came out firing. Warly were pushed back to their own 22 but won a scrum from a knock-on. A huge clearing kick from Ted, followed by a determined chase from the backs, flipped the momentum. A loose ball was gathered by Warly, and Max F charged towards the line, drawing defenders and creating a two-man overlap. Ted finished brilliantly, and Declan added the extras to give Warly the lead: 14–19.

Old Ruts almost responded immediately with a breakaway from their No. 8, who gathered a cross-field kick and sprinted for the corner, only for Declan to hunt him down and force him into touch. It was his second season-defining chase-down, and it kept Warly ahead.

Old Ruts continued to press, coming inches from scoring before being bundled into touch by Arun and Alex. Eventually, sustained pressure and a contentious decision on Warly’s 5m line gave Old Ruts the platform they needed. They crossed in the corner and nailed a superb wide-angle conversion to edge ahead 21–19.

Final Push

Warly threw everything into the final minutes.

Max F drove to within metres of the line. Archie led another pod charge. Jacob released the backs, who hammered the opposite flank through Isaac, Declan and Arun. Finally it looked like Freddie had grounded the ball over the line, but the referee ruled it held up. A previous knock-on was spotted, and Old Ruts were awarded a penalty.

Seconds later, the final whistle blew.

Full Time: Old Ruts 21 – Warly 19

A heartbreaking finish, but an outstanding performance from every Warly player. The boys showed grit, skill, and relentless determination; a display worthy of any final.