A tough but hugely valuable day for the Bishop Auckland U12’s away at Ryton, in a game that showed exactly what this group is capable of when they back themselves.

Ryton started strongly and went into half-time 6–0 up, putting us under real pressure early on. Credit to them, they were sharp, organised, and made us work for everything.

At half-time the message to the lads was simple: effort and belief. We know these boys can play, but sometimes they don’t believe they deserve to be in the fight. The truth is: they have earned that right: they just need to trust it, trust each other, and trust their instincts.

And that’s exactly what we saw in the second half.

The boys came out a different side and were so much more competitive the second half losing narrowly 4–3, but showing bravery, better intent, and a real willingness to take the game on. The belief started to grow, and with it came better carries, stronger tackles, and more support play. That second-half performance is something the lads can take real pride in and build on.

A big shout-out to Ryton as well: fantastic players and a very supportive coaching team. It was a cracking game played in the right spirit. A great day of rugby for both sides.

Players of the Day:

Harley Stoddard – his best rugby in a long time.

Cameron Evans – ran hard lines and put in superbly brave tackles.

Thomas Evans – ran straight and hard, playing like he was ten foot tall.

The coaches said after the game that they were proud of every one of the lads today. The response in the second half showed their character.

See you next week, and thank you as always for your continued support.