Bishop 24 - 20 Horden

The first match of the season was met with perfect weather and pitch conditions for a great morning of rugby.

A lot of hard work has gone into the U14’s pre-season training to prepare the lads for some big changes to the rules of play, including the use of the full pitch, conversions, scrums and lineouts.

However, one of the biggest preparations for the team has been how they individually take responsibility for the role they play as an U14 Bishop Auckland Rugby Player as well as improving their communication on the field and working as one.

The lads looked primed and confident warming up for the match against Horden, who have historically dominated the score board and continue to look formidable as a team.

The match started with clear determination from both sides but it was Horden which managed to score the first two tries early in the first half. But instead of dropping their heads, it gave Bishop a vital opportunity to dig deep, re-group and communicate a new strategy….showing Horden they were no push over!

A collective effort showed that the pressure from Bishop began to break down the Horden defence which allowed for the first try from Freddie to be made just before half time. We’re on!!

Half time gave the opportunity to make some subs and this brought continued energy from the players. The constant communication from the team to hold the defensive line made sure Horden did not gain ground and Bishop were able to land two more tries from Leo and Blake, both fantastic break away runs and both came with successful conversions from Leo.

The difference between the two sides became less noticeable with the Bishop forwards executing the scrums to perfection and highlighted the skills learnt from training. At times, Horden were so close to pushing through the Bishop try line but just could not get through the wall of blue shirts worn by Matty, James, Connel, Matthieu, Tom, John, Seth and Daniel.

Another try from Blake saw the number of tries equalise but it all came down to the conversions and Leo really shone with securing the final points to see Bishop win a hard fought match.

Everyone of the Bishop lads should be proud of what they collectively achieved on their first match, especially when you consider players working in fixed positions and learning new skills within them.

Ollie really stood out on the day for his exceptional communication as fly half, directing the field and creating opportunities for a strong performance. And for this reason he was well deserving of Man Of The Match!!