Was a bit of a mixed bag in the County Cup today away to West. We'd soundly beaten West earlier in the season and there was concern from the coaches that complacency would creep in. We were proved right as West are a much improved side. We also had a number of players playing out of position which upset our rhythm.

We got off to a great start, with some good work by the forwards setting up a platform for Riley (cameoing in the backs) to score a trademark try with a strong run. Oliver J also grabbed a great interception try, nipping in between West attackers to pinch the ball and sprint the length of the field to score under the posts. But we were uncharacteristically slow to the breakdown, and getting pushed off our own ball in the scrum, something that hasn't happened much this season.

West were showing glimpses of attacking threat in the first half, and there were some big tackles being made to stop them. We were 21-7 up at half time after another Riley score but poor defending allowed a West try.
We were playing in second gear at this point and the lads were asked to up their game, get around the pitch quicker and be stronger in defence.

We traded tries in the second half, with Elliot showing great strength to score, and Nicky capitalising on a quick penalty to power over the line.

Jacob R had a great game, Jake, Oliver M, Finley and Ben did well playing out of position, and Ben H did well in his first game in over 2 years.

This season has been amazing, the lads have been performing so well. They were very honest and self critical at the final whistle, but that’s only because they've set their own standards much higher. And that’s a credit to them. We win and lose together, they're all on an incredible rugby journey and they'll learn a lot from today.

We're in the hat for the next round and we look forward to the next challenge.