2nd XV Rugby

v Gt. Houghton 1st XV Lost 7 - 42

On an extremely windy afternoon, the 2nd XV valiantly battled against a larger and more potent 1st XV team from Gt. Houghton. Despite their best efforts the Gt. Houghton team had too much power in the pack, and speed out wide, which meant they generally put us on the back foot, and we found it very difficult to make any ground. A great solo try by Z. Coupland was the highlight in a contest that was always going to be difficult, but proved tougher than expected. - SRB

v Maidwell Lost 12 - 43

Despite a scoreline that suggests a one sided game, this was a very even game that Spratton played equally well in, and just lacked the cutting edge to turn our possession into points. A lot of the 1st half was played in their half, with the forwards rucking well and winning plenty of ball, but conceding tries to faster, stronger runners out on the wings who ran in 4 half-pitch length tries. We continued to work hard in the 2nd half but fell to some more breakaways. However, 2 tries by J. Cara and W. Russell from short range were the least we deserved. We can take heart from this as we move towards a tough game against Oakham, the play is well structured, just lacking the cutting edge. - SRB

v Oakham U12A Lost 5 - 36

Against a skilled team of good handling players, the 2nd team struggled to stay in touch with the Oakham side in the 1st half of the game, they kept the ball alive well and ran it strongly at Spratton. Despite good resilience, eventually tackles were missed and scores went over. We fought back well in the 2nd half, getting more ball in the forwards and trying to launch attacks, eventually H. Pease scoring a deserved consolation try. As always there is work to be done, but what we now really need is a break after a tough run, and some of our injured players to return. - SRB

v Oundle Lost 14 - 29

This was one of the poorest performances of the season by the team, who looked very rusty after a long break. With the inevitable changes through injuries, we again had new combinations in the backs, and the front row, to get used to. We started like a shell-shocked team, not getting stuck in, and conceded 3 early tries. We needed to raise our game in all areas, and at the beginning of the second half began a fightback, scoring twice to take it to within 3 points. However, further lapses in concentration put us on the back foot and we conceded twice more. The basics of tackling, hitting rucks, and fitness still need further work if we are to be competitive in our final few games. - SRB

v Wellingborough Lost 7 - 19

A frustrating result in a game that we could have won had we had a bit of luck, and better basic skills. Too many errors with handling, decision making, and lapses in the set pieces meant we lost key moments in the game and consequently the match. An early interception try against us was against the run of play in the early exchanges. We persevered but kept coughing up the ball at crucial times. A good try by Wellingborough was countered by us, with J. Cox going under the posts. However, an immediate lapse of bad tackling cost us a cheap try and the game was lost. The same mistakes keep costing us, and until we sort out the basics we are going to keep struggling. - SRB

v Bilton Grange Lost 10 - 12

Another game that could have gone our way if we had executed skills better, and not given up a crucial breakaway try again early on. We played good rugby on the whole, rucking well, getting plenty of ball to the backs. Some early pressure was undone by a breakaway to score under the posts which would prove crucial. We fought back twice, with H. Pease scoring both times, but in windy conditions a conversion hit the post unfortunately and cost us the game. We could have won it if we had converted some of our possession into better territory, but it wasn't to be. - SRB

v Swanbourne Won 29 - 7

Finally, a performance we have been threatening for the last few games, but hadn't put together because of errors. We started brilliantly, getting stuck straight in and winning lots of ball in the forwards, and then getting it down the line. We created a early chance and D. Peck went over in the corner, for a deserved lead. Unfortunately they then scored a quick reply, due to some poor tackling out wide. However, we knew if we kept rucking well and running hard we could score further. 4 tries followed, 2 for M. McKay, and 1 each for J. Flood and J. Clifton. A deserved victory in a game we finally showed what we can do. We will need to play this well in our last game! - SRB

v St Faith's Lost 0 - 55

A result which looks awful but is not a reflection on how the game went at all. For the most part the boys were extremely competitive and played excellent rugby, taking it to a much larger Y8 team who looked like they should be able to dominate the play, but didn't. Our undoing was 1 player in particular for them who was lightning quick and played on the wing. At least 5 times he just ran around our defence, and on a couple more occasions set up other tries. Without him it would have been a very even game, and a couple of scores in it would have been fair. However, the boys kept at it all game, and despite the result should be pleased with their performance. - SRB