Southwell Boys U12s 11 – Nottingham Casuals U12s 4

A beautiful setting at Southwell saw the Casuals resplendent in their Grape and White against a well resourced Southwell team. The sun was peeking out while a brisk northerly wind blew. The pitch was firm but not frozen which set the scene for a classic game of rugby.

Despite some excellent running and grubber kicks from Liam in the first quarter a strong start from Southwell saw them race into a 4-0 lead. The second quarter continued this trend as the score moved to 9-0. However, some strong running from Sam and an excellent performance from Finley on debut with some boisterous driving and tackling sowed the seeds for a stirring comeback in the second half.

Southwell quickly pulled clear by ten in the third quarter but suddenly the Casuals changed the narrative. A bulldozing run by Stan forced his way through several tackles for the Casuals first score. This was quickly followed by a trademark barnstorming gallop by Bradwell to power over for the second try and suddenly the game was afoot! As Casuals gained more territory and possession Oscar’s silky handling skills came to the fore and some sterling rucking saw Stan dive over for another score. Casuals won the quarter by 3 tries to 2!

The 4th quarter saw a superb defensive effort from Casuals as they shut out Southwell and produced more attacking play of their own. Otto was excellent in the ruck and mauls while George showed that size is purely a mental state as he put in tackle after tackle out on the wing. Some uncompromising running by Mikey saw Southwell pushed back even more and soon the ball was back in Bradwell’s solid grasp and the Casuals were over for a fourth! The final play of the game nearly saw a try of the season contender as Nathan broke clear of several tackles with a run of brutal brilliance until he was narrowly denied by some desperate Southwell tackling in the corner.

The final whistle brought mixed emotions as Casuals’ slow start was more than offset by a stirring second half fightback that showed the exciting potential of this Casuals’ team. Player of the week was Bradwell for his consistently excellent handling and running with the ball. Honourable mentions went to Oscar for his strong passing and Finley for an excellent debut for the team.