U15’s Cup Campaign Ends …. On A High!

U15’s Cup Campaign Ends …. On A High!

Collegiate 5 Waterloo 12

On paper it was Qualifying Pool D versus Pool A, making Collegiate the underdogs for this Lancashire Plate Quarter Final. Thankfully we don’t play on paper, and after an excellent midweek training session and some stirring words before the match and the loudest warm up we’ve ever heard it was Collegiate who looked more like the Pool A team in every possible regard.

“Ready! Ready! Ready!”

Right from the outset we took the game to our opponents and dominated the play for long periods, only to be caught out by a fabulous solo effort from a fleet footed Waterloo back. The try was duly converted to make it Collegiate 0 Waterloo 7. Our game plan was to keep the ball away from their backs and it was clear we had to stick with that plan.

In recent matches having surrendered the lead we had been too often guilty of letting our heads go down but every single player responded brilliantly and a quick turnover (in fact I lost count of the number of turnovers we won) took us back into the Waterloo half and phase after phase of attacking play drove the visitors back into their 22. Credit to Waterloo, they defended brilliantly but finally the immense pressure they were under resulted in a well deserved try in the corner. The conversion from the touchline just dipped under the bar but we were back in the game Collegiate 5 Waterloo 7 and that’s how it stayed until half time despite dominating possession and territory.

We started the second half with some sloppy play that briefly handed the incentive back to Waterloo, but a try saving tackle, another turnover and intelligent kicking galvanised us and got us back up the hill. With the pattern of play from the first half restored we took the ball back to their 22, forcing penalty after penalty. However, failure to turn possession into points was our ultimate undoing and Waterloo finally got control of the ball, opened up their backs and with a fluent passing move (that we must learn to emulate) scored their second try of the game. Conversion was missed Collegiate 5 Waterloo 12.

There was not a hint of despondency in our ranks and again Collegiate rallied. The belief that we could win this game was immense and Waterloo knew it. Their defence became more desperate and discipline went out of the window with yellow and red cards issued in their direction. Drive after drive towards the line saw us fall short by inches time and time again. When we did get over the line desperate red and green arms sprung from every direction to hold the ball up.

The final whistle went and it was mixed feelings all round. We’d narrowly lost a quarter final but we’d played out of our skins. It was impossible not to be happy, but disappointing to be denied the chance to progress further. Noticeably, Waterloo did not overly celebrate. They appeared exhausted and extremely relieved. We wish them well in their semi final.

Quite deliberately there were no individual names mentioned in this report. This match was a team effort. The coaches were outstanding in their preparation and the players responded with commitment, determination and discipline. Remember that 12 months ago we played Waterloo in a development game and lost 40 – 0! It is important, however that we remain committed to continuous improvement and so training will continue to focus on targeting individual and collective development areas.

Looking forward now, we have six games remaining this season, all against quality opposition. Last year we were picking our matches carefully. This year we are not ducking anyone. If we are to continue to improve we have to play the stronger teams in order to raise our game to the next level and beat teams like Waterloo, not just run them close. While our cup run may be over we need to bring the intensity of the cup competition into our remaining games and finish what has so far been a respectable season on a high.

And… where better place to start than with a home match this Sunday against last years Lanc Cup Winners WEST PARK. No problemo ;-)

Finally, it was particularly pleasing to see the increased level of support from family and friends which helped to spur the team on. Hopefully you enjoyed the match and we’ll see you all again.

Come On You Blues!