Coaches Comment versus Otumoetai

Saturday 7th June Otumoetai College Bethlehem 12.00am
Result loss 19- 12 1 try each Sean T & Joseph Honeyfield
1 conversion – Riki L

Firstly the good news – Sean Watts is fine – No damage to his neck & should be fighting fit again by next week.
Now to the game that was nearly was…… Over the past few weeks I have been praying for a win and I imagine there are a number of others out there who are doing the same thing. However, that win still eludes us and I keep on thinking God has a good sense of humour and he wants us to learn a few more lessons in perseverance. Plus, instead of giving us a win he gave us a glimpse of what it feels like to be close to victory only to see it once disappear through a simple error we made but more that later.

I continue to be pleased with our progress as a team as I look at the whole package, our effort both on and off the rugby field. Off the field we have leadership through Daniel & Willy. Leaders who I am very confident with who are able to take fitness trainings & warm ups. Who are able to organise their squads to complete tasks of setting up & cleaning up before and after games. I am pleased with players who turn up to train 4-6 times a week and put their bodies on the line against some very big opposition. I am looking for players who wear their number ones at school or at after match functions with pride. Just look at Hannibal – he’s been looking pretty sharp these days – must all that weight he’s lost.
Our game against Otumoetai was a tough game especially in the first half as we spent much of the time on the back foot. They dominated possession well and attacked using the tactic of having forwards running at 1st 5/8 – Big solid forwards – who were then well supported by other forwards to continue the momentum forward. Our defence held for some long periods of play and everyone was committed. To have a score of 5-0 at half time was a big effort and we were unfortunate not to have scored at least on two occasions where we had an over lap but failed to give the pass.

However, we will still need to address our tackling – How many first up tackles were missed? We need to commit to more sessions to tackling as a team – gang tackles to stop teams getting a run on us. It takes courage and confidence to tackle someone who is bigger than you, especially when they are running fast. However ask Merryck or Sean T about this, as both have been fearless tacklers.
The second half saw us start well but we still allowed them to dominate us a little in the forwards as a result of sustained pressure they scored closed to the post and saw Sean receive an injury to his neck. However, after a long break we came back with more determination to play our game. For a period of 10 minutes we looked like we wanted to win and we had Oats on the ropes especially after scoring 2 quick tries. Both these tries were built on solid forward play followed by the backs doing their job. Well done to Sean – I have been waiting for a few games to see you let loose with your speed. During this period of time we played with belief and confidence and we looked like a winning team
However, it wasn’t to be and we were unable to continue to place them under pressure and allowed them back into the game by making a simple error. Simple errors have cost us in the past and until we can eliminate our errors we will find it difficult to win those close games. BUT we will continue to persevere.
Top effort and I look forward to seeing you all at practice on Tuesday & I look forward to any replies on the blog or bebo.
The New Uniform looked good