Right here we go.
I’ve seen the depths and disparity of the mid-2010s Shore School 1st XV. Those were truly challenging times. But it was there that we saw the heart of the school. The boys would rock up every week and cheer on even though they knew it was going to be a bloodbath. But then we enter a new era, one of renewal and success. The younger teams start to get better, better training is established, and better decisions are made. Now we stand in the modern day, with the world looking at us as the favourites. But only one thing stands between us and the title. RAIN. It was seen against SIC, where Grover and Bousie dismantled the Shore backline with their tactical kicks. They played compact, and Shore tried playing expansive rugby which naturally wouldn’t work. You would’ve thought they would learn from this, but it seems not. This time Stirling Bridge was flooded, the ball would stop when it hit the deck. But again, same thing happens. Rodwell is one of the best kickers in the comp, and Makasini is probably the best ball carrier in the comp. They stay the course. The kicking battles would be loss after loss, and Newington would march down and walk over. The forwards worked hard, but all Newington had to do was pick and go, wait for them to get sucked in and the winger would miss the tackle and its over. I believe in this team I really do. But they have got to start to get their heads together about how to gain territory with kicks and play APPROPRIATELY in the rain. In the dry, they are arguably the best team in the comp. But they MUST learn how to start winning kicking battles and play smart in the rain. Kicking the ball twice away when you have a scrum in your own 22 with 3 minutes left is not a good idea. Kicking a grubber when it is past full time when the ball doesnt move across the deck is not a good idea. Personally, I think they panicked but the strategy just was not there. Not enough forward utilisation and continually entering losing kicking battles killed them today. We hold faith, but reluctantly.
Enjoy