Coaches Corner - Preview of Two Key Local Derbies
Good morning, afternoon, evening to you all whenever you happen to be reading this.
I write to you following another 5 point victory for our 1st XV this time on the road to Old Priorians (traditionally St Benedict's Alumni team). I can’t pretend that it was our finest display. In all honesty it was a game where neither side could really build phases of possession but there were more than enough moments of stardust to cross the line on a number of occasions and secure the victory. I have to give credit to OP’s in that their aggressive work at the breakdown disrupted our control of the game and meant we had to create opportunities off scrappy ball. Thankfully with Aled at 10 we have the skillset and vision to turn that into a strength.
Although we came off the field a little deflated with the quality of our play we have to be pleased with how we continue to get results particularly when the depth of our squad is challenged. This week we were missing the Howells twins who for those who have been following us closely all season will know how influential they have been. George Phillips and Max Brindley were the men to fill their shoes, at 9 and 13 respectively. George brought his outstanding fitness levels to the game and managed to provide Aled with good service even under severe pressure at times. His kicking game also put us into some strong territorial positions. Max was also one of our standout performers in the game. He was heavily involved in several of our scores and crossed the whitewash himself. His physical defence and work over the ball led to several turnovers and I think he connected really well with his wingers. Both will continue in the side for Aylesbury and we look forward to seeing George and Max make further impacts on the game.
What is always pleasing for a coach is to see the growth of individual players. Over the past few weeks I have seen a number of players really take their game up a notch. Louis Graham having earned the starting hooker shirt over recent weeks is really beginning to let his strengths come through. He brings a great energy to our team and his work on both sides of the breakdown have been really important in recent games. I can also see an improvement in his ball carrying and his ability to make metres after contact. Ben Fallowfield is another who I have been really impressed with in recent weeks. Ben has been ever present for us this season and his defensive contributions have been consistently excellent. However we are now starting to see his attacking influence grow. He is now finishing attacking moves off and I believe he could become one of the most accurate finishers in the league over time. In particular I have been impressed with his footwork skills making him far more tricky for defenders to deal with. Well done to both of them along with the many others who continue to work hard on becoming better players.
This week we welcome fellow Bucks club Aylesbury RFC. They currently sit 10th out of 12 teams but if you look at their results this probably doesn’t reflect their quality. Although they have lost 6 of their fixtures their points difference is only -51. I think this highlights how close a lot of their games will be and they regularly score over 20 points so we will certainly need to be at our defensive best to ensure we are competitive in this fixture. As with most local derbies there are a few friendships between the squads particularly from the Bucks County set up and I am sure this will add an extra level of competition to the game.
We have had a productive week of training as we welcomed back Andy Zair for his second session of the season on Tuesday night. Andy, a former 1st XV captain, is supporting us in the development of our environment and it was excellent to reflect on things that are currently going well as well as areas we can continue to improve upon. Key themes were how we want to represent ourselves on the field, how we continue to work together to get the best from both of our squads and how we get ourselves into a place of calm and clarity on the field to help us perform at our best. Personally I was really pleased to see a different group of boys contribute to discussions which I believe shows how our group is developing and that individuals feel safe in putting their thoughts forward to the group.
Tuesday was also exciting to see the Women’s team thriving as they hosted Marlow for a joint training session. The work being put in by Dave Rendell, Richard Gommo et al is truly outstanding and I’m excited to see where this talented group of ladies progresses over the rest of the season. I’ve been involved in the set up and coaching of a number of different Women’s sides over the years and it’s always been inspiring to see the enthusiasm and energy they bring to a club. Not only does it provide the club with another senior team but it creates a far greater community feel and I have often found that the male players provide great support to the women (e.g. Charles Galligan supporting coaching) and vice versa. It’s definitely another part of the club we should be celebrating.
To finish my preview I can’t leave out a word for our 2nd XV who continue to battle in a seriously competitive league. This Saturday they head to yet another team whose 1st XV play a higher level than ours, Amersham and Chiltern. The numbers we have been putting out as a squad have been a great improvement on previous seasons and we are working hard to try and support this group of players to ensure that their continued commitment and energy is rewarded with positive results on the pitch. As ever I am grateful to Nick Martin, Max Wright, Alex Watson and Luke Davis for all the hard work they put in each week.
Enjoy the end of your week, I look forward to seeing many of you on the sideline. Please bring every ounce of passion and positivity you can muster as the players work so hard to make you all proud.
Russ.
