Coaches Corner - End of Regular Season Nears....

So here we are, the end of the regular season. I’m currently writing this from the jungle in Bali where I am for the Easter Holidays with my family, not a bad spot to do some reflection on this current season and the one we are heading towards. I’m incredibly grateful to Lee, Nick and Aled for holding the fort in my absence and I'm excited to be back with the group for the playoffs.

Looking back on the Belsize Park game it was another milestone ticked off for our senior playing group. Belzise finished in 3rd position, one above us last season and it was one of our season aims to do the double over them this year, not from any kind of arrogant standpoint but we know that if we want to be considered as one of the best teams in this league we need to be able to consistently beat the best and Belsize certainly fit that description. It was a belting game and one that we had to dig seriously deep to win. Belsize posed problems that not a lot of other teams have against us this season. They were relentless in their carrying around the breakdown and although we were a good match for them, through their physical carriers they eventually created enough space by narrowing our defence and then being really clinical out wide. I was so impressed with our defensive efforts, holding them out on the tryline on several occasions and boys really putting their bodies on the line for the Beaconsfield shirt. We still have room to grow in terms of being a clinical, creative, attacking side through an 80 minutes but you cannot say that this group of players do not show a collective effort and toughness that makes us incredibly hard to beat. I love our boys for that. On the attacking front I thought we played some really good stuff. It was a shame to lose Owain Griffiths to a rib injury in the process of creating a try. We had been working on some stuff that would get us being a bit more fluent in our backline attack off phase play and it was really bearing fruit particularly through Owain and it was a shame to see him go off. My ideal of a number 10 is someone who goes to the line and can pick gaps at the last minute but the risk with that is sometimes somebody is going to put a shot on you and it will probably hurt. Hopefully more often than not the creative reward will be worth it. The game continued to go back and forth and we did incredibly well to retake the lead late on from an outstanding break from Tyson who put Ben Fallowfield over in the corner. Massive credit to Freddie Hooper who had a strong kicking game and if you look at the difference between the two teams and their goalkicker having an “off-day” he may well have been it.

So we move onto Aylesbury this week. It works in the league that whoever you play first you then play last so it’s been a long time since we have faced them and if we get a point from the game we will actually play them at home twice in a row. That first game of the season is still such a disappointing part of this season. To think we had won it only to have our kick into touch charged down and them score a winning try was gut wrenching. Aylesbury are an incredibly talented and tough side to play against and the derby nature that this fixture is developing means that Saturday will be a stern test of our players mental fortitude as well as their skills. Aylesbury have some excellent individuals. Will Andrews is up there as one of the best fullbacks in the league who can hurt you from anywhere and Alex Shearer is a good 10 who can punish you if you leave space open. Andy Irvine who stepped in as their Head Coach this season has definitely had a galvanising effect on the club and will be satisfied that they have had a decent season that they can build upon next year. So as I mentioned previously we need one point from the game to finish 2nd in the league which would make history for the club, something I am unbelievably proud of. Of course we will be looking to take a full five points from the game and I believe we have the quality to do just that. With the prospect of playing Aylesbury again in the first round of the playoffs next week the game takes an interesting twist. A close game may galvanise them with some extra belief that they can advance through that game, if we were to lose that may motivate us to want to get revenge. It’s a great storyline that will bubble under what I am sure will be an excellent contest.

Now although this is the official end of the season we know the playoffs loom large. To help explain things, should we finish 2nd in the league we end up playing 5th (Brunel in 1st have automatic promotion and 3rd - OP’s play 4th - Belsize). If we win that game we then play the winner of the 3rd v 4th game and again would be at home. Regardless of trying to go up the importance to the club of having an additional 2 home games is huge. Not only a competitive advantage but to be able to bring our community together another two times for a knockout fixture would be massive. The players have certainly done their part on the pitch this season but we have won as much on the sidelines this season as we have on the pitch. To witness every Saturday friends, former team mates, family members and partners come together to create such a brilliant atmosphere is what really matters. One of the best club atmosphere’s around without a doubt. This process will not be easy. Should we get through the first two rounds we then play the winners of that process from an adjacent league and then play the loser of the playoffs (3rd bottom vs 4th bottom) from the league above which would currently be Wimbledon or Maidenhead, two pretty huge clubs. If we are to be successful then it will probably be because we are already competing at a level 5 standard. People think that you have to adapt once you go up but if we are not already playing with the structure, skill level and most importantly the fitness required to compete then you are doomed. My message to our players is that these final five weeks and the off-season are a good time to be doing all we can to be ready for whatever may come next season.

On a change of topic our outstanding 2nd XV went and put Marlow to the sword last weekend. Something has happened with our 2’s. A belief and a confidence has come through in the past few weeks that has been impressive to see. They have a real identity in their style of play that filters through the whole team and they are playing some quality rugby. A testament to the number of lads that are showing up to training and who want to do something historic themselves. For our 2nd XV to make it into a league that only 3 seasons ago our 1st XV were playing in would be quite something. From a team that struggled to field a full side to one that thrives. We used to talk about how “that’s the best 2nd XV we’ve ever put out” but now it has become the norm. Quality players across both squads wanting to create memories in the green and gold jerseys.

Earlier this week Noel put out a message around the confirmation of our lease agreement. I hope everyone realises what a massive achievement that is and how much time and effort has gone in from volunteers who love this club to secure its future. I often talk about wanting to be the best club in Buckinghamshire and whilst we strive for that on the field, developing our facilities off of it is crucial. Having tenancy over our land for a period of time means the club has security to go and try and make our facilities even better to provide an environment that will benefit players and supporters alike. Top of my wish is a stand, maybe 10,000 or so just so we are ready for when we reach the Prem, somewhere nice for Humphrey to sit whilst enjoying a pint!

As if all that wasn’t enough it is not only our last 1st XV league game of the season but also our President's lunch and not just any lunch but one that celebrates Mike Hall’s 80th birthday. Mike has followed in the fine footsteps of Woody and has done an exceptional job this season. I ran into Mike the other day down at Rosslyn Park 7’s as I was coaching one of my Claires Court sides and Mike was down with his wife to watch their grandson play. We bumped into each other despite there being a vast amount of playing fields and 1000’s of junior players. It was lovely to see him. What I am reminded of by people such as Mike and Woody and many others is that our club has a long and rich history of providing great memories and friendships to the people of Beaconsfield and beyond. The All Blacks talk about “leaving the shirt in a better place” for the next player to come and wear it, I hope that for all that we do I will play my part in leaving this club in a better place than when I joined and that guys like Mike can create some more special memories at the club. I hope that Saturday is the true birthday celebration that our President deserves.

I’ll leave it there for now. Thank you to all of you for how much you have given to the club this season. Let’s build the energy through to the playoffs and for the 2nd teams final league games and see if we can do something together that will live long in the memories.

Russ