UNDER 17 NEWS

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Dress code for games, home or away:  Before the game, club or tour polo shirt or plain polo shirt with black jogging bottoms and trainers.  After the game, club youth tie with shirt, black trousers and black shoes.

NEWSLETTERS
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October 2004 Newsletter
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STATISTICS

UNDER 17 MATCH REPORTS

SUDBURY U17s 12 COLCHESTER U17s 33
Sunday 13 January

Colchester were missing a few players, but took a squad of nineteen to Moorsfield for a friendly fixture against Sudbury.  Sudbury had the benefit of a stiff breeze at their backs for the first half and all of the opening play was in the Colchester half.  Good defending kept the home side out, and after 13 minutes the ball was spread along the line to full back David Smith who ran from his own 22 to score against the run of play.  Sudbury had a chance to reply immediately with a penalty, but the kick went wide.   Sudbury had the lions share of possession and kept kept trying to break the Colchester defence.  With 25 minutes gone Sudbury tried to maul over the line but the ball was stolen by Tom Davey.  However his passed was fumbled allowing a Sudbury player to fall on it and level the scores.

Sudbury missed a second penalty, then with half time beckoning they  used the wind for one of the few times in the half to kick for position.  The close range line out was stolen by Sudbury and they went into the break 12-7 up.  Colchester were reasonably happy to be just one score down as they would have the wind advantage. 

The All Blacks started the second half with a lot more passion and a series of drives saw them push Sudbury back to their line, scrum half Ben Thorogood sniping round the ruck to score, and David Smith's conversion taking Colchester ahead 14-12.  Sudbury won a penalty 25 metres out and chose to kick for goal, but with a strong headwind it was always going to drop short.  Smith cleared with a huge kick that saw Sudbury having to defend desperately, but Colchester's players were up very quickly and Scott Warner went over.

Sudbury's fourth penalty attempt hit a post and again Smith used the wind to pin Sudbury back to their line.  Colchester won a five metre scrum, Scott Warner picking up at the back before popping the ball to Thorogood for his second try.  Colchester were now dominating and a break by centre James Sarek set up a ruck, the ball passed quickly along the line for Smith to touch down.  In the last minute flanker Joe Girdlestone looked to have scored a try, but referee Roy Marfleet decided that he was not in control of the ball and disallowed it.

It was a competent enough performance that was affected by the windy conditions, but Colchester can be pleased with their 33-12 win, especially as they did not concede any second half points.

COLCHESTER U17s 17 NORWICH U17s 14
Sunday 6 March

Colchester U17s played their first game as a unit for six weeks, narrowly beating Norwich despite fielding a scratch side.  Although some players were part of a combined U17/U16 side that played Harlow a fortnight before, this was the first genuine U17 game since the team was knocked out of the Eastern Counties Cup in January.  With Mothers Day claiming some, those who turned up were determined to enjoy themselves.

Colchester kicked off with two props playing on the wings, and straight away they were on the offensive, rucking and recycling well.  After just two minutes Colchester were awarded a penalty five metres out and makeshift scrum half Scott Warner took it quickly and dived over for the first try.  Norwich stormed back and were so close to scoring, but good defence allowed the All Blacks to clear their lines and go on the attack themselves.  More good continuity saw Colchester in Norwich's 22, and a cross kick from fly half Olly Williams was taken by Sam Blinman who was driven over the line for the second try.  Norwich hit back minutes later when a kick was fumbled by one of the wing/props and the ball was kicked through, a Norwich player diving on it to score with the conversion making it 10-7.

At half time the props on the wings changed positions with the props in the front row, and the scrums began to look much more solid.  After five minutes of the restart Warner sniped round a ruck and dived for the line, but spilled the ball in the process.  But Colchester maintained the pressure and good supporting play and handling saw Pat Hunt go over in the corner, Gooch converting well.  Colchester looked to be in command, but an interception by Norwich saw the centre run the length of the field, and the gap was back to just three points. 

The last fifteen minutes of the game saw Norwich with the lions share of possession, but all too often they tried to take Colchester on up front when quick ball to the wings would surely have seen them beat their opposite numbers for pace.  But Colchester's rush defence disrupted the Norfolk side's play and the All Blacks held on for a narrow win in a very enjoyable game.

EASTERN COUNTIES U17 CUP
COLCHESTER U17s 15 WYMONDHAM U17s 8
Sunday 16 January

Colchester kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the Eastern Counties Cup semi final with a dogged performance against a very lively Wymondham side.  Colchester started with a breeze at their backs, and for the next ten minutes they barely touched the ball as Wymondham kept possession, and with the help of a couple of penalties they gained good territorial advantage.  Colchester defended well, centres George Tuck and Dom Gooch not letting anything through, but they could not prevent Wymondham winning a scrum five metres out, the No 8 picking up and with a powerful run dived over the line for the opening score.  The conversion in front of the posts was missed, the breeze perhaps stronger that it seemed.

Colchester were galvanised into action by the score, winning a line out 30 metres out from the kick off.  The ball went to Liam Pickett who drove at the opposition, quick rucking allowing scrum half Ben Thorogood to pass to Scott Warner who charged through the Wymondham defence to touch down.   Gooch converted a difficult kick from near the right hand touchline to give the All Blacks a 7-5 lead with 15 minutes gone.

The rest of the half was very competitive, with both sides willing to play expansive rugby.  Both sets of forwards were working very hard, and although play moved up and down the field, and there were occasional breaks by the Wymondham winger and by David Smith for Colchester, there were no more scoring opportunities before half time.

Wymondham started the second half the better of the two sides, driving Colchester back and forcing them to put in tackle after tackle.  Eventually Colchester conceded a penalty in front of the posts, which was duly converted, although the All Blacks were relieved to have not conceded a try and more points.  Colchester went on the offensive and were awarded a penalty 30 metres out with captain Gooch electing to kick for goal.  There then followed an extraordinary piece of luck upon which the result of tight games like this can hinge.  Gooch struck the ball, but the wind made it hang in the air falling short of the line.  Locks Lee Saunders and Chris Mills followed up with Saunders catching the ball on the full to crash over the line and score by the posts.

Gooch missed the conversion, but he slotted over a penalty shortly afterwards to give Colchester a 7 point lead with over 15 minutes left to play.  Second half substitutions had seen bulk added to the Colchester pack and their scrummage was looking rock solid, prop Joe McMillan causing all sorts of problems for his opposite number.  Wymondham were trying everything to break the Colchester defence, but the tackling was excellent, and crucial turnovers relived the pressure forcing the visitors to rebuild an attack.  The last five minutes were played exclusively in Colchester's half until referee Gary Marchant finally blew for full time in the fifth minute of injury time.

The result means that a win away at North Walsham would see Colchester in the semis, but even a narrow loss could see them through as long as Wymondham beat Ipswich, although points difference would be the deciding factor.  The competition will have an exciting final week!

ECRU U17 Cup 2004/5

EASTERN COUNTIES U17 CUP
COLCHESTER U17s 19 IPSWICH U17s 20
Sunday 19 December

Colchester and Ipswich contested a thrilling Eastern Counties Cup group game, with Ipswich winning with an injury time try.  Colchester had the better of the first quarter of the game, keeping Ipswich in their own half for long spells, using their forwards to drive the visitors back.  A try was disallowed when the referee was unsighted, but Colchester kept on the attack.  A speculative kick by Colchester aimed for the winger was gathered by Ipswich just short of their own line, and they saw a chance to counterattack, taking play all the way to Colchester's 22.  Good recycling created space for the wing to score in the corner and take an unlikely lead after 20 minutes.

Colchester hit back soon after with U16 player Kyle Hutchins coming off his wing to outsprint the defence and score by the posts, Dom Gooch's conversion putting his side 7-5 ahead.  Play was pretty even for the rest of the half, but Ipswich were confident now that they had the advantage of the wind in the second period.

Good pressure from Ipswich saw them take the lead again with an unconverted try, but a series of penalties saw Colchester with an attacking line out 5 metres from the Ipswich line.  A good catch and quick hands saw the ball go to Chris Mills in the centre, who offloaded to Gooch to retake the lead, 12-10.  With 15 minutes to go Ipswich saw an overlap and scored their third try in the corner, but five minutes later a Sam Blinman try converted by Gooch gave Colchester a four point lead.

Ipswich threw everything at Colchester, who defended manfully until the very last minute.  A clearance kick missed touch and Ipswich ran the ball back, finding space on the right for the winger to squeeze over and win a dramatic game by one point.

ECRU U17 Cup 2004/5

EASTERN COUNTIES U17 CUP
HOLT U17s 5 COLCHESTER U17s 29
Sunday 12 December

Colchester made the long journey to North Norfolk to play just 30 minutes of competitive rugby against a spirited but inexperienced Holt side.  Colchester fielded three U16s as seven of the squad had been drafted in to the Colts team, but they were able to comfortably deal with the Holt who were short of attacking ideas.  

The first try came after just 3 minutes when a cross kick by fly half Olly Williams was caught over the try line by George Tuck, the touchdown a formality.  Rather than play the phases and take the game to Holt, Colchester showed indiscipline by arguing with the referee, conceding penalties and considerable yardage to give Holt a chance of scoring.  The defence was solid however and in the 19th minute the All Blacks were back on track with the forwards making surging runs and supporting well.  

Scrum half Ben Thorogood got the second try sniping from the base of a ruck, and the pick of the tries came when almost the whole team were involved in a flowing move that started in their own half and ended with U16 Kyle Hutchins scoring on the wing.  Colchester were now dominant and scored two more tries through Tuck and Thorogood to lead 29-0 after 30 minutes.

However, injuries to two of Holt's players forced the referee, who had an excellent game, to abandon the Cup fixture, so Colchester leant Stuart Howells and Gwithion to the opposition and the match continued as a friendly.

With the game over as a a meaningful contest Colchester just went through the motions, and Holt, boosted by the two Colchester heavyweights who led the forwards into attack, raised their game.  Eventually Holt scored through forward pressure, but Colchester were content to play out the game, shower, and leave for home via McDonald's in Norwich to supplement their meagre after-match tea.

ECRU U17 Cup 2004/5

EASTERN COUNTIES U17 CUP
COLCHESTER U17s 42 DISS U17s 5
Sunday 28 November

Colchester recorded an emphatic win against Diss in their first Eastern Counties Cup group game, gaining revenge for the one point defeat they suffered earlier in the season.  Both sides were missing players called up to play for Eastern Counties.

Colchester started well winning a penalty in the first minute, converted by captain Dom Gooch.  But Diss got the upper hand when Colchester were repeatedly penalised by referee Andy Beckett for ruck infringements, allowing the visitors to get into Colchester's 22 from where they crashed over for an unconverted try.  It took Colchester a little while to get used to the referee, but once they realised how he wanted the game played they got into a rhythm of using their forwards to drive upfield.  The tactic soon worked when Chris Mills went over for the first of Colchester's six tries.

Not long afterwards a line out 10 metres from the Diss line was caught and the forwards drove on until the ball went out to the backs for Gooch to cross the line.  A second Gooch penalty extended the lead to 20-5, and on the stroke of half time Liam Pickett picked up at the base of a scrum and forced himself over from 5 metres.

The second half saw Colchester continue their dominance, with Gwithion Harding-Hider scoring after taking the ball at pace from a ruck.  The next try came after a good break from fly half Olly Williams, who passed to back row Scott Warner in the line who released Gooch who beat the full back to touch down under the posts.  Once again a spate of penalties allowed Diss to go on the attack, and although they were camped on the Colchester line for some time, the defence held firm and the All Blacks once again headed upfield.  The final try came from a penalty with Lee Saunders taking on the Diss forwards, before popping the ball to prop Stuart Howells to dive over.

This was a good performance against a side that was short of attacking ideas but that defended manfully, and it was an ideal start to the Eastern Counties Cup campaign.

ECRU U17 Cup 2004/5

COLCHESTER U17s 8 HARLOW U17s 0
Sunday 31 October

Colchester welcomed back Harlow to replay the game that was stopped early five weeks earlier.  Colchester applied the early pressure, keeping Harlow in their 22, but the defence was excellent and Colchester couldn't make a breakthrough, although a couple of kickable penalties were run when points on the board should have been the priority.

The pattern of the game was similar to the last one, with Colchester using their forwards to gain ground and recycle, while Harlow preferred to spin the ball wide to their wingers to try and find a gap.  Tackling by both sides was very good, and the three U16s fielded by Colchester acquitted themselves well.  The first half remained scoreless, but the half time break was extended as referee Ross Cowie was called to officiate the Colts Cup game as the scheduled referee had broken down en route.  This meant that Colchester Director of Rugby Andrew Sarek had to get changed and take charge of the rest of the game.

The second half was pretty much all played in Harlow's half, with Colchester pressing for the line, but being kept out by some magnificent defence.  With fifteen minutes to go a Harlow clearance was fielded by full back Jon Vine, who passed via Sam Blinman to captain Gooch who found a gap, and with one defender to beat he passed to substitute winger George Tuck who went over in the corner.

Colchester continued to press and were denied by very good defence, but when wing Josh Dobner was felled by a high tackle the referee had no choice but to sin bin the culprit.  Although the All Blacks enjoyed territorial advantage they could not make the extra man count, but it was a moment of indiscipline that cost Harlow the game.  The visitor's full back caused a decision to be reversed, and as he continued to remonstrate with the referee Harlow were marched back a total of 20 metres, giving Gooch a chance at goal which he took, putting Colchester two scores ahead with less than five minutes to go.

Although Harlow threw everything they had at Colchester they couldn't break them down, and the game finished 8-0.  The match was memorable for the immense defence shown by both sides, and a return at Harlow is planned for the New Year.

COLCHESTER U17s 51 HAAGSCHE U17s 5
Sunday 17 October

Colchester overcame a spirited touring side for The Hague in Holland, scoring nine tries to one.  The Dutch were always going to find this game difficult having already played Bury St Edmunds the day before.  Colchester opened the scoring through captain and full back Dom Gooch who tore down the right wing evading the defence.  A quick tap on 15 minutes gave Chris Mills the ball to score the second try, but two more tries by Gooch saw Colchester take a 22-0 half time lead.

In the second half, a kick ahead was fumbled by the tourists and centre Sam Blinman pounced for Colchester fifth try.  Gooch outsprinted the opposition for his fourth try soon after, before Scott Warner added a try.  Haagsche showed they were not yet beaten by pushing Colchester back into their 22, and from a 5 metre penalty drove over the line for a try.  But two more ties by Blinman and wing Lloyd Sherman completed a 51-5 victory.

COLCHESTER U17s 22 WYMONDHAM U17s 22
Sunday 10 October

Colchester bounced back from the disappointment of last week's loss to draw a thrilling game against Wymondham.  The two sides have always produced close games over the years and this was no exception.  Once again Colchester were short of a number of players particularly in the backs, so Sam Blinman moved out to centre and prop Joe McMillan played on the wing.

Wymondham took the lead after eight minutes with a super individual try from the fly half, cutting through the Colchester defence.  However Colchester, keeping the ball tight, steadily made ground and after a charge down the ball bounced into Lee Saunders' hands who passed to fly half Ollie Williams to score by the posts.  Dom Gooch's conversion gave Colchester a 7-5 lead.  Gooch made good use of the wind to keep Wymondham in their own half, but as half time approached a series of careless penalties allowed the visitors to attack, and the wing squeezed over in the corner and ran round to score under the posts.

To Colchester's credit they came straight back, and a couple of quick rucks sucked in the defence and the ball was spread wide to wing Lloyd Sherman to touch down and level the scores at 12-12 at the break.

Wymondham had a great start to the second half, scoring a converted try almost immediately with another searing run by the fly half.  But Colchester kept to their game plan and used their forwards to recycle and drive upfield, releasing the backs when there seemed to be room for them to run.  The tactic worked and Lloyd Sherman went over for his second try to narrow the gap to 17-19, but Wymondham soon extended the lead to five points with a penalty.

Colchester stuck to it and were rewarded when Gooch found a bit of space to cross the line in the corner and level the scores at 22-22.  Referee Roy Marfleet blew for full time soon after and everyone agreed that a draw was a just result.  Colchester can be very pleased with this result as Wymondham had a number of talented players, but the team play of the All Blacks was excellent and they had the satisfaction of outscoring their opponents by four tries to three.

The two sides will meet again after Christmas in the Eastern Counties Cup, both having a much better idea of each other's strengths.

DISS U17s 16 COLCHESTER U17s 15
Sunday 3 October

A severely depleted Colchester U17 side travelled to Norfolk to take on a big Diss team, and suffered their first ever loss to that side.  Twelve players were unavailable due to a mixture of injury, school commitments and call ups to the Colts side, but U16s who were not at county trials were called up to fill the gaps.

Tries by Tom Davey and Joe Girdlestone, and a conversion and penalty from captain Dom Gooch, against a Diss converted try and two penalties gave Colchester a 15-13 lead, but a last minute penalty was slotted over to give Diss a 16-15 win.

The two sides are drawn to play each other in the first round of the Eastern Counties Cup at the end of November, and Colchester will be hoping that they will be able to call upon a full squad.

COLCHESTER U17s 15 HARLOW U17s 8
Sunday 26 September

Colchester U17s took on a very good Harlow side, and won by seven points when the game was stopped early.  Colchester were depleted by early season injuries and call-ups to the Colts, but were bolstered by the presence of several U16 players.  Harlow looked the better side from the whistle, putting the Colchester scrum under pressure and passing the ball wide at every opportunity.  Colchester defended well but after six minutes several missed tackles allowed Harlow to score in the corner, and with the visitors dominating play up to that stage the signs looked ominous.

Although Harlow were man for man better players, Colchester would not let them play to their strengths in the backs, with centres Blinman and Bennett using a rush defence to keep them under pressure and forcing errors.  Colchester's forwards gradually began to dictate, using a mixture of rucks, mauls and drives to push Harlow back.  With 20 minutes gone Colchester drove Harlow back into their 22, and with forwards relentlessly pushing on the try eventually came with prop Stuart Howells diving over to level the scores.

The game seesawed back and forth, Harlow using their backs to try to break through, and Colchester relying on forwards and a kicking game to keep them at bay.  Colchester again drove Harlow into their own 22, and after a series of 5 metre scrums, scrum half Ben Thorogood sniped round the blind side to give the All Blacks a 10-5 lead.  Harlow hit back with a penalty, but Colchester were very pleased to go into the half time break 10-8 ahead.

Colchester continued to use their forwards to good effect in the second half, once again pushing Harlow back.  An up and under from fly half Ollie Williams was fumbled by Harlow, and U16 flanker Kyle Hutchins pounced to score and extend Colchester's lead to 15-8.  Harlow's frustration started to spill over, and the No 8 was sin binned for throwing a punch.  Play continued with both teams looking for a breakthrough, but when referee Alexis Manley saw illegal use of the boot in a ruck by Harlow, he decided to issue a red card reducing the visitors to 13 players.  This proved too much for one of the Harlow supporters who started to berate the referee, who first warned him then asked him to leave the field.  The supporter refused and Manley was left with little choice but to end the game 20 minutes early.

It was a disappointing end to a game that was building up to an exciting climax, but players on both sides were philosophical about the incident.  It was a good performance by Colchester who played well as a team and followed a good tactical game plan to defeat what was on paper a better team.

COLCHESTER U17S 45 IPSWICH U17s 0
Sunday 12 September

Colchester U17s had their first run out of the season, comfortably beating Ipswich by seven tries to nil.  The Colchester forwards dominated throughout, giving their backs good quality ball to attack with.  Wing Lloyd Sherman scored two tries, the others coming from Tish Bartlett, James Sarek, Chris Mills, Lee Saunders and Jonathan Vine, drafted in from the U16 squad.  Captain Dom Gooch converted 5 out of 7.

Copyright © 2004 Colchester RFC.
Last updated 01 April 2005