T
he 1st XV won eight and lost eight
in a campaign of two halves. The
opening games were tough
encounters, and the first against Canford
ended in a tight 5-3 loss despite an
impressive debut from Ben Shapland in
the second row, a position he was to
make his own over the season.
There were further losses to Clifton,
Plymouth and Blundell's, but throughout
these, and the remaining matches, Olly
Gibb as captain and Omar Hamaoui as
vice-captain were hugely influential figures.
Both combined for an excellent score
against Clifton, while Hamaoui scored
freely in a number of matches, eventually
going on to be selected for the
Independent Schools Under 18 national
squad and touring Italy. Gibb's immense
defence and athletic ball-carrying skills got
the team on the front foot regularly, and
he represented the South West at
Independent Schools Under 18 level.
Both scored exceptional tries in the 12-3
local derby win against Taunton School.
A turning point for the team was a 33-3
loss to a strong Cheltenham side.
Galvanised by the powerful scrummaging
of Tom Counsell and George Bayless, the
team set a platform for success for the
second half of term, which saw them
defeated by only Monmouth and Truro
School.
New import Ken Rogers at prop found the
line frequently in the Daily Mail Cup,
scoring tries against Downside and
Backwell School. Rhys Davies was the
kicking lynchpin, gaining points in virtually
every game to end the season as top
scorer. His brutal defence was only
matched by Laurence May in midfield,
whose devastating, scything runs caused
havoc later in the term. Such was the
powerful nature of these bullocking efforts
that at one point the first team goalposts
came off second best during the Exeter
School game!
Putting his cricket pads to one side James
Regan made a number of cameo
appearances at fly-half with some astute
kicking and passing. Archie Watts was
electric at scrum-half, his explosive pace
allowed him to get on the outside of most
defenders, and he had a particularly fine
game against Queen's.
The senior guard of Guy Jones, Hugo
Segrave and George Chapman were
robust, aggressive and dynamic, and set a
great platform in the forwards. Jones'
superb handling skills and turn of pace
made him a constant threat, as well as his
bone-shuddering tackling in the Downside
game. Segrave and Chapman were
devastating at the breakdown and at
winning ball in the tight.
Michael Peek at open-side had an
exceptional season, terrorising opposition
fly-halves, and a few referees, with his
ability to turn over the ball consistently in
the collision area. The wide attacking
threat of Dougie Denton and Lloyd Griffiths
complemented each other perfectly, as
Denton glided round defenders into open
space, whilst Griffiths had an innate ability
to weave his way powerfully through the
tight. Archie Rose at full-back brought
defensive stability, and his sturdy tackling
made it near impossible for the opposition
to get close to the line.
This was yet again a wonderful group of
young players to work with who had a
brilliant sense of unity and team
camaraderie. I would once again like to
thank them all for a very special season
and for their dedication and hard work.
Rugby
1st XV
by Nick Gresswell
Archie Watts dives for the
line against Queen's
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