U14 & U16 Rugby 7s ISA Tournament
On Wednesday 6 November, LCS took U14 and U16 Rugby 7s teams to compete in the annual ISA tournament held at Market Bosworth RUFC.
U14 Team
The U14 team were super excited to showcase their talents and started with a strong performance against Pitsford. An early try from Ben set the tone, after some brilliant attacking play (7-0). Louis also crossed the line to extend the lead to 14-0. Pitsford were able to cut the lead in half and made it 14-7 with minutes to play, but Ben went over for his second try of the match, finishing with a score of 21-7.
In their second match, the boys faced a strong Worksop team, who were physical at the break down and in the scrum. Worksop were able force their way over the line to take a 7-0 lead, however LCS fought back, with a great individual try from Ben, to level the scores at 7-7. Worksop once again crossed over the line to make it 14-7. A back-and-forth game saw LCS tie the game at 14-14 with a team try, culminating in a score for Louis. Worksop were able to re-take the lead with minutes left in the match to finish with a score of 21-14.
The third match of the group stage saw LCS take on a local rival in Stafford Grammar School. The boys started positively with another well-worked try from Ben to make it 7-0. SGS fought back and levelled the score at 7-7, then took the lead midway through the match to make it 12-7 (missed conversion). In a strongly contested match, LCS were able to re-take the lead through another try from Louis, taking the score to 14-12, then SGS re-established their lead to make it 17-14 (missed conversion) with minutes to play. LCS dug deep and were able to cross the line to re-take the lead 21-17. With SGS making a mistake from the restart, Benedict was able to pounce on a loose ball to cross the line as time expired to finish with a score of 26-17 (missed conversion).
The final group game saw the boys take on an unfamiliar opponent in Wellows. With qualification secured to the semi-final, Mr Tams changed the starting line-up, bringing in some players to gain valuable minutes. The game was a back-and-forth defensive affair, with LCS squeezing in two tries within the last few minutes to finish with a score of 14-0.
Onto the semi-final, which saw LCS matchup against a strong Quinton side. LCS dominated possession and were extremely unlucky not to score in the corner of the try zone, with Ben slightly stepping out of play before grounding the ball. However, moments later, Ben was able to break through the defensive line of Quinton and score to make it 5-0 (missed conversion). LCS were still on the attacking front, but a minor lapse in concentration saw Quinton race down the wing to cross over for the go ahead try, to make it 7-5. Unfortunately, time wasn’t on LCS’ side, and the referee blew for full time. A tremendous effort.
The boys had one more match to compete for 3rd place, but unfortunately the disheartening loss in the semi-final played a major factor and the lads lost 14-7 to Worksop. A brilliant day of rugby, and some incredible team and individual performances. A massive well-done!
U16 Team
For the U16s, 9 teams were in attendance and LCS were drawn in pool 2 alongside Tettenhall College, Derby Grammar, Bosworth Independent and Stoneygate. With games only 8 minutes long it was important that LCS got off to a good start.
First up for LCS was Tettenhall College. LCS started strong and direct with tries from Conall, George and Henry, 17-0. Tettenhall came back into the game at the latter stages as LCS began to tire, but LCS kept them at bay.
The second match for LCS was against Derby Grammar. LCS lost the toss and needed to play uphill. A strong Derby Grammar side brought the game to LCS in a physical encounter. Derby’s supporting play and directness could not be matched by LCS, who lost the game 0-28.
Next up for LCS was Bosworth Independent. LCS started well and were soon several tries ahead. However, a few lapses in concentration and missed tackles lead to Bosworth scoring. LCS rallied and responded well, with some excellently placed kicking from Devan, to finish 33-10 winners.
LCS had a good rest break before their final group game against Stoneygate. They entered the game knowing that they needed to win to enter the knock-out stages. A strong all-round performance by all the boys in this game led to a dominate 35-7 victory.
Semi-final time!! LCS faced Twycross who had won Pool 1. An early try from Twycross did not knock LCS in the physical encounter which saw a couple of LCS players needing to leaving the field due to injury. Despite this, the boys dug deep and responded well. Continued pressure and penalties against Twycross by LCS sadly though did not result in points. A further couple of breakaway tries saw Twycross win 21-0.
Last up for LCS in the 3rd – 4th playoff was Derby Grammar – again! LCS, now down to one sub due to a couple of injuries, wanted to make amends for their earlier stuffing. LCS started well and took a deserved lead. Derby responded with strong runs and carries, but LCS were able to keep them at bay for a period - however, Derby did eventually score, 7-7. With the game entering the final minutes and poised on a knife edge, Derby made player changes for fresh legs. Final play, scrum to Derby, the ball popped out the opposite side of the scrum and the Derby centre raced to pick it up and to the try line, 14-7. 4th place for LCS.
A solid day of rugby by the boys! Some great highs, mixed in with the lows of sport and sporting decisions. Onwards to next week and the U15 ISA 10s and a bit of a rematch vs Derby Grammar at U18s. Well done all!
