THE LAMBS - THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS RFC

Sunday, 26 August 2012

The Rams have arrived.

Yesterday, in a field in rural Somerset, the Independent Schools RFC Old Boys, known as the Rams, were officially founded.

Comprised of 15 of the 2012 Rome Lambs, the Rams fielded a strong, if somewhat hungover side, against the mighty, if somewhat elderly (relatively speaking) Butleigh RFC. The 'field of dreams' was in pristine condition, with its 3ft high grass punctuated only by mown strips which served as the lines for the purposes of the game. Any gripes to be had were consoled by the mere memories of the pitches in Rome.

The game turned out to be a rather intriguing affair, with the physicality of the Butleigh ranks coming up against youthful endeavour and speed. In the end, youthful endeavour won out, not necessarily helped by the bottle of white rum which was habitually handed around at every stoppage.

This was a wonderful way to found the Rams and brought us all back down to the essence of rugby; pure and simple grassroots stuff.

I must pay a huge thank you and homage to Cummo who organised the trip and I hope that the boys return some silverware at the Butleigh RFC 7s today! All the best boys!!

Here's to a long and successful (however success may be measured!) future for the Rams!

Yours in Rugby,

Poults.

Thursday, 3 May 2012

NEW WEBSITE - FIFTEEN RUGBY

FIFTEEN RUGBY

Great new website that is going to be up and running in August and that will hopefully include some content about us!

Please look at their facebook site!

http://facebook.com/FifteenRugby

Or Click Here

Sunday, 29 April 2012

Italy 2012 - Post-tour report.

"Do not go where the path may lead..."

Dear all,

Please accept my profuse apologies for not getting round to this sooner. As you can imagine, at this time of year, commitments and time are stretched for most Upper Sixth Formers and I'm no different!

Before departing for tour, I was rather apprehensive. Obviously from a personal point of view, I had a better idea than the rest of the tour of what to expect having captained the Lambs to Zimbabwe last year, however due to the frantic and diverse nature of these tours that offered little advantage. A new set of boys to get to know and play with, a different continent and that most unpredictable of beings, different opposition.

What I was prepared for was a tough match first up against London Irish. It's rather peculiar that our scheduled warm-up fixture happens to be undoubtedly the toughest fixture of the tour. Irish are an exceptionally well-drilled outfit with the physicality and the skills to match. Having played with them for several years of senior school, I was well aware of how seriously and professionally they approach all fixtures. Having said that, a bunch of lads who had just come together kept the score at half-time down to a very respectable 7-0 and had a few clean breaks been finished off, we could have opened up a sizeable lead. We established a clear advantage at the set-piece, which for a scratch side cannot be underestimated as an achievement and frustrated our hosts sufficiently to allow a number of positives to be taken from the game, even with the match finishing 27-0 to Irish.

The meet at Heathrow the following morning was rather tentative and the flight passed off without incident or excitement. However, as we boarded the bus at Rome airport, the 'chat' truly started, aided and abetted by the extremely distinguishable northern tones. Messrs Cummins, Hall, Whickam and Simpson would be at the forefront of most of the good, bad and the ugly which occured on tour!

Having enjoyed the first couple of days pretty much at leisure, we approached our first game without a clue what to expect. Our first rugby experience in Rome was to witness what can only be described as the first pitch I have ever seen without any grass. However, following a stern chat from Stuart, the boys switched on and set about accomplishing their task of winning the game with aplomb, beating the local opposition by 50 points. Rhodri Adamson played magnificently to earn himself man of the match. That evening we were allowed to let our hair down and although the night did not pass without controversy, it is safe to assume that the squad were appreciative to the management for the opportunity to let off some steam.

The second match was without doubt against tougher opposition, yet the Lambs tore into them with greater ferocity than the first match. Splendid running lines and crisp handing, resulted in a convincing victory, again by 50 points, on another circumspect pitch. Man of the match Simpson was magnificent, underlining why he is in with a realistic chance of making his way through the ranks at the Newcastle Falcons academy. For a prop forward, he showed real pace and power to embark on some destructive runs and provide to go forward our set of backs thrived upon.

The final fixture was to be the toughest of the lot. Our exuberant style was not to be aided by torrential rain comparable to what I have been witnessing down in Hampshire this dreary evening. We played a tough Rome U20's side and came out narrow victors, 12-5, after showing good courage to battle it out, without perhaps the poise we would like to have demonstrated. On a difficult afternoon for a fly half, James Doe shone, however it was my schoolfriend, a long and distinguished servant of Portsmouth Grammar Rugby, Ali Power who stepped up to the mark to produce some breathtaking competitiveness at the breakdown and won himself the man of the match award.

That evening, the squad had a evening which will go down long in the memory (of those who could remember it the next morning). Court produced some surprising verdicts (His Lord Justice Terry fared little better in his quasi-judicial role than a certain Jeremy Hunt) before tour awards were handed out in a rather equitable manner. Tom Cummins sweeped up 'Best Tourist', James Doe 'Player of Tour' and Ben Simpson 'Player's Player'.

After two years with the Lambs I am unwilling to finish my Lamb's career and as such we have put together the Rams which will act as the official Old Boy's club of the Lambs. We have several exciting fixtures already in place this summer, including a trip down to Cornwall amd are looking into the feasability of holding a Lambs2011 V Lambs2012 reunion match.

Thanks must go to the management party who as always conducted themsleves in a great manner and put together a tour of the highest quality.

Once a Lamb, always a Lamb.

"... Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Yours in rugby,
Poults.

LAMBS U11 TOUR TO IRELAND

Independent Schools Rugby Club

Under 11 Tour Dublin 2012

On a bright cheerful Thursday afternoon in late March, a group of teachers met excited at the prospect of having several days off school! Equally excited were the 16 boys selected to represent the Independent Schools as they embarked on their tour of Dublin.

The first evening got off with a bang as the kit was handed out, "Pink - is that for us?" was the opening question. The boys sat down to their evening meal, it soon emerged that the group were like a bunch of long lost friends as they shared stories and chatted. The parents and staff made the most of "the Black Stuff" as they quickly got to know each other.

The boys were told to get a good nights rest and be down for breakfast for around 8am. It was quite worrying to get down to find two of the boys in their all-in-one teddy night suits - there were clearly worrying times ahead. Most of the boys had been up since the crack of dawn in eager anticipation of the day ahead. Breakfast was just what was needed, with a selection of white and black pudding followed by a full fry up - it certainly beat school breakfasts! After the short team meeting the boys clambered onto the bus looking very smart in their pink tops. The team arrived at Blackrock College which is the starting point for many of Irelands finest rugby players.

With over 200 boys in each year group, we were always going to be in for a tough match. Training started with a host of prying eyes checking out the English competition. Moves were worked out and the boys put through their paces in preparation for the afternoon game. We were told that the college had not lost a game at under 11 age for some years. We were put on a postage stamp size pitch with a vast crowd closing in on the boys. The game started at a frantic pace, but a quick score for the Lambs soon settled nerves. The Irish play 5m back from each break down which made life hard. However, some intense work at the break down led to another score. In typical Irish fashion, they came back with all guns blazing. We soon found the scores tied with minutes remaining. The Irish coaches were on the pitch and at one point we even thought they were going to make some tackles. Some great back play by the Lambs resulted in a try with 2 added minutes already played. The Irish then managed to find an extra 4 minutes past the 22 already played, but it was not enough as the Lambs beat Willow Park 15-10. You have never seen a pitch empty so quickly after the match as we were left standing in an empty school without another sole to be seen!

After the game, the boys headed off for the eagerly anticipated tour of the Aviva Stadium. It was great to see where the professionals play and have a good look at their dressing rooms - hopefully some of our team might be seen there in years to come!

The next day was the tournament at St Michaels College. We were warmly welcomed to the College where there was a four team tournament. The opening game was against a local club side who found themselves 25-0 at half time. We struggled to weaken the team to help prevent a further onslaught as there were so many strong players on the bench. The Lambs ended up winning 50-5.

The second game was not much different as another local club side found the going incredibly tough going. The tackling was ferocious by the Lambs as four opposition players were taken off injured. The opposition coach finally called a halt to the game at half time as he said that he had never come across such a talented and hard hitting team. It was some compliment but disappointing that the game could not continue.

The final game was against the hosts, St Michaels College who were equally matched in size. The game got off at a frantic pace with mistakes a plenty under the pressure of strong tackling from both sides. The Lambs made the opening score with a darting try from the scrum half. St Michaels bounced back instantly with a well worked team try. With a large crowd encouraging both teams, the intensity rose. The Lambs seemed to cope better with the pressure with a wonderful team try which went through numerous forward phases before being finished off with some slick handling by the backs and a try in the corner to win the match and the tournament.

After the match ended, the hospitality at St Michaels was wonderful. Their mums and supporters laid on a superb spread of food and drink as the players from both sides mingled and discussed the days events. The tour sadly had to come to an end. With a host of goodbyes and farewells, some of the players and parents departed for the airport, whilst some followed the coaches towards Croke Park for some Hurling and Gaelic Footbal.

Player of the tour was given to Ross Hanekom from the Beacon. I would also like to say a big thank you to for the help of the other coaches - Mr Callun and Mr Waldrop who were both fantastic in the support with the coaching and care of the boys whilst also being great fun! Also a big thank you to the parents who were extremely relaxed and great company whilst propping up the hotel bar. The boys mixed well together and were a lot of fun around the hotel, along with being incredibly talented and slick on the rugby field. We look forward to seeing some of the boys again over the next couple of years with the under 13 Independent Schools Rugby.

Jason Hyatt - Tour Leader

Squad : James Cherry (Taverham), William Cook (Thomas' Clapham) ,Tommy Freeman (Culford) ,Alfie Gibson (Millfield) ,Thomas Goode (St Benedicts) ,Ross Hanekom (The Beacon) ,Dan Harding (The Beacon) Leo Higham St Martin's Ampleforth ,Alastair Llewellyn-Palmer (Cheltenham) ,Charles Pargeter (Bronte House) ,Andre Robson (St Martin's Ampleforth) ,William Sinfield (Shrewsbury House) Harry Williams (Lambrook) ,Matt Williams (Monkton) ,Oliver Udy (Norwich) ,Jack van Poortvliet (Taverham)