Match report - U11s v Belper (H)

An unseasonably warm morning down at the Stute set the stage nicely for an absorbing encounter between the under 11s from Ilkeston and Belper. Twenty four hours beforehand the home side looked likely to have nobody to play; thankfully the visitors were able to quickly rally the troops allowing a game to go ahead that challenged both teams.

Kicking off in misty conditions, the Ilkeston players immediately knew they were in for a tough morning as Belper quickly began to demonstrate their numerous attacking threats. Through a combination of gifted young athletes with envious speed and evasion, strong and abrasive ball carriers, and intelligent ball handlers, the home side found themselves facing the toughest challenge they’ve encountered all season.

The theme for the morning was self-organisation, as the players were asked to lead their own conversations in huddles. The Ilkeston coaches had been challenged not to shout instructions during the game, to observe from different positions, and to have substitute players run ‘Mission Control’ to feedback what they saw on the pitch to help solve problems. After seeing the boys under the pump so soon during the game, the inevitable feeling that this may not have been the best morning to try and develop these important cognitive skills was palpable amongst the coaching team.

After some honest observations within the playing group, the second half of the game saw a marked improvement. The desire to complete tackles, the urgency to clear rucks, and the intent to go forward with the ball went up several notches which placed some pressure onto the away team for the first time all morning. Both sides played some terrific rugby at times, showing intent to move the ball to players in space through early passing or well thought out offloads. The game remained very physical throughout with several crunching tackles made by players from both teams often stopping certain players in their tracks who are used to using their size or agility to break tackles with ease.

The game ended under glorious early spring sunshine with some well worked tries for both Ilkeston and Belper. After the final whistle, the coaches from both teams agreed that the game had been advantageous for both sets of players as it had provided them with their respective sternest tests to date.

The post game reflections from both players and parents suggested that the intent to develop self-organisation was deemed a success. The regular pre-game routine is for the coaches to lead conversations and get the players revved up mentally, and during the game instructions, observations and questions around the technical and tactical aspects are very much coach-led. Had the coaches stuck to the script it’s possible that the game could have looked somewhat different. However, for those who watched the Wales v England Six Nations game on Saturday, it was clear that when plan A was no longer going to cut it, the ability of the England players to effectively change their style of play was found absolutely wanting. Putting young rugby players in scenarios in which they struggle and have to find their own plan B could not be more important. From that perspective, seeing the Ilkeston team show resilience, stick together as a team in adversity, and find ways of adapting to the questions being asked was more pleasing to the coaching team than running in several unanswered tries will ever be.
Awards this week were given to the following players:

Oren Brambley – creative genius – on a day in which several problems needed solving, and during a game in which ‘Ozzy’ struggled by his usual standards going forward and in defence, it was awesome to see an exquisite miss pass to a player out wide in space who went in untouched. The conversations he was having with his team mates in Mission Control were by all accounts very intelligent.

Dennie Green – defensive warrior – week after week this young man demonstrates that the size of the body means very little when you have the biggest heart in the team. All game Dennie flew into rucks and tackles, putting Belper players under pressure at scrums, breakdowns and in open play. Captain on the day, he exemplified how to lead by example.

Matt Briddon – attacking weapon – one of the brightest lights on a tough day for this young Ilkeston team, everything good on attack usually revolved around Matt. Always elusive with ball in hand, he continues to demonstrate his understanding of the sport with some intelligent kicking, ball distribution and positioning off the ball.

Spencer Doherty – had work hero – the archetypal confidence player, this morning’s game saw Spencer make a number of solid early tackles that laid the foundations for an industrious performance. During a game that saw Ilkeston go for long periods without the ball, Spencer got through a mountain of work defensively and was always on hand in attack to support ball carriers and make big meterage with ball in hand.

Next Sunday has Ilkeston playing at home again, with Burton the visitors. Always a tough test, the coaches hope to work on a few areas around the tackle and breakdown on Wednesday night to help the players better regain and retain possession so they can showcase their impressive attacking talents.

Thanks to the parent group who as ever demonstrated role model touchline behaviour. Particular praise goes to Paul Scully and Paul Gant for the observations they shared with the players after the game.