Nailsea & Backwell U16 v Gordano U16

Gordano travelled to N&B with 8 players missing through injury, illness and holidays and knew they were in for a contest against a big and strong team playing at home and playing good rugby.

N&B offered a player to Gordano to bring them up to 15 showing the spirit the game should be played in. Gordano's style of fifteen man rugby allows forwards to slot into the backs when needed and back-row players Ed Magromalis and Jacob Clements volunteered to play in the centre and both did a great job in the unfamiliar role allowing the wings into the game regularly and providing a strong contest at the midfield tackles. Of the players out of preferred positions was Sid Vining at hooker whose loose play and throwing in at lineouts was exemplary,

With N&B playing down the slope in the first half only totally committed defending kept them at bay during a long period of pressure in Gordanos 22. Every single player put their body on the line but standout tackling performances by prop Morgan Stockford and flanker Finn Lyndon-Jenkins led the way well supported by prop Jayden Brown. On the back of the tackles, great awareness at the breakdown by Ethan Sefton, Ben Harris and Connor Adams allowed Gordano to regularly steal the ball. Gordano always had ambition to run the ball and scrum half James Hawkins combined well with Macie King at fly half and the centres Ed and JC to give wings Matt Eichenberger and Connor King the chance to break away several times with only great scramble defence from N&B stopping scores. With 25 minutes gone a counter ruck by Gordano forwards won the ball and with the ball moved swiftly along the back line to full back Leon Paul in his own 22 he beat three defenders to run the length of the pitch, converted by Macie from in front of the posts making it 0-7 to Gordano. With a couple of minutes to go N&B inside centre took a crash ball on the Gordano 10m line and ran powerfully through to score under the posts, converted to make it 7-7 at half time.

The first ten minutes of the second half continued in the same vane but clever play by the N&B 15 on the right hand side of the Gordano 22 drew defenders to give the wing a run into the corner to make it 12-7. N&B kept up the pressure on Gordano with a series of scrums in the Gordano 22, with Gordanos chances to relieve the pressure being lost through rushing the pass after hard fought turnovers. This lead to one of the big N&B forwards going over the line and being held up but the Gordano players thought they heard a whistle and so released him to touch down for a converted try to make it 19-7. Gordano's spirit and determination shone through and with forwards and backs combining Ed Magromalis took the ball on a great line on the half way line and just beat three chasing defenders over the line, converted by Macie to make it 19-14. Good defensive pressure and line speed from Gordano defending just outside their own 22 on the left forced a mistake from N&B and the ball was picked up by Matt Eichenberger who won the sprint to the line, converted by Macie to put Gordano back in the lead 19-21. Gordano kept a focus and stuck with the game plan to move ball away from the contact and following a turnover by Connor Adams, the ball was moved to wing Connor King who again went through and stepped the last defender to score under the posts, converted by Macie to give Sharks a 19-28 lead with 8 minutes left. N&B via a series of pick and go's made it over the line on the right 15m in from touch, well converted to make it 26-28 and a tense final 3 minutes but again good defence from Sharks kept the lead to the final whistle.

Every Gordano player put their body on the line and was shattered at the end, but pleased with the excellent performance and the result.