Windsor U17's v Saltash National Shield Semi-Final
11th March 2007by Dr FT Bosh
The listing was posted by Windsor RFC - Juniors - u17s become colts - Season 07/08
The Windsor U17 Squad after the game.
The Windsor U17’s were on the road again this weekend and travelled to Yeovil to meet Saltash RFC, who had travelled up from Cornwall, for the Semi Finals of the National Shield Competition, held at the neutral Ivel Barbarian’s ground.
The match was a titanic struggle between two sides with different strengths. Windsor were rapier like in the three-quarters with fast, incisive running and an imaginative variation that always looked dangerous. Saltash, on the other hand, had a pack that were, man for man, bigger than the Windsor forwards and played with almost flawless technique to this strength. The game could have gone either way, but in the end you can’t beat the laws of physics. Following a thrilling 60 minutes of play, that saw Windsor just in front, the Saltash pack took control of the ball and Windsor just did not have the leverage or weight to take it back. The Cornish side secured the game with a pushover try that will put a spring in their forward’s coach step every time he thinks about it.
On a windy day, it was first blood to Windsor when a bit of “ping pong” kicking between the three-quarters left fly half Ben Tindall in space with the wind at his back. His deft chip ahead hung in the air long enough for him to race onto the friendly bounce. He was now 20 yards out and at full pace. He broke the full-back’s tackle and went in to score under the posts to give Jonnie Whithead an easy conversion.
The restart went badly for Windsor, when prop Marc Williams was felled after securing the kick and was taken off with a fractured clavicle. Saltash came back strongly at Windsor, who were unfortunate enough to be on the wrong end of the referee establishing his authority at the break down. Several penalties later Saltash were deep in Windsor’s 22 and a determined drive from their big No 8 netted them 5 points.
Windsor returned to the fray with no less determination and a solid defensive tackle from Whitehead gave Caspar Hughes and his pack a chance to ruck the ball out. Tom Bates at scrum half whipped the ball out to Tindall who took a lateral line. With no runners taking straight lines, he cut up field and broke through the Saltash line and over to score a superb solo effort, converted by Whitehead. Unfortunately, more penalties brought Saltash back into the Windsor 22. With their loose play looking reasonably secure, Saltash pounded the Windsor line with pick and gos and pop passes to forward runners. Try saving tackles from Bates, Peter Lewis at No 8 and Sam Turner were ultimately negated when Saltash drove over for their second try.
By now Saltash knew where their best chance of success was and they played to it. Their technique and communication in the loose was first-rate, but it was slow going. Shiv Khara, Joe Baker and Lewis Woolman all made bone-jarring tackle after bone-jarring tackle and, when the ball came out beyond the first receiver, Whitehead and Charlie Irons were not found wanting in the centre. But however tough and slow it might have been, it was progress none the less. Disappointingly it was another penalty that broke up Windsor’s defensive pattern and the Saltash second row smashed his way over for another unconverted score from 8 yards out, just before half time.
Windsor had only been able to bring 3 subs for this fixture and this frailty now began to show. Bradley Lema came on for Sam Turner and James Farrant came on for Tom Bates, leaving Windsor nothing in reserve. Saltash, however, seemed to have an entire second pack on the bench. But the Windsor forwards tore into Saltash from the restart and reclaimed their own kick off. With some of the Saltash pack out in the line expecting a three-quarter move Windsor piled the pressure on. A 20 metre drive of their own was eventually stopped and Farrant got the ball out. Whitehead’s step inside was sublime and took him through Saltash’s primary defence’s. From the Saltash 10 yard line, he handed off the covering flanker, swerved past the fullback and scored under the posts. He then converted his own score.
Windsor were now just ahead and the game entered an incredibly tense period. Every possession saw Saltash trying to get the ball into a driving maul and Windsor trying to get it away from contact. Such was the threat of the Windsor three-quarters that Saltash set up a driving maul in their own 22. But huge pressure from Adam Sloane broke the maul up and the Saltash fly half kicked deep into Windsor’s 22. Full back Richie Eccles caught the ball on the full and only had one thought on his mind, to sprint up field and re-connect with the other three-quarters. Linking with James Barth, the pugnacious Windsor winger broke three tackles before setting up a ruck. But just as the ball was coming out Windsor’s way the referee saw something he was unhappy about and the chance to counter-attack was lost.
Saltash took every opportunity to press their forward advantage and another series of driving mauls, interspersed with pick and go moves, pushed Windsor deep in to their own 22. Heroic tackling from Jamie Curtis and Jack Foran kept Saltash out, but once again with their discipline, technique and weight advantage the Saltash drives were inexorable and Windsor had to concede 2 push over tries in the last 5 minutes, to lose the game by 6 points
When the referee blew for full time, the Saltash joy and bitter disappointment for Windsor was writ large for all to see. This was a truly sporting clash that kept the supporters of both sides on tenterhooks until the very end. Saltash will go on to meet local rivals Liskeard in the final.
Ivel Barbarian’s RFC were superb hosts and our thanks go to June in the kitchen and Andy who let us have a CD of pictures taken during the match. During the post Six Nation’s England victory over France speeches by both coaches, the Saltash headcoach let slip his nautical roots when he said that “Windsor had scared the ship out of them” (At least I think he said ship) and we wished them well for the final.
All that remained now was to wait for Marc’s return from Yeovil General, award the “Man of the Match” to Jack Foran and head off back to Windsor to consider a Cornish Pastie based diet for the pack.
Result:
Windsor 21 Saltash 27
Scorers:
Trys: Tindall (2), Whitehead.
Conversions: Whitehead (3)
For more pictures of this game - please see the Photo Gallery page