First Road Trip a Success

With 28 willing players it was always going to be a difficult day for the coaches to get the balance right, Brighton had 21 players so only had minimal disruption to their team.
The starting team for Ravens conceded two soft tries as a result of defensive errors and the day looked a bit bleak; but then the team got going and began to dominate the game. A try by Tom Ellis was converted by Harry Rabjohn and after the first 20 minutes Ravens were down 10-7.
In the 3rd Period the starting team took to field again and promptly carried on where they had left off running in 3 tries from Tom Ellis, Harry Rabjohn and Samuel Rushent; Harry Rabjohn converted all three to give them a 28-10 moral victory over Brighton. Forwards and backs combined well to dominate the game after the early errors. Huw Bones committed to the tackle throughout but unfortunately left the field after another brave tackle went a bit wrong and he broke his collar bone. George Smith relished breaking from the base of the scrum and the number 8 pick up worked well for us especially when supported by the wing forwards. Still need to get our lineouts sorted out to exploit the tactical opportunities it gives.
The 2nd and 4th periods exposed that whilst Ravens have a large squad the ability in depth is lacking. That said a number of players showed that they are in contention for A Team Squad places. Christian Osborn and Johnny Lewis have stepped up a level this season and newcomer Shaun Bland showed promise. Chris Denham took on the responsibility at Fly Half. Ben Wheeler committed to extra pitch time and was rewarded with a try. Euan Archbold, Ed Bell, Joe Wilkinson and Finlay Daly also boosted the team but Brighton were just two strong scoring 55 points to their 5 in those two periods. Olly Webb did well playing out of position but the team lacked shape and were exposed repeatedly on the wings.
Coaching session next week at Gosport Park to try an address the issues raised today before we get into the games against our local rivals.

Big thank you to Taff Hosell for laying on the bus for the trip along the coast.

Teams thoughts are with Huw wishing him a strong and complete recovery.