Whitstable U14s 10 vs. 10 Folkestone U14s

These two teams have met twice already this season, Folkestone edging a close game at home and then Whitstable earning a more comfortable victory at their own ground a week later. So this third fixture had the feeling of a season decider. It was a cold, grey and wet January morning in Whitstable but both teams served up a display of passionate and committed Rugby that warmed supporters’ hearts.

Facing up to a physically much larger and heavier Whitstable pack, it was actually the ‘Stones pack that started better. Winning two turnovers within the first few minutes with some determined rucking, the visitors immediately had Whitstable on the back foot. Indeed the first ten to fifteen minutes were dominated by Folkestone, with Whitstable defending stoutly in their own 22. James Porter was causing problems with his pace as was centre Sid Gurung with his powerful and direct running.

The concern for visiting supporters though, was that all this pressure had not yet been converted in to points. More than once, ‘Stones did not make the best of their field position, with wayward passes not going to hand or momentum lost by running sideways rather than straight through the defence. Whitstable were starting to give away some penalties though, as ‘Stones kept the pressure on.

Full-back Cameron Sanders caught yet another defensive clearance kick superbly and his scything return run took him within sight of the line. This time the ball made its way to left wing Sam Baker, who beat two defenders to score a well-deserved try. The conversion was missed but ‘Stones were on top at 0-5 up.

From the kick-off though, it was the home side’s turn to start exerting pressure. Making use of their much larger forwards, they began battering the ‘Stones defensive line. Some committed tackling kept them at bay, not least from Sam Baker who once again distinguished himself, this time showing his defensive skills with a great tackle to stop one of the big Whitstable forwards in their tracks.

The remainder of the half saw some determined play from both sides, with neither able to take the upper hand. Cold hands and a wet ball inevitably resulted in a lot of handling errors and a lot of scrums, where the home side’s big pack had the edge. In terms of commitment if not execution though, Folkestone were putting in one of their best performances of the season and deservedly made it to half time with their slender lead intact.

The second half was a tight as the first. This time however, it was Whitstable who managed to get the score. The home side have a dangerous fly half and for once given space to run and with some sloppy tackling, he was able to break through the ‘Stones defence and score in the right corner. Again the try was unconverted, so the score was as even as the match at 5-5.

Folkestone then suffered a major blow as one of their most influential players, number eight Jack Lord, had to leave the field with a broken finger. At this point they were subjected to extreme pressure, with a series of scrums on their own 5 metre line. However they continued to show great spirit and determination in defence as well as a lot of potential in attack. It was this potential that was rewarded when Folkestone at last managed to get the ball wide to right wing Charlie Green, with some space to run. Demonstrating what speed he has, Charlie ran three quarters of the length of the field, outpacing the home defence to score Folkestone’s second try. Again this was unconverted but Folkestone’s 5-10 lead was just reward for their guts and determination.

This match was too close for this to be the final word though. Credit to the home side for showing equal determination as they again went on the attack. This time it was ‘Stones turn to give away penalties as their defence battled to restrain the powerful Whitstable forwards. Folkestone showed great heart and character as they defended repeated scrums on their own 5-metre line. Meanwhile Whitstable probably considered themselves unlucky as they crossed the Folkestone try line more than once, only for heroic ‘Stones defence to hold them up.

The pressure finally had to tell though and it was no surprise when Whitstable finally managed to breach the visitors’ defence for a second try. There was some consolation for Folkestone though, in that Whitstable were only able to score in the corner, making the resultant conversion more difficult. It was duly missed and the scores were level at 10-10.

With both sides looking tired the final whistle went, prompting generous applause from both sets of supporters. At times the play may have been scrappy and there were more than a few handling errors. However the energy and bravery of both sides could not be faulted and I doubt anyone would dispute that a draw was a fair result. Despite the weather, this was a great game to watch, between two closely-matched sides that have developed a compelling rivalry over the last few seasons.

Roll on next season!