The Jaguars continued their excellent run of form, finishing the season strongly and recording their 7th win out of the last 8 games (with the other game drawn).. They scored 84 tries in those last 8 games! It was particularly pleasing to finish the season with a good win against the old foe the Wests Crocs at the cage.

Our men started very strongly, racing out to a 20 nil lead half way through the first half. However they faded in the second part of that half and the Crocs showed great determination and scored some classy tries to claw their way back to level pegging at the break. Scoring highlights:

• After a great series of attacks from the Jaguars and the forwards blowing over the ruck in text book fashion, Jack put Josh in to space to score from close range.
• Again, the forwards delivered quality ball to half back Jack who put Owen into space sprinting for the corner to score. Jaguars 10 Crocs 0.
• More hard running from the Jaguars. Jamie got caught just shy of the line laid the ball back well and Owen picked up and drove over for his second try. Jaguars 15 Crocs 0.
• Again, the men recycled the ball quickly Alisana got tackled well, Owen scooted in and over Jaguars 20 Crocs 0.
• From a halfway scrum the Crocs got the ball out to their backs and they out-flanked the Jags to score a classy try. Jaguars 20 Crocs 5.
• Pressure from the Crocs saw them score again, Jaguars 20 Crocs 10.
• The Jaguars stood back at the breakdown, the Crocs stole the ball away and ran in to score a try. Jaguars 20 Crocs 15.
• Another Crocs try!!!! Jaguars 20 Crocs 20.

A stern halftime talk about the importance of doing the basics right resulted in a much more consistent second half performance:

• Owen scored his fourth try in the left hand corner after a great forward drive. Jaguars 25 Crocs 20.
• Ollie scored after several waves of excellent attack. Jaguars 30, Crocs 20.
• After sustained pressure and several waves of attack from the forwards, Matt E scored an excellent try on the right hand side, Jaguars 35 Crocs 20.
• Owen scores his fifth try Jaguars 40 Crocs 20.
• Ben from the Crocs scored a good quality long range try, Jaguars 40 Crocs 25.
• After a good clearing kick close on our line from Matthew Scoble, Caleb broke free. The forwards recycled the ball quickly then Owen charged again and after a further recycle, Ollie scored an excellent team try – Jaguars 45 Crocs 25.
• The Crocs Will scores a long-range try. Jaguars 45 Crocs 30.
• Alisana scored a controversial try (can't remember why it was controversial but thats what my notes say!).
• Koteri for the Crocs scores
• The Crocs score a long range try Jaguars 50 Crocs 40.

The later part of the half featured long periods of excellent defence on the Jaguars line. Ollie plays the apple move and our men drive from one end of the field to the other very nearly scoring and then the full time whistle goes.

Result: Wests 50 Crocs 40

Tries: Owen (5 – an outstanding contribution), Josh, Ollie (2), Matt E, Alisana

Players of the day: Jack, Matt S, Alisana, Liam

The Jaguars continued their very good run of form, against the Johnsonville Cougars on Saturday taking out the game 40 points to 20. This was a significant result, given that when we played the Cougars in May they comprehensively out performed us to win 40 points to five. The reversal in the way we played and therefore the result was very pleasing indeed. The Cougars were missing a couple of their better players however I do not think that even if they had been present that would have made a difference – our men across the paddock played with accuracy and determination. Also Jamie (first half) and Fraser (second half) selflessly agreed to play for the Cougars and turned in strong performances.

Scoring highlights in the first half:

A great run from Alisana saw the Jaguars on attack early. Johnsonville soon returned the favour and moved to the Jaguars half. However, the Jags blew over in text book fashion at the ruck. Ollie picked up from the base and after a great jinking run fending off three defenders he crashed through the Johnsonville line to score.

• Matt Scoble chased the kickoff hard, secured the ball and then freed to Josh who scored the first of his tries after shrugging off several tackles
• Johnsonville first five kicked to clear from close to his own line. His forwards ran through hard and recycled the ball in excellent fashion to score a good team try.
• A good offload in the tackle saw Johnsonville score again.
• Johnsonville took the lead for the first time in slightly controversial fashion after it appeared their forwards had handled the ball in the ruck. However their halfback cleared and their backline worked efficiently to get the ball to their wing who scored a classy try on the outside.
• A great try to Alisana who sprinted to the corner to score.
• Super play by the Jaguars saw Josh skip away down the sideline to score.
• Good continuity from the Jaguars saw them go the length of the field for Josh to score.

Our men were excited at the half time break. The coaches emphasised the need for them to maintain their composure and to continue to play accurately and hit the tackles hard.

Scoring highlights in the second half:

• Superb passing along the Jaguars backline following a line out saw Alisana score in the corner.
• The Jaguars recycled in textbook fashion the backline worked superbly and Josh dotted down in the corner.
• Johnsonville try.
• Alisana scored after more good build up work from the forwards.

Result: Jaguars 40 Johnsonville 20.

Try scorers: Ollie, Josh (4), Alisana (3)

Player of the day: this was another difficult choice for the coaches. Everyone had a strong game and several players had their best game of the season. Josh scored four hard charging tries, Alisana scored three excellent tries, Matt S played his best attacking game of the season, the forwards all played with accuracy and commitment. However, edging the others out by a nose for some excellent work in the tight and several hard charging runs was birthday boy George Parker.

The Jaguars played it right down to the wire today, beating the Poneke Slammers 45 / 40 with a try in the very last second of the match.

We did not play the first half to the best of our ability. We played too much as individuals, with the forwards neglecting to drive over the ball and recycle good quality possession, with the result that we turned the ball over too many times. In the backs, we did not replicate the excellent vision and offloading that we displayed against Johnsonville in our previous game; instead too many times we ran as individuals and became isolated. The result was that the scores were tied at 20 / 20 at half time, whereas if we had played to our potential we could have had a significant lead.

Scoring highlights from the first half were:

• From a ten metre lineout, a good passing move by the backs saw Matt Edwards score in the corner.
• A loose pass from the Jaguars backline saw Poneke pounce on the loose ball to score.
• From a five metre attacking scrum, Ollie ran hard and crashed over for a try.
• From another scrum, Ollie stepped off his left foot to dot down again.
• From the kickoff Poneke sprinted around the cover to score.
• From the Poneke lineout a cut back saw the home team score in the corner.
• Poneke scored after some weak tackling from the Jaguars
• Good defence by the Jags saw Jack rip the ball free and score in the tackle.

Both teams performed better in the second half. The Jaguars played more as a team, maintained continuity of possession better and created better space on the outside to score some more constructive team tries. For Poneke, some individual performances stood out with two of their larger and more rangy players scoring some very good individual tries. The difference between the teams came down to the very last second of the match. Highlights were:

• One of the big fast Poneke backs ran around our backs to score and take the lead for the first time. Poneke 25 / 20.
• From a penalty near the Jaguars line, Caleb showed his pace and strength to sprint all the way to score.
• Some great determined play by the Jaguars saw Owen drive over for a try.
• The Jaguars lost the ball in the tackle and Poneke sprinted away to score.
• Poneke try
• Ineffective tackling on our side saw Poneke score another try and extend their lead to 40 / 30 with three minutes to go.
• From a Jaguars attacking lineout Ollie broke through at pace and with anger to score
• Good work at the tackle saw the Jaguars rip the ball free and put Josh in space on the outside to sprint and score in the right hand corner.
• An excellent team try for the Jaguars right on full time. A series of mauls were driven from about half way right up to the Poneke try line. The referee warned the Jaguars to use it or lose it, and just as he was about to blow the whistle with the ball all tied up, Jack wrestled the ball clear and crashed over the line to score an emotionally charged and decisive try right on full time.

Result: Jaguars 45 Poneke 40

Try scorers: Ollie (3), Jack (2), Matt Edwards, Caleb, Owen, Josh

The Jaguars put on their most comprehensive performance of the season today, beating the Johnsonville Steelers 70 points to 20 at Alex Moore Park. Scoring highlights were:

The Jaguars hit the front after only one minute. After great work form Caleb in the tight, Owen grabbed the ball from the base of the ruck and nipped in for an opportunistic try. Johnsonville hit back quickly, scoring a try in the corner. But a few minutes later we were in again - after great mauling from the Jaguars the ball was released to Caleb who showed a clean pair of heels to score in the corner. Jaguars 10 Johnsonville 5.

Owen backed up again with a quick ball from the base of the scrum. Caleb ran hard and straight then released to Alisana who utilised the overlap to score. Jaguars 15 Johnsonville 5.

A superb run from Munro and a great offload to Alisana allowed him to score his second try in quick succession, this time in the other corner. Jaguars 20 Johnsonville 5.

Excellent recycling from the forwards enabled Owen to dodge and weave to score a brilliant individual tr. Jaguars 25 Johnsonville 5.

A super run from Ollie led to a high tackle penalty from which Caleb showed his pace to score. Jaguars 30 Johnsonville 5.

George scored a great team try for Johnsonville. Jaguars 30 Johnsonville 10.

Good recycling of the forwards again enabled Owen to feed Ollie, who put Alisana into an overlap and he scored an excellent try. Jaguars 35 Johnsonville 10.

Josh chased the kick off, collected and scored a brilliant individual try. Jaguars 40 Johnsonville 10.

From a five metre scrum, the ball went to Josh at first five who stepped the defence to score his second try in quick succession. Jaguars 45 Johnsonville 10.

Johnsonville scored the next two tries to take the score to Jaguars 45 Johnsonville 20.

Caleb collects the kickoff and sprints around the defence to score. He backs up quickly by stealing the ball from the ruck and sprinting to the corner before Ollie picks up to score. Jaguars 55 Johnsonville 20.

The Jaguars steal the ball from the ruck and Josh runs the length of the field to score. Jaguars 60 Johnsonville 20.

The referee unbelievably (according to the correspondent) calls an accidental offside against Johnsonville.

From a penalty on half way Alisana heads for the corner. You know the rest. Jaguars 65 – Johnsonville 20.

From a line out Alisana releases in the tackle to Josh who scores in the corner. Jaguars 70 Johnsonville 20.

All up a fantastic team effort from the Jaguars on attack and defense. The highlight was the offloading and passing in the tackle.

Result: Jaguars 70 Johnsonville 20

Tri scorers; Alisana (4), Josh (4), Caleb (3), Owen (2) Ollie (1).

Player of the day: Owen for two great tries, some outstanding tackling and for selflessly playing for Johnsonville in the second half.

Our boys had a tough and committed game against Poneke today. The forward exchanges were tight and tough and, with no reserves available, all our men did very well to get through 50 minutes of hard work.  Overall our men played very well. They mauled well, wrestling hard for the ball. Fraser, Jamie, George and Billy were in there the whole time, and Munro put in one of his best performances of the season. Owen ran the backline well in Jack's absence - calling the set moves and making some good chip kicks. He was ably supported by Ollie, Liam, Caleb and Josh who ran hard and straight all day. As a result we scored some excellent tries. 

Our defence was outstanding at times, typified by a try saving tackle from Josh down the left wing after he chased his opposite nearly the length of the field. The one area where Poneke got the better of us was in the rucks, where they drove over the ball well and, with a few exceptions which resulted in penalties, they did very well at staying on their feet and snatching our ball off the deck. They also finished very well, clawing their way back from 30-10 down to take a well deserved draw 30-30

Our scorers were:

Owen: darted from the base of the scrum to notch the first try

Caleb: ran the length of the field to score a great individual try

Ollie: scored a bustling try after Owen called banana at scrum 15 metres out from the Poneke line

Caleb: again from a penalty 15 metres out

Ollie: pounced on a loose ball and sprinted round the outside to score

Josh: got a loose ball and sprinted 25 metres to just score in the corner as he was felled in a n excellent tackle

Player of the day: Munro

Thank you to Russell for taking pre game drills and the all important game notes

The Jaguars came back strongly from the week off, with a hard earned and well deserved win 40-20 over the Wellington Axemen at Prince of Wales. The boys were not put off by a late change of venue away from the very heavy Ian Galloway. Conditions under foot at PoW were surprisingly good. We all arrived in good time and were well warmed up and into our work while the Axemen were still arriving in 1s and 2s. The Axemen won the toss and elected to play with the wind in the first half. The kickoff went long but was gathered expertly by Kaleb who ran hard down the left flank and scored with only 10 seconds showing on the clock. An outstanding start - Jags 5-0. 

The shoe was well and truly on the other foot 30 seconds later however. Wellington received cleanly from the kickoff, the ball was short passed to their rangy lock forward and she ran the length of the field to score. 5-5 

The teams traded territory and possession for the next two minutes before our boys had the chance to call Magnet 1, a move we practiced for the first time on Wednesday. Jags scrum, Jack feeds Matt S then doubles round to receive the ball back. Quick pass to Owen and he scores. Super move that. Jaguars 10-5 

From the kickoff the ball goes deep into Wellington territory. They defend desperately but the Jags shut it down over the try line. From the resulting 5m scrum Jack feeds Matt E on the blind and he bolts over for the score. Jags 15-5 

Both sets of forwards are committed at the break down and the tight exchanges are hard fought as both teams seek to press the advantage. Fraser, Billy and Munro get a drive on, Jack wrestles the ball free. We take it through a series of mauls after strong runs from Kaleb, Matt S and George. After making 20 metres up field Jack clears to Ollie who puts Alisana into space and he races in expertly for the try. Jaguars 20-5 

Wellington goes into a tight defensive mode and the next 3 minutes are further enthralling tight exchanges. From a maul Jack passes to George who pins his ears back and bolts down the left wing. He gets agonisingly close to the try line before being bundled out in the corner in a desperate and try saving tackle. From the lineout the Jags forwards drive Wellington over their try line. The ref oddly awards a 5m scrum to the Axemen who drive the ball away from their line. It is another 5 minutes before the next opportunity to score presents itself, with the game tight and tense. Some great tackling from our men denies the Axemen any further score but equally committed defense from them prevents us from getting any further ahead. Finally the deadlock is broken when Ollie darts away from a scrum close to the Wellington line, slices through the Wellington backline like a knife through the tasty cheese muffin I enjoyed after the game and dotted down. Jaguars 25-5 

Its back into a tight wrestling match as the forwards go at it again. Its absorbing stuff, broken eventually when Wellington score a long range try with 20 minutes on the clock. Jags 25-10 

From the restart Wellington gather and drive forward hard. Ollie does superbly to rip the ball away and makes 10 metres back the other way. Billy picks and runs from the resulting ruck and feeds Matt E who threads two defenders before scoring a well constructed try. Jags 30-10 

The Jags mount one more attack wave with time running out for the first half. Fraser, Kaleb, Alisana and Josh all handle before Matt E is fed and again charges the line only to be desperately unlucky by losing the ball forward in the act of scoring. With that the whistle goes to end an absorbing first half with both teams having played well but the Jags making better use of their opportunities to go into the break with a good lead. Refreshed and rejuvenated after Josh's halftime oranges, we kicked off the second half strongly. The ball went loose from a maul and Matt E hacked it ahead. Committed defence from Wellington led to a series of mauls where they retained possession well and then broke from their own 22 running the length of the field and scoring an opportune try. Jaguars 30-15 

Wellington was also next to score, after 9 minutes. After a series of 5m attacking scrums we lost possession, Wellington fed their rangy forward and she again ran most of the length of the field to score, brushing off some poor tackles from our men in the process. Jaguars 30-20 

It was another 9 minutes of close encounters before the next try was scored. Wellington fed a scrum on half way. Matt E intercepted the half back's pass and pinned his ears back only to be bundled into touch mere centimetres before the try line. Wellington knocked the ball on from the resulting lineout - Jaguars scrum. With Roger shouting wait, wait, wait, wait, wait from the side line, Ollie waited patiently at first five with good depth while Jack fed the scrum. Jamie got a good strike and the ball came back nicely. Jack fed Ollie coming off his line at pace and he strolled right through the defence to score a good team try. Jaguars 35-20 

Finally, Jack ripped the ball from the opposition maul for about the 10th time and showed a clean pair of heels to score right on full time. Jaguars 40-20 

This was a good team performance all round. The forwards mauled and rucked well, Munro had several excellent runs with the ball in hand, the backs played some excellent moves getting really good width at times such that although large parts of the game were close and tight the result was never seriously in doubt Well done Matt E player of the day for some excellent play both on attack and defence, scored 2 very good tries and nearly at least one more. 

Result: Jaguars 40, Wellington Axemen 20 

Tries: Kaleb, Owen, Alisana, Ollie (2), Matt E (2), Jack 

Player of the day: Matt Edwards

The boys started strongly, scoring their first try in the first minute after a series of attacking waves involving several players. Kaleb dashed from the base of a ruck and fed Owen, who made good ground.  Putting in to play one of the moves we had practiced in the past few weeks, Owen then cleared to Kaleb who had doubled round on the outside and he bolted away to score. Jaguars 5 - 0.

The game then tightened and the play ebbed and flowed across the field, though the Jags were largely camped in the opposition's half. The MSP first five cleared from near his line, Ollie gathered, ran hard and fed Owen on the outside. Showing great upper body strength and determination, Owen wrestled the ball across the line and dotted down. Jaguars 10 - 0.

Shortly after, Ollie ran down the flank and fed Kaleb, who sprinted down the left to score an excellent individual try. Jaguars 15 - 0.

Two minutes later, the ball was hacked ahead in loose play. Ollie gathered and scored. Jaguars 20 - 0.

The Jags were very much on top by this stage with the forwards recycling well and the team tackling soundly. MSP rarely got into our half. Kaleb, playing very strongly, picked and went from the base of a maul, wrestled his way over in the tackle and scored another sharp individual try. Jaguars 25 - 0.

From the restart we ran and mauled our way into MSP territory. From a resulting maul about 30 metres out Josh showed his exceptional speed and

balance to touch down in the left hand corner. 30-0. 

There were 4 more tries in the half, including one great team try from Munro, who finished off several strong runs from the forwards. 

Halftime: Jaguars 50 - 0.

The second half was more competitive as MSP made more tackles and as the Jags overlooked some overlaps. Early in the half Jack called magnet 1. Owen took the ball forward and from the ruck Jack made a nice pass to Matt E, who raced away to score in the corner. After a great run from Jack, Kaleb beat two tackles and scored and Ollie grabbed a loose ball on halfway, gave a nice fend and sprinted to score in the corner. It was Ollie again soon after, when he latched on to a loose ball on our own line and sprinted the length of the field to score. Jaguars 70 - 0.

From a defensive scrum, MSP drove forward and then a great run resulted in the first MSP try. Jaguars 70 - 5. MSP repeated the dose near fulltime. Jaguars 70 - 10.

Appropriately it was the Jags who had the final say when Josh scored an excellent try: he collected the kickoff, dodged a tackle and sprinted down the right hand side to score. Final result Jaguars 75 MSP 10. 

Importantly, 10 of the tries were scored by backs, after good work up front and good support play at the breakdown. Leading the way here was Billy, who made several good runs and expertly presented the ball to the halfback. On one such run he brushed off several tacklers, only to be ridden to ground by the last line of defense. It was a tough call to award the player of the day award, as everyone played well. Kaleb and Ollie were strong candidates, with 5 and 4 tries respectively outstanding. In the end however the coaches decided that the real credit had to go to the tight forwards Fraser, Billy, Jamie, George and Liam who laid such a good platform and in particular to Billy who was at the heart of that 

Result: Jaguars 75, MSP 10

Try scorers: Kaleb (5), Owen (2), Ollie (4), Josh (2), Munro, Matt

Edwards.

Player of the day: Billy.

The Jaguars had their most emphatic win of the season on Saturday, prevailing over the Poneke Mustangs 60 - nil on the artificial surface in Newtown. Paul's dad Norm arranged for the rain to stop for the duration of the match and the Jags responded accordingly.  It was a real team effort, with everyone playing their part. We were four men down for the game, with Owen, Matt S and Munro all sick and Ollie out injured. The remaining 10 players took the opportunity to step up and produce their best team game of the season. Billy, Jamie, Fraser, George and Kaleb were determined in the forwards, recycling possession well and repeatedly making plenty of metres in the tight exchanges. 

Jack and Matthew Edwards led the backs superbly. Jack also played his supplementary loose forward roll, getting heavily involved in the tight play. His wrestling matches with Poneke's Susan were entertaining for the referee but not so for her and she resorted to giving him a couple of good thumps in second half, which only seemed to spur him on. Liam and Alisana ran hard on the outside, creating plenty of headaches for their defense. However, the star of the day was Josh who was untouchable, scoring a total of six tries, a couple from well inside our own half. Matt E and Alisana also dotted down. The match finished on an excellent note with the forwards and a couple of the backs driving Fraser over for a try. 

The coaches were particulalrly pleased with the way the team gave 100% effort in both halves, their defense and the way they conducted thenselves during and after the match. As always, there are areas to work on at practise and Wednesday's training will focus on small groups winning and protecting the ball at the ruck and maul and running on to the pass. See you in the gym at 5pm.

Result: Jaguars 60, Poneke 0 

Player of the day: Josh

Tries Josh (6), Matt E (3), Alisana (2)

Sunday dawned gloomy but fine enough for the Paremata Plimmerton 7s to proceed. Ollie, Matthew S and I were out there sharp at 8 am to register, attend the pre tournament coaches and, most important, partake of the complimentary bacon and egg sandwiches. There was high drama before the first match even kicked off. First, Alisana succumbed to a cold he had been battling all week and had reluctantly to withdraw. Second, Jack failed a last minute medical after 2 nights of bad coughing and was also forced out. Third a no show by the Norths U9 team resulted in the draw having to be redone so our first game start was delayed from 9 to 9:20. This however played into the Jags hands, as we had extra time to wake up and to be warmed up under the careful eyes of Roger and Kevin. Ben from the Wolves was a welcome addition as with Alisana and Jack out we would otherwise have been down to 7 men and had no reserves

Our boys handled the late changes well and hit the ground running in their first up game against Poneke. Consistent pressure from our forwards and good passing amongst the backs saw Matthew Edwards score two very good team tries in the first half. The second half was classic test match football with both teams applying the pressure on attack but also defending very well. Full time Jags 2 Poneke 0

After a 3 minute breather we were straight back on, with our second game against Levin. This was an even tighter, tenser affair. Levin went up 1 in the first 7 minute period but after sustained pressure and several good breaks in the second half, Ollie H scooted away to level the scores . That was the way it remained to the end. Jags 1, Levin 1

We had a 40 minute break to game 3, which was time for the boys to indulge in a well earned cup cake courtesy of Rochelle and a cup of milo a la Mandy. The rain became more persistent but did nothing to dampen spirits. Our boys then took the field against a Paremata Plimmerton side full of big rangy boys who had beaten Levin and Poneke comfortably. Our boys battled bravely but in the end went down 2-0

Good news was that we made it through to the semi finals. A short break and then back into it again, with the boys showing great stamina. If we thought the PP side was large we were surprised when we saw the Upper Hutt team for the semi – several of them looked as though they might need to take a break at half time for a shave! Again our boys battled very well. Jamie, George, Munro and Ben worked tirelessly in the forward exchanges. Matt E, Ollie, Owen and Kaleb passed and ran well in the backs and everyone tackled furiously. Although in the end we were beaten 4-0 by a bigger, stronger side we walked off proud of the fact we had played to the best of our ability and acquitted ourselves very well.

After a great morning of rugby a number of us retired home for a well earned nap on the couch!

Result Beat Poneke 2-0; drew Levin 1-1; Lost Para/Plim 0-2. Lost semi final to Upper Hutt 0-4

Tries: Matthew Edwards (2) Ollie H

A committed second half performance resulting in some very well constructed tries was, in the end, not quite enough to overcome a first half deficit and left the Jaguars with a loss to the MSP Southern Flyers by 10 tries to 8 today.

A slow start to the first half is becoming a habit and will need to be overcome if our boys are to win their close games. Our early tackles were too high and we were not quick enough to the breakdown, with the result that MSP led 4 tries to nil after 12 minutes. It was about that time that our boys kicked into gear. From the third restart we gathered possession and Billy made good ground upfield. From the ruck, Jack fed the backline right and Billy came in again to make further yards. Jack sent the ball left the backs passed accurately and quickly and created an overlap for Owen who very nearly scored in the corner but was edged into touch just short. Marist fed the lineout and made some good ground but we then turned over possession, the forwards applied great pressure, Matthew E fed the backs, Munro recycled possession from the resulting ruck and darted in for an excellent team try. MSP 4, Jags 1

Two minutes later we were hot on attack again. The forwards drove left, Jack swung the ball right from the breakdown to Matt S who fed Ollie. Ollie stepped and cut back left opening up a gap and scored. MSP 4, Jags 2

Marist gathered well from the restart and drove deep in to Jags territory but a try saving tackle from Matt E denied them the line. We gathered but were driven into touch by MSP's committed forward pack. MSP cleared quickly from the restart and their second five raced around the outside to score an excellent individual try in the right hand corner. MSP 5, Jags 2

Our boys were stung by that try and hit back immediately from the restart, recycling possession through Fraser, Jamie and Kaleb. Quick ball from the forwards enabled Jack to clear and put Josh into space – he showed his genuine pace over 20 m to dot down in the corner. MSP 5, Jags 3

Our boys went hard again from the restart. Josh got space again and made excellent ground before offloading to Ollie H who pressed deep into MSP territory before being driven into touch. Marist cleared well from the lineout, Jack was penalised for a high tackle, Marist tapped and passed quickly and caught our men exposed on the outside. Their centre showed real pace and a clean pair of heels to score in a despairing tackle from Owen. MSP 6, Jags 3 at the break

We had a good half time talk, reminding ourselves about the need for ball retention at the breakdown and keeping our tackles low.

The second half did not start quite the way we wanted to. From the kickoff MSP recycled the ball through several breakdowns. One of their big strong men had a dab on the outside and despite a valiant attempt Matt S was not able to prevent him from crashing over in the corner. MSP 7, Jags 3. However we hit back hard and well from the restart, Owen and Alisana made excellent ground then handed off well to Matt S who made further ground on the right. From the resulting maul we recycled possession well, Jack cleared to Ollie who had space on the outside and scored a good team try. MSP 7, Jags 4

Two minutes later MSP were in again, scoring a very good long range try. MSP 8 Jags 4. Again we hit back quickly. The forwards did superbly. Munro charged, Billy charged, Fraser charged, George charged, Jamie charged, Jack wrestled the ball free from the maul and made great ground on the right, offloaded superbly to Owen who scored on the outside. MSP 8, Jags 5. From the restart Matt E gathered and ran hard to the right. MSP did well to turn over possession at the resulting maul but then knocked the ball on. A solid Jags scrum laid the platform for a strong clearance to Owen who passed well to Matt E who scored. MSP 8 Jags 6

With a sniff of the win the Jags turned up the heat again from the kickoff. MSP received, Fraser, Munro and George drove in hard, we turned over possession, Jack cleared to Matt S, who cleared to Liam and then Ollie H. He stepped his opposite beautifully and darted through the resulting gap to dot down. MSP 8 Jags 7

The final few minutes were desperate and controversial. MSP was awarded a try after a long range breakaway down the right hand side during which our boys were convinced the opposition wing put his foot in touch. MSP 9 Jags 7. But we played the whistle, kept our heads up and hit back immediately driving play deep into MSP territory. Again the scrum was rock solid, allowing Jack to get a clearance to Ollie – he drove hard at the line and scored an excellent try. MSP 9 Jags 8. MSP however had the last word, driving play deep into Jags territory from the restart, culminating in a maul which was driven over the try line before collapsing with the ball hidden from view. As the players removed themselves it appeared to bystanders that the Jags were in possession but the referee controversially ruled that MSP had grounded the ball in goal and awarded the try shortly before blowing the whistle for full time. Final score MSP 10 Jags 8.

There were some real positives to be drawn from the game – a really good second half in particular where we scored some well constructed tries and on defence made our tackles much more consistently than we did in the first half. In the end our slow start and the 4 tries we conceded early on proved just too big a gap for us bridge. Focus at practice and at our games coming up will be on starting the game with our full focus and intensity so we don't have to play catch up football.

Josh was awarded player of the day for his excellent first half try, committed defence and all round contribution with ball in hand

Result Lost 10-8

Tries: Ollie H (4), Matthew Edwards (2), Owen, Josh

Player of the day: Josh

An accurate and fairly intense training on Wednesday made the coaches cautiously optimistic that the boys had just had an off day against Johnsonville last week and were able to put it behind them heading into this weekend. A 10 am kickoff was good news, as our boys are sometimes slow starters at 9. We got to Te Whaea in good time and had an enjoyable warm up. Some skipping and line dancing got the boys smiling and relaxed and some scrums and defensive plays got them focused on what we needed to do well. The Crocs won the toss but elected to kickoff, so we were likely to get first possession.

Our boys executed the game plan very well to start with. They played tight and protected the ball, drove in at the breakdown and made their first time tackles. With both teams playing well it was an absorbing first 10 minutes. The Crocs scored well after 5 minutes, putting a player into space on the right wing and he scorched away for a well earned try. But our men hit back strongly. Munro, Jack and Kaleb all carried the ball up well, and Jack put Josh into space, also on the right. Josh showed his genuine pace on the outside and touched down in the corner. Crocs 5, Jaguars 5.

From there, the wheels fell completely off. Our boys reverted to the sort of errors that had cost them dearly against Johnsonville. Although we continued to drive well at the ruck, we turned over possession and we made some panicked passes when under pressure on defense. As a result the Crocs scored 5 more tries, to lead 30-5 at the break.

A spirited half time talk from the coaches followed. The boys had shown what they were capable of in the first 10 minutes, were they going to lift their games and play with that accuracy and grit or were they going to wilt and walk away with another disappointing loss?

The answer soon became clear. They were going to lift their heads, gird their loins and to a man get stuck in. Munro, Billy, Kaleb, George, Jamie, Fraser and Josh started dominating their opposition in the forwards. On defence, they made first up tackles, worked as a pack and started driving the Crocs back, repeatedly making 10 or 20 metres or more in tight play. On attack they protected and recycled the ball. Jack distributed accurately and tackled everything that moved. Matt E, Matt S, Ollie, Alisana, Liam and Ginga hit the ball at pace, ran hard and straight from first receiver and then went wide once they had drawn the opposition forwards into the ruck or maul.

The Crocs had no answer. Our men dominated both possession and territory and as they scored well executed tries the score on our side of the board mounted steadily. By the time we got to 30-30, Murray Mexted would have said that the psychic energy was well and truly flowing in our favour. It was great to see the boys experience the satisfaction of playing to their ability, clawing way back from a serious deficit and in the end recording a great win 45-30 (or 40-30 depending on whether Ginga touched down in the last second or whether, as the referee ruled, he lost the ball forward in the act of scoring).

It was a tough call to name a man of the match as many of the boys had their best games of the season. However Munro's consistent work at the breakdown, together with some excellent yardage made on attack made him a deserved and popular choice.

The key will be for the boys to capture the vigour and accuracy of their performance and carry that through the rest of the season, something the coaches will reinforcing at training over coming weeks.

Result: won 45-30

Player of the day: Munro Short

This weekend the boys had a disappointing last match against the Johnsonville Cougars. The Johnsonville club streams its selections and the Cougars are its top side. It is a team full of experienced, strong and reasonably big players who are well drilled and accurate. Our boys did not bring their A game and therefore struggled to compete. In the first half we fell off too many tackles on defence and, on attack, we did not consistently protect the ball at the breakdown. As a result, the Johnsonville side turned over too much of our possession and then scored from it. Down 5 tries at half time, our lads were looking a bit down spirited.

A half time gee up did not produce the turnaround the coaches were hoping for and in the end we were convincingly beaten. There were some bright spots - the forwards made some good carries with ball in hand and there was some spirited defence at times close to our line. Matthew Edwards ran himself ragged making tackles and was deservedly named player of the day. However we all came away knowing we could have done quite a bit better.

Result: lost 40-5

Player of the day: Matthew Edwards

7s Tournament

A whole lot of fun in the quick-fire format. We started a bit slowly again and went down in the first match because of some loose tackling but recovered extremely well in the second to beat Paremata. In the third and final match of the day we ran away from a previously unbeaten Poneke side. It was great to see the boys enjoying their rugby and sharing more than a few laughs, and chocolate treats, between their matches. A special mention to Kaleb and Alisana who entered into the spirit of the day, put alliances to one side, and filled in for the Cheetahs for a couple of matches.

Result: won 2, lost 1

It was a bumper weekend of rugby for the Jaguars in warm sunshine.

On Saturday, we had a challenging match against a very strong Ories side. As the cliche goes, it really was a game of two halves. In the first period, the boys took a while to shake off holiday mode and found themselves doing a lot of chasing of the opposition and a lot of kicking off! While there was plenty of opportunity, the Jags turned the ball over too much, missed too many tackles and struggled to get the go-forward they needed. A good team try scored by Owen was the only reward and we went to the break down 5-25.

A focused half time chat saw the boys regroup and lift their effort and accuracy hugely. We executed the things we had worked on at practice far better and as a result started the second half with a hiss and a roar. Fraser, Jamie, George and the other forwards showed good drive (ably supported at times by the backs!) and the backs made good use of their speed by creating space out wide. Just as importantly, tackles were made and it was the opposition who turned over the ball. Unfortunately we ran out of time to catch up and win but it was desperately close, the Jags ultimately going down 30-35 (well executed team tries scored by Ollie (2), Caleb (2) and to George - a lovely swerving run and try in the corner). However the lift in performance in the second half was obvious and the coaches were very pleased and proud of the way the boys went back to basics and turned the game around.

Ollie Hall was player of the day, leading the team with some tremendous runs and some excellent work competing for the ball in the tight.

Result: lost 30-35

Player of the day: Ollie Hall

In stark contrast to the beautiful weather for the first game of the season, Saturday's match against the Poneke Allygators was played in wet, slippery conditions. The rain presented a big challenge, one we are likely to encounter on more than a few occasions during Wellington's winter.

The Jags warmed up well and started the game in encouraging fashion, making their tackles well and moving the ball wide. Ollie went agonisingly close on a kick-and-chase and Owen and Jack linked well to test the opposition's defences. Matt Scoble went dangerously close during a jinking run but it was Ginga the Winga who opened the scoring, showing good alertness to swoop on a loose ball and scoot away for a try. A short while later Josh got up in support of the backs, took the pass and showed a clean pair of heels to touch down in the right hand corner.

There were more opportunities in the half, but the ball was getting increasingly slippery and some dropped passes slowed our momentum. Poneke had few chances in the first half, largely due to some determined tackling, in particular by Owen, Munro and Jamie and a determination to strip the opposition of the ball. It took a very good individual effort to get the Allygators on the board and a halftime score of 10-5 to the Jags

Try as they might, the boys struggled to get going in the second half and Poneke ran strongly, getting to and over our line twice before we could regroup. When they did get some ball, the Jags showed plenty of desire to support the speedy runs of Alisana and Liam down the flanks. Matt Edwards displayed good positional play, making plenty of tackles at the back and Billy, George and Fraser put their size and strength to good use.

The Jags drew even after a quick-thinking Alisana toed the ball forward and the ref ruled that, had he not been held back, he would have scored a well-deserved try. At 15-15, the game was evenly poised, but not enough protection of the ball in the tackle saw us turn over too much ball for comfort, and some string running and fending from the Poneke side made them hard to defend against. Poneke made the most of their chances to score another 5-pointer.

The Jags tried everything to score one more try with Jacob scorching down the left wing and Owen and Matt S nearly working some magic right on fulltime, but it wasn't to be. 20-15 to Poneke at fulltime.

Player of the Day was Jamie Barnes, who worked tirelessly in the forwards, went to ground and laid the ball back expertly and made several important tackles. An example to everyone.

So, a tough game in trying conditions and plenty to work on at practice on Wednesday. See you all there.

Well done on a magnificent first up game. In glorious sunshine the Jaguars turned on an excellent performance. I think the benefits of the pre season training were evident, with the boys focussed and fired up. The execution was excellent – I could count the number of dropped passes on one hand. The tackling was committed and accurate and our boys linked superbly on attack, playing with real momentum and purpose and they were suitably rewarded with 5 very well put together tries.

Roger did a superb job with the subs, making sure everyone got both equal game time and a reasonable rest – the game was played at good pace and there were very few breakdowns.

A very pleasing performance all round.

I was thinking it would be nice to get together after next week's game, perhaps at Cafe 162 at Marsden Village, to have a cup of coffee a bit of a chat and to welcome the new parents to the Jaguars. Please let me know if you would be available / keen