Wests vs Paraparaumu

The Wests U9 representative team played comprehensively to beat Paraparaumu in their final match of the season by 40 points to 25 at Paraparaumu Domain on Sunday. It was a pulsating, physical, enthralling match. On attack both sides ran hard and scored some excellent tries - some the result of individual brilliance and others well constructed team tries. On defence, there was some text book round the boot laces tackles and some crunching defence. In the second half in particular our men were possessed and really laid their bodies on the line. This was easily the best game of the season and continued the excellent progression the rep boys made from their first game against Upper Hutt. Their development is a tribute to Ngatau and Paul. 

Scoring Highlights in the first half:

From the kickoff Paraparaumu maintain possession well. They make a long run down the left hand side before being bundled into touch. A clean lineout win sees Eddie into space and he charges to the Paraparaumu 22. The ball is turned over unfortunately and that results in a long period of pressure on the Wests line. Eventually Paraparaumu infringe at the ruck and Wests is able to clear. However, Prm re-gather possession and hit back hard eventually scoring the opening try after seven minutes and 30 seconds following a great run down the right hand side - the try is scored in a despairing tackle from Kaleb. Eddie receives the kickoff well and races to the Paraparaumu 22. The forwards recycle well, Ollie clears from the base of the ruck and our backs pressure the Paraparaumu line. Eddie scores our first try after nine minutes and 45 seconds. Score 5 - 5. From the restart Paraparaumu goes hard on attack. Eventually there is an infringement close to the Wests line and we are awarded a five metre scrum. The clearing kick is executed well and our men go on the attack themselves. After several waves featuring Ollie, Jacob and Owen, Eddie is put into space and scores a very well constructed team try after 14 minutes. Score 10 - 5. Our men gather from the restart and press into the PRM half. George is driven into touch. From the lineout our men hit the first five hard and turn the ball over. Eddie is put into space on the outside and scores a nice try. Score 15-5.  It is another 3 minutes of close quarters engagement before one of the rangy Prm forwards breaks into space and outflanks our men to score a long range try. Score 15-10. 3 minutes later Paraparaumu score a well executed try after recycling the ball through 8 phases. Score 15-15 With one minute to go in the half, Kieran charges and is bundled into touch a fraction short. Again we hit the first five hard from the resulting lineout, Ben rips the ball clear from the resulting ruck, excellent back play sees the ball through several sets of hands and right on full time George scores a great team try. Halftime score Wests 20 Paraparaumu 15.

Ngatau delivers a stirring halftime speech, praising the boys commitment and accuracy in the first half and encouraging them to finish the season on a note they can be proud of and which will carry them through the summer with emotion and pride. 2 minutes into the second half however Prm even the scores with another long range try. Score 20:20. Stung into action our men hit back immediately with courage and passion. Eddie weaves and runs nearly all the way to score but is bundled into touch. From the Paraparaumu lineout they knock on over their own line. Jack pounces to score a crucial - bizzarely the ref plays the knock on instead and awards Wests a five metre scrum. However, our boys make the most of the opportunity - Jack clears quickly from the scrum, Ollie and Jakob handle smoothly and Owen scores an excellent try on the outside. Score 25-20 2 minutes later Eddie scores a superb individual try. Score 30-20 There follows seven minutes of tight encounter before Paraparaumu score 30 - 25. At 19 minutes Eddie scores a long range try; score 30:25. At 23 minutes our men out deliver the final blow with a great team try.

Result: Wests 40 Paraparaumu 25

Tries: Eddie (5), George, Owen, not sure who scored the last try + moral try to Jack

Player of the day: Eddie

Wests vs Wairapa-Bush

The U9 representative team put on an impressive first half performance in their first competition match against Wairarapa Bush on Sunday, and then held on against a committed opposition fight back to take out this match 55 points to 35 in cold, wet, but sunny conditions.

The day dawned with temperatures of about three degrees and threatening heavy rain. As the teams warmed up in separate gyms, however the clouds parted and there were even moments of sunshine as the teams took the field which last week had been dry and hard but after several days of heavy rain was very wet, at least on the surface.

The Jaguars won the toss and elected to play into a slight wind in the first half. From the Wairarapa Bush kick off our forwards gathered, drove hard and Ollie put Owen in to space on the left hand side – he throttled in to score an early blow after only 1 minute.

Two minutes later, Wairarapa Bush took the ball in after Owen had run down the right hand side. Ollie stripped the ball from the resulting maul and ran briskly on the outside to score.

After four minutes, Ollie kicked off. The ball appeared not to go ten meters but the referee played on. Wests recovered the ball from the resulting maul and great forwards work created space on the outside for Ben to score an excellent team try.

One minute later, Wests were in again – Ollie scoring after breaking from the base of a ruck. Jaguars leading 20 – 0 after only five minutes of play.

Wairarapa Bush opened their account after seven minutes, scoring a long range try with good continuity of possession and hard running from their backline.

Our men hit back only two minutes later. Wairarapa Bush pressed into West's half, however our forwards did excellent work to rip the ball away and after excellent handling in the backline and some great driving play from the forwards, Eddie scored in the right hand corner.

12 minutes: our team scored their best team try with Matt Edwards sliding over the line after Ollie, George and Ben had all made hard and probing runs into opposition territory.

13 minutes: another excellent team try to Eddie after George drove hard, went to ground and the forwards blew over in text book fashion.

There followed eight minutes of intensive and combative forward play, with both sides handling the ball well in the difficult slippery conditions. Some offside play at the ruck from Wairarapa Bush was not called by the referee but that proved to West's advantage as Ollie ripped the ball clear – charged, and lay the ball back well for the forwards who recycled possession quickly through the back line and Ben scored another excellent try. He followed up less than one minute later with his hat trick, enabling Wests to go into the halftime break 45 points to 5 ahead.

For reasons which are not yet clear – perhaps our players got a little excited at the extent of their halftime lead. Whatever the reason, they did not play as well as a team in the second half, reverting more to the individual style of play which had cost them the previous week against Upper Hutt. Equally, by the start of the second half, Wairarapa Bush appeared to have adjusted to the conditions and they played a more structured organised and effective game in the second half, in the end running out men pretty close.

Scoring highlights:

Three minutes: after seven phases, Eddie scores in the corner

Five minutes: Leon scores after Lachie drove hard from the base of a ruck and managed to release the ball extremely well into Leon's waiting hands.

6 minutes to 17 minutes: a throughly purple patch for Wairarapa Bush who 6 unanswered tries in quick succession

Final score: Wests 55, Wairarapa Bush 35.

Try scorers: Owen, Ollie (2), Ben (3), Eddie (3), Matt Edwards, Leon.

Player of the day; Eddie

The Wests under 9 representative team played its first, warm up, match of the rep season against Upper Hutt yesterday, eventually going down 20 - 35. The boys did somewhat let themselves down by playing more as individuals than as a team with the result that they were less able to capitalise on their opportunities than Upper Hutt was. Nevertheless they played with good spirit against a larger and well organised Upper Hutt team which had also prevailed in the Paramata / Plimmerton Sevens tournament earlier in the season. If their spirit and some very good individual performances can be translated into an overall team performance, the boys will be well placed for their upcoming matches against Wairarapa Bush and Paramata Plimmerton.

Scoring highlights:

Upper Hutt scored after two minutes and twenty seconds after several well executed mauls gained very good territory. One of their forwards broke from the last maul and crashed over in the tackle for a well constructed try.

The closeness of the game was reflected in the fact that it was another 14 minutes before either team scored again. The period in between was intense forward combat, with territory and possession seesawing backwards and forwards but neither team able to breach stout defence of the other. An Upper Hutt scrum resulted in one of their backs making a long run down the right hand touch line before being bundled into touch just short of our try line. Our men played their way back down the filed; Eddie charged but lost the ball forward two metres out from the try line. Scrum red. The first five charged down the right hand side and was bundled into touch again, lineout Jaguars. Ben charges left and is bundled out. Great runs from Ben, Eddie and Jack up the left hand side resultin try to Eddie. Wests 5 Upper Hutt 5 after 16 minutes of enthralling rugby.

At 18:30 Eddie carries the ball up strongly but Upper Hutt does well to rip the ball from him in the tackle, spread it wide quickly and their winger races down the left hand touch then around to score under the posts. Upper Hutt 10 - Wests 5. 

From the kick off the ball went dead, resulting in an Upper Hutt scrum on halfway. The first five charges but is hit with determined defence and our boys do well to turn over the ball at the resulting ruck. Ollie clears briskly to Eddie who runs twenty metres up field before crashing into the Upper Hutt defence. From the resulting ruck, George grabbed the ball and crashed over to level the scores at 10/10. 

At 24:30 Upper Hutt score in the corner to take a halftime lead 15 - 10. 

In the second half scoring highlights were:

Upper Hutt loses the ball forward over the try line resulting in a five metre scrum to Wests. Jack clears the ball crisply to Eddie who races away down the right hand sideline but the referee controversially calls him out, even though several parents on the sideline were in a better position. From the resulting Upper Hutt lineout our boys turnover possession play switches to the right and Eddie scores in the corner to level the scores at 15 / 15. 6 minutes: from the Wests kickoff, the ball goes out on the full resulting in a scrum on halfway to Upper Hutt. Again, our boys turnover possession and make good ground. Eddie runs strongly from the base of a ruck to score again and take the lead for the first time 20 / 15.

At 14 minutes, UH scores after a series of rucks and mauls down the left hand side to level the scores at 20 / 20 (Upper Hutt had also been held up over the Wests try line at 9:20). They score again 1 minte later to take a 25-20 lead.

16 minutes: a good Wests attack but the ball goes out

19 minutes Upper Hutt try after a penalty tap.

At 21 minutes the referee controversially calls an Upper Hutt scrum three meters out even though the ball appeared to have been knocked-on by Upper Hutt. UH scores a very well constructed team try in the right hand corner after a set move from the Upper Hutt scrum.

Final score: Wests 20 Upper Hutt 35