U16 Girls, Stafford RUFC, Pitch Up & Play

The ‘pitch up and play’ at Stafford gave our girls their first run out as a team this season. It was an opportunity, for some, to play out of position and try new things in gameplay; and for others, a chance to get back into their usual roles. We saw Ashton’s debut in her Tamworth kit, as well as a few of our players: Elisha, Ashley, Bella and Darcie S, displaying great sportsmanship in playing for the opposition. All teams taking part weren’t shy of contact or competition, meaning that we had to pull together and work as one. The games began after a minute’s silence in respect for our late Queen.

Our first match against Stafford was well fought and saw our girls operating well as a team. The opposition scored the first try early on in the game, making Tamworth dig deeper and fight harder; committing to tackles and running down breakaway players. Turnover of the ball allowed us possession from which we were able to score two tries; one from Lucie and another from Izzy W. Both conversions were taken and scored by Ashton through a drop kick, bringing the score to a 14-7 win to Tamworth.

Our next game against the Old Halesonians and Leek combination was more of a mental challenge than the last, being as we didn’t know the extent of the rival team’s ability, and went into the game feeling confident with our win over Stafford. Unfortunately that relaxed our team way past the state of playing and the opposition piled up points on the board. The next part of the game we played with frustration, allowing mistakes and panic to set in. But towards the end Tamworth started resemble something of a team again, and we knew that we were ready for the next game.

Walsall was our last test of the day and the Tamworth girls’ chance at redemption. Our team showed strength and communication during ball possession, with strong carries from the forwards and good passing amongst the backs. We orchestrated and lead the game, winning 40-0, with 2 tries from Grace and one from each of Izzy, Lucie, Ayala and Poppy. Ashton, again took the conversations, scoring 5 of the 6. The girls ended the day with an in depth talk of strengths, weaknesses and how to improve gameplay ready for the next week’s match against Barker Butts.

Match Report by: Grace Jay