Ipswich U15s welcomed Maldon on a cold morning for what proved to be a wonderful game of rugby from two talented squads.

Maldon started off superbly and had Ipswich pinned in their own 22 for the majority of the first 15 minutes, with their impressive forwards securing a lot of the ball at the breakdown and drawing penalties from our boys due to their pressure. Maldon deservedly took a 7 nil lead which sparked a reaction from Ipswich.

Ipswich grew into the game and late in the first half a slick back move resulted in Gethin being released to score superbly in the corner.

Half time Ipswich 5 – Maldon 7

After multiple changes at half time, the game continued at a frantic pace with both teams playing attractive aggressive rugby. The breakdown was now a more even affair and Ipswich started to secure fast ball for the next phase.

Ipswich worked their way up the pitch well with some strong forward play and then Fergus broke free from a few tackles to battle through and stretch for the line with 3 defenders hanging off him to take the score to 10 – 7.

Maldon responded and put us under pressure for a period which resulted in George picking up a yellow card for an infringement at the ruck, this was quickly followed by Josh also being binned for tackling a man in the air.

The boys were superb with a 2 man deficit, something which was new to them, however, Harry still managed to score a brilliant try, spotting a gap off the base of a ruck and blasting over from 20 metres out to make it 15-7.

The game was put to bed late on when back to the full 15, George gathered a loose ball inside our 22 and jinked through several defenders and then won a foot race to score.

Final score– Ipswich 20 – Maldon 7

This was an outstanding game of U15 rugby played hard but in a great spirit.

The coaches were delighted with the effort of the entire squad, showing how well the squad has developed and improved. The defensive effort in the first 20 minutes showed a great deal of character and the way they played smart when down to 13 was a sign of their maturity.

Brothers