Ipswich RFC U13's first full game of the season got off to a steady start at Mistley on Sunday.
Beautiful conditions saw the Bees face up to a familiar foe with the added spice of some inter-school rivalries thrown into the mix. This would be the first game with a starting line-up of thirteen boys plus a larger pitch. The extra body from last season sees the addition of the number 8 to the scrum. Any thoughts that the game would be high scoring given the extra space were short-lived as the two sides battled out an evenly matched game playing 25 minutes each way.
Mistley had the better of the early exchanges and quickly raced into a three-try lead. Mistley’s superior handling was the main difference between the sides as they gave away very few unforced errors. As the game wore on however Ipswich came back into their own with two tries, their first from Theo Perkins followed by Mason Manning. Ipswich were competing well at the ruck and at the scrums but were perhaps being too polite and were showing a lack of movement with the ball.
The second half saw much better handling from Ipswich, and a tactical shift from the manager saw the wide players being brought far more into the game. Ipswich scored twice in the second half through Alfie Bickers and finally through Theo Perkins again to draw the game 4:4
A very encouraging performance against a good opponent and probably a fair result. There were good, disciplined performances across the pitch. The handling around the scrum needs improving, a number of times the ball was held up there when it could have been moved out effectively, and when the ball did move out the pace on the wing showed.
A good start and there’s definitely more to come from this team.