RATT Cup - 4/11/2006

Squad: Henry Clark, Myles Deane, Nicolas Furrer, James Gawn, Ben Harrison, Archie Jones, Joshua Nagle, Frederico Pasquali, Callum Sirker, Oliver Skyrme,
Jack Stockham, James Viney

Report for Ratt Cup from David Viney:

What a great afternoon at the Quins! Aside from the lovely sunshine and the Quins recording their first win of the season, Teddington pulled out all the stops in possibly their strongest showing so far in the contact version of the sport. With Carlos Spencer, Ben Cohen and Dean Richards watching in the wings, our boys were inspired enough to build up an eight match unbeaten run (16 tries for and none against!)

Teddington 25 – Tunbridge Wells 0
Quite possibly the best game from the A team since this group first started playing at U6s! Wells are actually a strong team (as their performances against the other group members testified) and we have always enjoyed meeting them and playing them. However, in this game, Teddington simply blew them away. The defence was again awesome. On this occasion, however, the back line really fired - with the ball frequently reaching the centres and wings. Clean line breaks abounded. Good distribution, great quick passing, clean hands and fast feet were all in evidence.

Teddington 5 – Upminster 0
A number of unforced errors by Teddington in the first half handed the initiative to a determined and physical Upminster side. Despite playing most of the game in our own half, we never really looked like conceding a try. In the end, the victory was well deserved (despite some nervy moments) as the Teddington tackle rate literally knocked the stuffing out of brave Upminster (who were grand finalists last year in two age groups). On the few occasions we enjoyed sustained possession, we always made good yardage. The winning try eventually came.

Teddington 10 – Westcombe Park 0
Westcombe Park had a number of very quick and elusive runners out wide and had scored some wonderful tries against other group teams. However, Teddington’s early tackles broke their distribution and neutralized the threat. Some of the tackles were quite brutally hard (sorry about that Westcombe!) and at least two of the opposition players had to be replaced for injuries. It seems much of our improvement this year (which is undoubtedly there) is down to a group of boys who seem to have been waiting for contact - and are relishing it now it’s finally here!

Teddington 15 – Blackheath 0
A notable feature of this game was the improvement in our rucking and loose play generally – with four penalties and three tackle turnovers won (one of which resulted in a try). Again, a back-line growing in confidence frequently found itself taking the ball on the front-foot whilst moving forward. Blackheath had improved with every game of the tournament, so again this scoreline reflects very well on the Teddington attack.

Looking Ahead
A note of caution is required. Whilst this was a strong performance, there will be tough challenges ahead. Last year we had a tough draw, facing two ultimate grand finalists in the Group Stages, and were knocked out early. These same teams (and others traditionally stronger than us in this age group) lie in wait in the semi-finals. However, at our current rate of progress there is nothing to fear. Our boys will simply do their best and this year - perhaps for the first time - this may be enough to carry this team to its first Grand Final.