Year 5/6 Tag rugby festival

Boots were tied tightly, tag belts were dusted off and anticipation ran high as ten teams took to the fields of Southend Rugby Club for the annual tag rugby competition. While no trophies were being contested, each team on display wanted to show their best, leading to a day packed full of exhilarating action.

The Porters Grange team were in high spirits, with many of the team playing in their second or third competition. The first game saw Porters playing against Fairways C team. It was a back and forth game, with Porters blitzing out of the gates early to sweep into a 3-2 half time lead. Tries coming from Oskar, and a brace from Roland. Tensions were high in the second half, and after a ding-dong, back and forth war of attrition, Porters ultimately went down to a 4-3 defeat. However, the impressive attacking display of the first half meant all the players could hold their heads up high.

The next game of the day saw Porters playing the highly rated Darlinghurst team. Porters put up a valiant fight, but three slick moves from Darlinghurst led to three lightning tries. Porters tried their hardest but the better team won out, again Porters showing excellent sportsmanship after the game and leaving the fields with smiles on their faces even after a heavy defeat.

Eager to bounce back from their humbling last outing, Porters picked themselves back up for the clash with Hinguar. Porters played out of their skins in this game, blowing away the opposition in a fantastic display of attacking rugby to cruise to a 5-0 victory. Credit to the opposition for not giving up and causing Porters some problems, but tries from Tyler, and two tries from Leo and another brace from Roland rounding off a wonderful win.

The final game of the day saw Porters take on Prince Avenue, as an early Prince Avenue try was equalled with a stunning sliding effort from Oskar. 1-1 going into the second half… Sadly for Porters, after half time Prince Avenue stepped up a gear and scored two length of the field, break away tries to leave Porters with a 3-1 loss. However, again the team acquitted themselves excellently, showing great attitudes to the opposition, respecting the referee and playing with smiles on their faces. It has been a pleasure to coach the team and I look forward to the next tournament later in the year with the Year 3’s and 4’s! Thank you again and good luck in your future rugby careers!