U12A’s first fixture finishes in hard-fought loss

By Thomas Fulford

The U12A’s first Hampton rugby fixture at home to St Paul’s was an extremely exciting game, going right down to the wire. Hampton’s skill in attack was strong, but St Paul’s displayed a worthy defence, and ultimately emerged on top with a 3-2 win in a well-fought game.

However, Hampton never gave up during the match, starting strong from the off when they took a 1-0 lead. They’ll be taking lessons from the full experience, one of those few improvements being their defensive line – they need to remember that if one person is switched off in the line and doesn’t come up to create pressure there are gaps everywhere! And that was exactly why St Paul’s scored three tries during the second and first half. 

On the St Paul’s side their blitz defence (speedy defensive line that comes up together) resulted in several moments of panic amidst the Hampton lines. But reflecting on the positives for the home side – Hampton’s rucking was good as they had a strong defensive ruck. It is also worth noting that they still have many players and are only just starting to bond as a team. They have potential! Bring it on…