Sub-18s Retain Place at Top Table in Great Style

Read match report and see images from the sub-16/18 games v Montemor here.

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Click here to view Peter Fay's images from the sub-18 game: http://goo.gl/3yX9A

Click here to view Peter Fay's images from the sub-16 game: http://goo.gl/sisUh

Match Report by Damian Steele

The Sub 18´s rounded off their season with a thumping 83-0 victory over a depleted and hapless Montemor side on Sunday afternoon. 

In the last official match of the season, which also doubled as an opportunity to cement our place in the A league for next season, the boys turned up and put on a rousing display of running rugby, in front of their loyal and appreciative supporters.  

Led by our contingent of second year sub 18s, who were playing in their final official match for St Julian´s Rugby Club, the boys dominated proceedings from the outset and scored tries at consistent intervals throughout the 70 minutes.  Despite some white line fever early on, where players were trying to be individual and score off every phase, we stuck to our structure for the majority of the match, and implemented the style of play that we have been trying to achieve, which was very pleasing to see. 

Our season started with a 57-0 loss on our home patch against Direito, and finished with the 83-0 drubbing of Montemor.  Obviously the quality of these two sides is incomparable, but the scorelines are an indication of the distance the boys have come as a team throughout the year.  Perhaps a more realistic comparison is the 6-5 victory over Montemor in November.  It was obvious that Montemor were not the same team that we played that day, but at that point of the season they were in the same position as us, winless and rooted to the foot of the Championship Table.

Fast forward 6 months and the gulf between the two sides was enormous, which is a real credit to the commitment and work ethic of our entire squad.  To be able to go into today´s match without five of our regulars and still achieve the result we did, proves the depth and unity that exists amongst this group of players.

Special mention must go to our "graduating" players.  Sam Heger, Mathieu Rodrigues, Tomás Avillez Pereira, Antoine Collard, Martim Cruz, André Gomes, Ben Hubert, Jaime Lavradio, Franziscus Frost, Tomás Reid, Tomás Silva, Manuel Jorge and Alasdair Glasgow.  These players have been exceptional leaders and squad members, and from a personal perspective, it´s very rewarding to see the quality rugby players and young men that they have turned into.  

The game saw a lot of players turn in high quality perfrormances, but none were better than our scrumhalf/flyhalf, Franziscus Frost, who completed a very impressive season with another man of the match award.  

Final mention needs to go to Sam Heger, who managed to play every single minute of the season.  He came back to us this year, after a two year hiatus, and by his own admission, was terribly out of shape.  He worked incredibly hard in the early part of the season to get himself fitter, and carried knee and foot problems throughout the whole year, which makes his feat even more commendable.  It was fitting that he enjoyed his strongest game of the season in this last match, and should be congratulated on his outstanding contribution to the Sub 18s season.