Firstly, I’d like to say a big thank you on behalf of Goole RUFC to Stocksbridge for making us feel so welcome. They have a really nice club house which although is small has a very homely, real club/pub feel about it. Their U15s provided us with a good competitive match while remaining friendly throughout.

The weather wasn’t as warm as the welcome, it was freezing, windy and raining on and off through the game but this didn’t prevent the players from giving us an excellent display of rugby. I say this in reference to both teams but as a Goole parent I have to say, hopefully unbiasedly, that our U15s are still somehow managing to improve with every game they play. I’m not altogether sure how but they continue to delight the parents and surprise us every time they run out on to the pitch. They are learning from defeats, challenging teams that once stood head and shoulders above us and on days like today when they put everything they’ve learnt and all the training to good use it’s a pleasure to stand in the freezing wind and rain and watch them put on a display like they did.

The whole team played an excellent game and it was hard to pick faults anywhere on the field. I’d like to say there was a standout player but I’d be lying. Every player showed full effort and improvement. Positioning was good and organisation was excellent. In the past there has been inconsistency, bad positioning, lack of effort at times and most importantly a lack of belief. There was not a sign of any of these things today.

A mixture of team play and individual effort saw us score seven tries and three conversions. Five tries from Joseph and one each from Eddie and Caden. Two conversions from Joseph and one from Kieran. Apart from the points scorers Laurence and Peter both need a mention for assertive and forceful efforts in making good ground in difficult areas. Taking on tackles and finding a way through, smashing play lads, keep it up. Liam was given ‘Man of the Match’ at the clubhouse for some great tackling, something he has struggled with since his injury.

I feel bad for the players that couldn’t make it today, you missed one of our best ever displays of rugby, but I’m sure you will all be ready next week to show us what we missed. A big game against Scunthorpe before the Bowl game in two weeks and there is absolutely no reason to dwell on previous results. Boys, those past results mean nothing, what I and every other parent saw today was phenomenal and a good result against Scunthorpe is more than possible. There is no doubt that a win would be one of our biggest ever turn arounds against any club but it is starting to feel like it is your time to shine. These next two games could define your season, a win next week would show just how far you’ve come as a team and in two weeks you have the chance to progress to the semi-final of the Yorkshire Bowl for the second time in three years.
I was talking to Phil today about the forthcoming games and we both believe the team can win these games, not easily but with effort we can win, and we are not the only ones. All the parents and coaches I’ve spoken to believe it too. The players need to believe in themselves, trust what they have learnt and smash these next two games.

Goole RUFC

Match details

Match date

Kickoff

Meet time

Login