BRIARS RUGBY

ROUND TWELVE MATCH REPORTS

Briars vs. St. Ives  
4^th GRADE Briars defeated St Ives 24-0
Whilst the score line probably didn’t tell the tale of last week’s match, the 4^th Grade side showed an enormous amount of commitment and spirit against the number one side in our division. The key this week was going to be to maintain that level of commitment against the bottom team in the division. Early on the commitment wasn’t there as the team lacked cohesion and seemed to want to score off every phase given the additional time and space from last week. With that said, we maintained consistent pressure in the first half and managed to finish the half up seven – nil. After what was a somewhat disappointing first half the boys really stepped it up in the second half and ran away with our first 4 try bonus point win of the season. In the second half we maintained possession, built pressure and in turn scored some really good tries. None were better than Cheech’s effort to bump off four would be tacklers and score the best try of the season so far. Special thanks on the day must go to Rangi for coming up from Wollongong for a run and giving our forward pack some additional mongrel, to Guddo for having a run for us and providing great stability at the back, and to Cheech who this season has improved every week and is consistently making big plays for us in attack and defence. Points on the day went to Tony (Cheech) 3, Nick Russell 2, & Guddo 1. 
Coach: Damien Johnson 

3^rd GRADE
Briars defeated St Ives 12-7
A good win that keeps us in touch with the top 4.  We were by far the better side, but basic errors continue to keep us from our best.  Apart from a lack of communication between the coaches that saw St Ives score their only try, the opposition never really looked liked scoring. We created a ton of opportunities but let ourselves down by forcing the pass and having individuals pressuring themselves into thinking that they needed to do something fantastic when the basics would have gotten us over the line.  We still have a lot of improvement in us and if we can reach it, we'll be unstoppable. Highlight of the match was a solo effort by Ben Edwards to score his first try for the club. Get to training boys, pay your fees and let’s show the rest of the comp what we can do.   
Points: 3-Jeremy Mason, 2-Ben Edwards, 1-Jeremy Lawler
Coach: Reuben Sinai & Daniel Wilkinson 

2^ND GRADE
St Ives defeated Briars 31-14
With two men pulling out on game day, 1 prior to the match the other about 5 minutes before kick off, it didn’t make things easy for the boys. On top of that we had a half back playing at about 70% fitness and a second rower who had pulled himself off his death bed to play. It didn’t make for a good start but they were the cards we had been dealt. St Ives were sitting 3^rd on the table and had a much bigger side than Briars. We toiled very well, Cheese was everywhereThe back row played really well, we were just out sized against a side that didn’t use its backs. St Ives just played it through the forwards and when they did throw it out wide; we were more than capable of holding them out. In fact, our backs did more with the limited ball we had, than our opponents did all game.  There were heroic performances all over the park. Bobby Borsak was good, his effort to set up the first try showed his will to apply pressure. Tommy Hull never took a backward step either.  Those who watched the game might say we lacked some discipline after being 6-0 down in the penalty count after 10 minutes, those in the know will argue that we were destroyed by a ref incapable of refereeing 2 teams. Needless to say, there were plenty of questions asked from the sideline for some absolutely ridiculous decisions. The boys however, tried their hearts out. Everybody there could see that. We did manage to score the try of the game, a sweeping move from one side of the field to the other which saw Darcy fall over for a try. To say the day didn’t end as we would have liked, would be an understatement. The boys will keep their heads up. The boys will play with pride. At the end of the day, that’s the Briars way. 
Points:3 – Ian “Chesse” Pond2 – Andrew Bate1 – John Sing
Coach: Dean Peris   

1^st GRADE
Briars defeated St Ives 64-8
Briars v St Ives games are usually tough games and the start of this game was no exception. Briars 1st grade had been working hard on their discipline and had stepped up defence in the past couple of weeks and in this game those were a priority. Briars did not take long to kick into gear, open up the scoring and get out to a 14 to nil lead even though they did not have much ball. They were turning defence into offence every chance they had and it was showing on the scoreboard with St Ives only being able to kick a penalty goal in the first half while Briars led 21-3 into the break.  The half time talk was about patience and discipline with the team confident that if these 2 things were followed then we would put St Ives away convincingly. Briars came out in the second half and in what could only be described as a demolition, took control of the game and did not let the referee or St Ives play any part as we demonstrated awesome attack and even better defence. Briars scored 7 more tries to add to the 3 from the first half and ran out 64-8 winners.   Great games were had by all the team but special mention goes to Ashley Walsh with 2 tries and a conversion, James Ronsisvalle- who has made an awesome transition into the back row, and our ever reliable David Moore who just keeps scoring tries with 3 on the weekend. To add to a great day was the fact that one time competition leaders Barker lost which put Briars at the top of the table.  Next up is Newport, with another home game at Rothwell Park. Briars 1st grade continue to go forward in leaps and bounds, it would be great to get the crowd down that this team deserves. Come down and watch Briars continue on their way to the finals. 1st Grade kicks off at 3.15pm. 
Coach: Mark Gudmunson