U13A
U13A started their season in commanding style with an impressive win against a typically strong Judd team. An early hat trick from Kola O gave Eltham College some breathing space, only for Judd to storm back to bring the game within a score at half time. Eltham College upped their game in the second half with 5 unanswered tries and some outstanding defence. A fantastic start to the season! Tries were scored by Olajede x 5, Close, Robertson, Clout. Final score: 40-10 win.
U13B
Judd scored two early tries before Eltham levelled the game through a try in the corner by Edward C and a breakaway score by Cameron M. In the second half, Eltham defended valiantly on their line for a sustained period but could not prevent conceding a try with 5 minutes to play. In the final play of the match, Dunming X broke through Judd’s defensive line to score a superb try and level the game for Eltham. Special mentions ought to go to Bleddyn M, for making a countless number of tackles; Oscar A, for some imperial runs with the ball; and, of course, Dunming X who, as well as scoring the deciding try, was magnificent in defence and attack. Final score: 3-3 draw.
U13C
The U13C team had their first game of the season on Saturday. They made a promising start, scoring the first try and only ending in 5-15 for the first half. Judd were a strong team and certainly were a bigger opposition. The C team have had very little experience with scrums so unfortunately this meant Judd had an advantage that they used effectively, scoring an additional 35 points in the second half. Notable performances included Sam M, for his fantastic runs, and Kristian M for his excellent eye on tackling. Lots to work on but looking forward to seeing how the team progress throughout the season. Final score: 10-50 loss.
U14A
The U14A team looked to build on a strong pre-season turnout in their first game of the season against a top Judd side. Unfortunately, we were hit early with a number of injuries to some of our key players, which destabilised us in the initial moments of the game. Judd proved formidable opponents and were relentless in the loose and determined with ball in hand – happy to mix up their style and make us think. Kudos must go to Eltham for maintaining their efforts and for continuing to support each other in the face of a growing scoreline. The game ended with a strong passage of play from Eltham showing what we can do when we compete with more tenacity and diligence. We are capable of much more than we showed, and so we must take some optimism that there is still much to come. In the weeks coming we must focus on how we put pressure on the attack. Special mention must go to Adem C, Seb B and Ethan C, who were relentless in the loose for us and secured many turnovers.
U14B
Eltham started brightly, dominating both territory and possession, and the first quarter of the game was spent camped in the opposition’s half. After relentless pressure, new addition Nikita T carried over for the first of his two tries. With Eltham holding tight in the middle, Judd were forced to attack around the side, something they were more effective at over the course of the game. An interception try by Oliver H added a second score, soon after Judd responded by scoring in the corner. The game was in the balance at 17-17 with around 15 minutes to go. At this point, Judd’s superior fitness and teamwork showed, outclassing the Eltham team in the closing stages. Nevertheless, Eltham showed the class that exists in the team and the level of performance that they are capable of. Encouraging signs for the rest of the season!
U15A
A fantastic display of hard work and determination from the boys on Saturday morning at the first outing of the season. There was a quite unspoken amount of nervous energy prior to the game on Saturday morning. This nervous energy resulted in a physical encounter. Special mentions must go to Mathew M, who was a physical enforcer throughout, likewise Isiah, with some strong physical ball carries. Credit to the opposition, who executed their scoring opportunities well and, on balance, deserved to win the game. We go again next week. Final score: 0-20 loss.
U15B
A 23-man U15B squad arrived at Judd on Saturday morning with an excited buzz ahead of the new season. An outstanding display, from start to finish, ended with Luce G crashing over and Theo A kicking the conversion to win 14-12. Rueben C was awarded MOM for his ferocious performance.
U16A
The U16A team got their season off to a fantastic start with a hard fought 15-10 win over Judd. It was victory built on an aggressive and committed defensive display with the tackling of Tom C and Alex C standing out in particular. Playing with the wind and slope in the first half, Eltham roared into a 10-0 lead with tries from Luke T and Ilia Z. Judd slowly fought their way back into the game and scored on the stroke of half time to make it 10-5. Eltham would have to keep their nerve in the second half to hang on. Judd struck first with an equalising score, but Eltham were not to be denied. A try from the collective effort of driving maul was a fitting way to grab a 15-10 lead. Ilia Z was the scorer, but the try, like the overall victory, was a real team effort.
1st XV
On Saturday 7 September, the 1st XV had their first game of the season against big rivals, Judd School. With a new, young squad we were eager to get the season started. The game began, with high intensity from the start. A good line break from Luke K led to a swift offload to Namir, who scored the first try of the game. The game continued to grow with Namir scoring a second try before Judd returned with a penalty conversion. Great intuition from co-captain, James B, led to an interception of the ball in Eltham’s half and James running the length of the pitch to score before the halftime whistle. The score was 21-15 to Eltham at halftime. In the second half, Namir scored his third try of the game, powering over the line. However, Judd were quick to pick up on our mistakes, scoring a penalty conversion and running the length of the pitch from an intercepted pass. They finished the game with a try from a line out maul, securing a 27-26 win. All the boys played well, with special mention to Luke K and Namir for some powerful runs, and to James R for bringing an injection of pace from the bench, which was beneficial late in the game. With things to work on in training and lessons learnt we are all excited for the season to come.
