The Chairman has retired to the first class lounge (only 30 bucks to buy your way in) while the Captain is quite rightly with his players. Therefore the Captain hasn't had the iPad to write me a match report, so we have put one together for you ourselves as I am aware it is very late.......
The game v the Zim U19s was probably going to be the toughest game that the ISB had yet faced. It was a glorious day, hot and dry on a beautiful wide flat pitch. A big crowd, a pipe band, a member of the cabinet, national anthems, presentations, and a great atmosphere.
The Zimbo's were I think expecting a win after we had contrived to lose to the Lions a few days before and therefore they were in boisterous mood.
The boys were very focused before the game, they knew they should have won the first game and they were determined not to make the same mistakes again.
After the formalities the game kicked off - 5 seconds later we lost our first player to a yellow card. The player, not to mention names, especially Welsh ones, was perhaps a little over heated in playing his first national team. The first hit of the game was a late hit and we were down to 14! However, the ISB managed to put together some good phases and threatened the Sables line on a number of occasions. This somewhat settled the nerves of the players but the well struck penalty from Jewers converted some of the pressure into points. Jewers had not been kicking well all week and therefore it was with some relief that we saw the ball going anywhere near the uprights! 3-0
However the Zimbos soon came back and good handling from the home side and poor defence from the ISB enabled them to score a try in the left hand corner which fortunately they were unable to convert.
We then responded with a period of sustained pressure in the Sables 22 which unfortunately only led to another well taken penalty for Jewers which enabled us to go into the half-time break 6-5 up!
The boys were sore and stiff at half-time from the the hot conditions, the fast pace and the big hits. However, the boys were none the less confident and believed that they could win this game.
The Sables came out after half time firing and pressurised the ISB who looked like they were having one of their typical poor second half starts. The pressure culminated in two penalties for the Sables leaving the ISB down by 11-6.
The ISB then began to rouse themselves from their slumbers and started to get back into the match. Some good phase play took them up the field and the pressure told on the Sables leading to them straying offside and a penalty. Jewers stepped up and put us with 2 points.
This boosted the ISB confidence and we started to play some good rugby, again we worked our way up the park and yet another pressure induced penalty gave Wilcockson the chance to stroke the ball towards the corner flag. In very untypical, but necessary given the circumstances, style the ISB put up the ever dominant Tokeley at the front of the line out. He caught cleanly and the back of the line out swept round into position around him. The try was not instantly forthcoming and the ISB showed good patience in holding tight until the point of weakness was found. After conceding 5 catch and drives to lose the Cobham game the ISB had score one themselves to take the lead against Zimbabwe, we were up 14-11.
The lead unfortunately did not last long. The Sables surged back into the ISB half and we gave up a silly penalty and the lead was gone it was 14 all.
However, this seem to spur the ISB. There followed a unfruitful but highly exciting period of play for the ISB, where the boys at long last started to cut through the Sables back line defence. Time after time the ISB broke the Sables line only to be frustrated by their last ditch defences. However after much pressure, the ball was moved wide from a loose line out to the fly-half, Huxtable who floated a neat and well weighted pass to Wilcockson, now playing at 15, who burst into the line at a well judged angle and handed off the Sables centre to go through under the posts. We were now 21-14 up.
The Sables did not however lay down and die. They came back with ferocity and were spurred on by the home crowd. They threw everything they had at getting the ball across the ISB line, but heroic defence time and time again repelled the Sables keeping them out but only inches from the ISB line. Eventually the magnificent pressure led to a mistake with the Sables giving away a knock on with the try line beckoning. A scrum, a clean hook, a well shepherded ball by the 8, a pick and a smack into touch by the 9 and the game was over and we had beaten Zimbabwe.
The boys to say the least were rather pleased, as were the management, some of whom might have almost shed a tear!!!!!!!
The game v the Zim U19s was probably going to be the toughest game that the ISB had yet faced. It was a glorious day, hot and dry on a beautiful wide flat pitch. A big crowd, a pipe band, a member of the cabinet, national anthems, presentations, and a great atmosphere.
The Zimbo's were I think expecting a win after we had contrived to lose to the Lions a few days before and therefore they were in boisterous mood.
The boys were very focused before the game, they knew they should have won the first game and they were determined not to make the same mistakes again.
After the formalities the game kicked off - 5 seconds later we lost our first player to a yellow card. The player, not to mention names, especially Welsh ones, was perhaps a little over heated in playing his first national team. The first hit of the game was a late hit and we were down to 14! However, the ISB managed to put together some good phases and threatened the Sables line on a number of occasions. This somewhat settled the nerves of the players but the well struck penalty from Jewers converted some of the pressure into points. Jewers had not been kicking well all week and therefore it was with some relief that we saw the ball going anywhere near the uprights! 3-0
However the Zimbos soon came back and good handling from the home side and poor defence from the ISB enabled them to score a try in the left hand corner which fortunately they were unable to convert.
We then responded with a period of sustained pressure in the Sables 22 which unfortunately only led to another well taken penalty for Jewers which enabled us to go into the half-time break 6-5 up!
The boys were sore and stiff at half-time from the the hot conditions, the fast pace and the big hits. However, the boys were none the less confident and believed that they could win this game.
The Sables came out after half time firing and pressurised the ISB who looked like they were having one of their typical poor second half starts. The pressure culminated in two penalties for the Sables leaving the ISB down by 11-6.
The ISB then began to rouse themselves from their slumbers and started to get back into the match. Some good phase play took them up the field and the pressure told on the Sables leading to them straying offside and a penalty. Jewers stepped up and put us with 2 points.
This boosted the ISB confidence and we started to play some good rugby, again we worked our way up the park and yet another pressure induced penalty gave Wilcockson the chance to stroke the ball towards the corner flag. In very untypical, but necessary given the circumstances, style the ISB put up the ever dominant Tokeley at the front of the line out. He caught cleanly and the back of the line out swept round into position around him. The try was not instantly forthcoming and the ISB showed good patience in holding tight until the point of weakness was found. After conceding 5 catch and drives to lose the Cobham game the ISB had score one themselves to take the lead against Zimbabwe, we were up 14-11.
The lead unfortunately did not last long. The Sables surged back into the ISB half and we gave up a silly penalty and the lead was gone it was 14 all.
However, this seem to spur the ISB. There followed a unfruitful but highly exciting period of play for the ISB, where the boys at long last started to cut through the Sables back line defence. Time after time the ISB broke the Sables line only to be frustrated by their last ditch defences. However after much pressure, the ball was moved wide from a loose line out to the fly-half, Huxtable who floated a neat and well weighted pass to Wilcockson, now playing at 15, who burst into the line at a well judged angle and handed off the Sables centre to go through under the posts. We were now 21-14 up.
The Sables did not however lay down and die. They came back with ferocity and were spurred on by the home crowd. They threw everything they had at getting the ball across the ISB line, but heroic defence time and time again repelled the Sables keeping them out but only inches from the ISB line. Eventually the magnificent pressure led to a mistake with the Sables giving away a knock on with the try line beckoning. A scrum, a clean hook, a well shepherded ball by the 8, a pick and a smack into touch by the 9 and the game was over and we had beaten Zimbabwe.
The boys to say the least were rather pleased, as were the management, some of whom might have almost shed a tear!!!!!!!
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