Banter with Benji - County Cup Edition

Rugby Academy 1st XV Under 18's
Worthing 31 Collyers 20 (County Cup Quarter Final)

Worthing travelled to Horsham for the County Cup quarter final against the unknown quantity of Richard Collyers College. In the past there had been many battles of epic proportions and this day was to prove nothing short of a carbon copy the confrontations before.

Worthing started with a man advantage as the Collyers side took the field with 14, this worked in two ways, one to strengthen the resolve of the home side and two to lower the visitors expectations and arousal levels. So imagine the looks that were on the Worthing faces when the first try went to home side.

Worthing started putting some nice phases of rugby together and this led to numerous trips to the opposition half and eventually the first Worthing 7 pointer.

So sit back, relax pull up a foot stool and get into your favourite slippers and joggy pants because here comes the storm of Worthing scores.... Not so much the home side hadn’t had a look at the scrip and each of the 14 were to a man taking care of business. Collyers were making sure the visitors were not the force they thought themselves to be and taught the invaluable message that ‘a small group of motivated individuals can change the world.’ So scores were traded and Worthing went into the turn up by 19-15.

To the second half and more of the same, Worthing trying to play too much rugby from all over the field not using the conditions to travel towards the oppostion line. With the home sided busting everything they had to make it tough for Worthing and get themselves a little piece of the scoring action.

Scores again traded and Worthing getting worried as the psychological balance of the side took a big swing to the negative.
The onlooking Worthing coach wondering if anything that had been worked on during the week, said before the kick off, or at half time had been listened to and understood. The evidence was sketchy at best damming at worst. The old adage stepped up ‘no brain no game’ and here we all were living through the collective personification of.

In the final 12mins Worthing eventually broke the home resistance and put over for the final Worthing 7 for the day. Collyers got themselves into the corner for a very good score and that made the final score 31-20 to Worthing. Closer than Worthing players expected, better than the Collyers players hoped for and a little better than the Worthing coaching and support staff feared at half time.

What can we take from this game.... another win, in a close local derby encounter. The lesson that nothing is a given, you earn everything and can’t take anything or anyone for granted. That if you get on each other after mistakes more are likely to occur and you are just shooting yourself, team mate and team in the collective foot- not cool. When it comes down to it, could all of the Worthing side ‘Look at the guy in the glass’ with confidence? The Collyers men could.

County cup semis, here we come nothing less than a win will do, so lets all ‘fix up and look sharp.’ I’ll see you Monday bring your lungs (x20).