Photos:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/26086313%40N08/collections/

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Scorers:

Trys: Keith, Matt, Lowsey, Joe

 

Conversion:

Joe

 

Durham got the scheduling wrong again this year and scheduled the cup semi-finals on a the same weekend as an England/Scotland game (a number of players were at the game) and on a non-league Saturday for teams below National League and Blaydon being successful again this year we had all 3 teams in the Durham Cup and a first team game. Given all that, we pulled on all the resources available at Blaydon RFC and had 4 strong teams out on the day. Outcome; 2s beat Billingham IIs, Development lost to West H and Bricks beat Hartlepool.

 

Cup matches are hard as everyone schedules time off work, risks coming back from injury and basically just put wounded bodies on the line and play. So unlike games you just cannot get everyone on and given how tight this game was even though we had good players on the bench I just did not feel we could unsettle the team and make more than necessary changes on the day. This is a great Bricks squad, you could tell those who didn’t get on were disappointed but all of them said they understood, a mark of how everyone supports the outcome of the cup, not just the taking part, thanks, and sorry guys.

Summary of this game, it was a cup semi-final, we had a good squad, our match plan was batter them with our big forwards, make yards with big lads running off, use mauling to walk up the pitch, kick to the corners for territory and unleash a good set of backs in the last 40 yards. So in effect business as usual for the Bricks. The point of writing that down, was to make sure everyone watching knew that, cos you would not have known that. Don’t get me wrong our scrum demolished them, no matter how many people they changed in the front row, our lineout worked really well and stole ball, so Hartlepool good back line with a really powerful first centre and rapid fullback was starved of the ball from the set piece. We even made big yards with players running off, but then played some form of NZ off-loading game we never play; both forwards and backs forced passes where they was none and gave away possession to that very quick set of backs and they punished us. We got excited and ran from our 22, our forwards got white line fever and when we had battered Pool and drew in backs and forwards we ignored overlaps and went again, alone into that crowd of players and lost the ball with lack of support. I know by now you’d be saying, you’d think we’d lost, but a sign of the capability of the squad, was in giving this amount of ball away we tackled well and apart from gifting a try from one of those poor offensive moves and missing some tackles on the centre going high, we learnt quick and whipped him out low every other time and crowed in the fullback so they ended up kicking away possession.

 

Highs & Lows

• Sorry game was so intense I stopped taking notes, so you’ll have to wait till the guys send some more in, but for now:
• You’d have thought after the first long ball Hartlepool put down Sav’s throat they would have found an alternate strategy as he punished them, time and time again with big yardage returns, ah well!
• Horse, Ryan, Adam and Harry made big yards and big hits
• Stu Bailey was everywhere, annoying Hartlepool and stealing ball.
• Our backs running when we did the basics; run, pass and support tore them apart, Lowsey, Matt, Savs ran then ragged
• First try was Keith with pure forward power
• 2^nd try was exceptional, Sav made yards from outside our 22, offloaded to Harry, Horse took it on, Lowsey took it on and timed a pass perfectly for Matt to run it in from the 22, running over/through the fullback.
• Horse went on the hoof, but got ‘centred’ the big centre smashed him back
• The fullback was a good player, but got lucky in a move that was a lesson to all backs on how to turn a player inside out from Savs. Ball started with Harry, offload to Matt and then to Savs who broke through one on one with the full back, full back was coming across to take Savs, Savs feinted inside, fullback went in, Savs had gone outside, fullback went outside, Savs was back inside while all the time the line getting closer, then Savs should have just gassed it but turned him once more and ran into him. Our backs were mesmerised as everyone else was and no one was with him in support, opportunity was lost.
• Cliff was flattened by an immense tackle form behind.
• 10 mins into 2^nd half, Put Stu Reay on, Lowsey went to Flyhalf and Coatsey who was playing with a hamstring strain and not played since the quarter final, had given all, said he only wanted a half and typical of this team when he came off shattered, wanted to keep playing.
• Stu Reay was briefed to settle things down (I know, in reflection, how does putting an angry man, on settle things down) and power play through forwards, first thing he started was a tussle with Hartlepool forwards for coming offside (which they had done all game) and typical wound our forwards to the hilt, as happens when a pack pick on a scrum half buddy.
• And there’s more to come …..

 

Summary, a good win, we are back in the final again, this time against Houghton who beat Winlaton and game to be played on 18^th April, venue to be decided, but it will be neutral ground.

So, boat loads of players for a cup game, next week we have a league double header away at Border park as we try to get our league title chase back on track, with Novos having played extra game and being 4 points ahead, our issue will be whether we can fit all our games in given other commitments.

 

 

Team:

 

1. Finnas
2. Keith
3. Ryan          (Ryan)
4. Adam         (Cliff)
5. Horse
6. Harry
7. Stu Bailey
8. Windy          (Harry)
9. Lowsey     (Stu Reay)
10. Coatsey        (Lowsey)
11. Joe
12. Chester
13. Divers
14. Matt
15. Savs

 

 

 

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/26086313%40N08/collections/

 

Scorers:

Trys: Savs, Lowsey 2, Hopey, Richard, Ryan, Matty, Anth

 

Conversion:

Hopey, Lowsey

 

You could tell we were getting close to a cup semi-final, we had players coming out of the woodwork and although the 3s had no game, it was only Bricks who played on the day, apart from a short appearance at the end from Matty Bell.

This was a great team performance, with power play from the forwards and clinical running from the backs and some great finishing, bring on Hartlepool.

Gateshead match report, reports that our first kick went over and I failed to give it, have to say, busted, it was above the post, I made a judgement if the post had continued up, would it have bounced in between the posts or back into play, then I noticed it was Lowsey doing the kicking, so decision was made, no conversion. I may have got it wrong Harry was in a good place to see it, but as I say it was Lowsey.

 

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/gatesheadrugbyfootballclub/s/match-centre-11316/0-2430121/

 

 

 

Highs & Lows

• Ryan and Finnas made good yards
• Google from the Kick off had Paul’s hands and juggled the ball
• Lowsey, Matt, Diver and Chester made big yards
• Paul Dingley made some good tackles, but of note was his kick, on right wing, ball was kicked to him in space, he started going forward and Keith (that tactical genius, says to him kick it, probably Keith was worried he would pass to him and he’d have to run a long way) Paul kicked it, but not down the wing, it was cross field into the arms of the fastest back Gateshead had.
• Cliff at the lick off, its out, oh no it wasn’t, he insist he was told to leave it
• Good break, Savs, Divers, Matt on to Hopey, oh dear…..
• Cliff drops next KO, insists he was being targeted
• Chester goes for the interception, bounced off the tummy
• Damien does a hop, skip, but badly
• Good to see Craig make a comeback after serious ankle injury last year
• Cliff goes for a 3^rd KO, it is targeting, split
• Anth gets his first try for Bricks, in the corner and wrestles everyone and refuses to move til the ref gives it – bout time…………

 

 

 

 

 

Team:

 

1. Finnas
2. Richard Pike (Craig McBurnie, Grumpy)
3. Ryan
4. Cliff
5. Keith (Ming)
6. Ian Bennie
7. Stu Bailey
8. Windy
9. Lowsey (Stu Reay)
10. Savs (Phil, Lowsey)
11. Paul Dingley (Anth)
12. Chester (Hopey)
13. Divers (Matt)
14. Damien
15. Matt Goodall (Phil)

 

Photos:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/26086313%40N08/collections/

Bricks had a bad day at the office and came off 2^nd best against a strong Ryton 3^rd team. On a day where Ryton had no 2^nd team game, they sent a very strong 3^rd team to play the Bricks and as against a month earlier, when Bricks scored 48 points against Ryton IIIs, Bricks suffered a heavy defeat in the league fixture.

 

Bricks had a decent side out but due to last minute cry offs a number of people were playing out of position, Bricks had little bench available, so players played on with knocks and Ryton exploited the situation.

 

It could and should have been a lot closer, for the first 30 mins the Bricks showed too much respect to the Ryton team and allowed a number of trys to be scored. Just before half time they realised they were not that big a gap between the sides and came back at Ryton and had good spells where they totally contested the fixture but the early trys had Ryton well in front.

 

Highs & lows:

• Good tackling from Divers (Playing back row) Savs, Harry and Damien
• Well taken try from Harry
• Joe cover tackling
• Savs & Chester making good yards
• Ryan with big yards & hits
• Joe Melia came on for us as we had a small bench
• Grumpy, the small bench came back from injury for his first game of the season and played 25mins, good to see him back.

 

Scorers:

Trys:  Harry

Conv: Joe

 

 

Team:

1. Ryan
2. Keith
3. Brett
4. Neil ( Joe Melia)
5. Adam
6. Ian Bennie
7. Divers
8. Harry
9. Sean Pyle
10. Phil
11. Joe Snowdon
12. Chester
13. Hopey
14. Damien (Paul Dingley)
15. Savs

 

We will need all players to make themselves available on the 14th March to enable us to get 3 strong cup sides out with each having a few subs on the day.

1s have home fixture against Richmond.

Please make yourselves available

http://www.durhamrugby.com/CountyCup/CupCompetitions2ndTeams.shtml

2s drawn at home to Billingham

Development drawn at home to West Hartlepool

Bricks Travel to Hartlepool IIs

Talented 17 year old graduates from Under 18 set up to full senior academy

Newcastle Falcons are pleased to announce 17 year old scrum half Ruaridh Dawson will graduate to the club’s senior academy structure in 2015/16 after an impressive season with the academy’s Under 18 set up.

Dawson, who attends Newcastle School for Boys and plays club rugby with Blaydon joined the Falcons Academy towards the end of season 2014/15 after impressing for club, school and county.

He started playing the game at the age of nine at school and 15 at Blaydon after playing mainly football as a youngster and in recent seasons he has featured in Scotland’s youth set up. Yesterday, Ruaridh was selected in the England Under 18 Clubs and Schools squad. Academy Manager Mark Laycock has been impressed with what he has seen and is looking forward to seeing what Dawson can achieve.

“Ruaridh has been one of the stand out players in this year’s Under 18 crop and has done well in all of the games so we are keen to see how he progresses as part of the senior academy set up.”

“He will undergo a full pre season with the senior squad this summer and then will be aiming to get involved with the A Team alongside the games he will play for his dual registered club Blaydon, so he should get a good amount of exposure to competitive rugby over the season.”

Dawson said: “I didn’t really have the love of football after playing that for a while so I picked up rugby at school when I was nine.”

“I enjoyed it and Mr. Hogarth, my PE teacher, was coaching at Blaydon and encouraged me to go down to that club. I’m pleased I did because I really liked it there with the club being really friendly.”

“I’ve enjoyed being part of the junior academy at the Falcons and I am really looking forward to being part of the senior academy next season.”

“It will be a new experience and working alongside some of the Falcons first team squad will be quite a shock to the system, but I am looking forward to it.”

The original article can be found on the Newcastle Falcons website: http://www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk/news/story/dawson-joins-senior-academy-for-201516