Better. Much better. Just about sums it up really-  Saturday saw a BRFC side that worked  together in the face of a strong opposition, kept fighting till the end and came off the pitch with pride.
There’s still a lot to work to do but Saturday saw the platform for a strong side set -  its this platform we have to build from and go forward with.
The opening of the match was fierce with some great defending work put in and everyone rose to the challenge well – so well in fact that the opposition after being camped on out 22 for an extended period of time had to reconsider their tactics and go for the posts in order to get some points on the board. This is indicative of the level of defense we were putting up.
I wont go through a minute by minute analysis as its not necessary – the important points are still the same at this point in the season – FITNESS; that means doing your own when not at training, even if it’s a jog round the block twice a week it makes a huge difference. That said, I reckon our level in the forwards particularly, was higher than theirs.
Efficiency – this comes with thinking. Think about where you need to position yourself for each bit of the play. Rucking has to be efficient, low and fast will always win the rucks- if you are underneath someone they can’t push you off. I saw some great rucking on sat, from everyone, and also some poor moments, especially when we are tired.
Backs have to all be just as prepared to ruck as the forwards.
These are skills that always get better as the season goes on- and I’m pleased with the level at the moment. I was also pleased with the work rate from everyone, covering positions, getting into a defensive line when they were attacking etc- I can’t fault anyone’s commitment on sat.
A HUGE thank you to the newbies – who played their first game for the club on sat. Paul, Xav, Azri… Paul showed some great running, especially in the final part of the game when we were all tired – and notably got dropped on his head for running in upright, hopefully we’ll be seeing him put in some crunching hits as the season goes on. Xav showed some great vision and is a definite asset to the club – Azri put in a great covering tackle and coped well after one or two hospital passes and will, when let loose in space certainly be putting some points on the board ( his choice in surfing shorts will need to be updated though!)
Will again put in a big performance before coming off in the last 3 mins- I’m sure he’ll be ready to get stuck in next sat though! Two names played a great game, very involved, vocal and was rucking very well.  Eudes deserves special thanks for stepping into the front row…and quite enjoying it! Second rows put in a solid base for the scrum and both Rick and Damiano were vital to the game on sat. Nick, as is becoming usual, put in another solid performance, tackling and ever present in the rucks…and getting the occasional friendly squeeze… Nico and Toniol put in some great hits and worked well together.
Moving out of the forwards the backs performed well, good defense and some nice running when attacking – especially Marks final flurry for the corner at the end.
In spite of all this though, the fundamental for everyone to be aware of are that we have to ATTACK more. Defense is fine, but it doesn’t earn us points. I’d like to see people stretching their legs and really going for it – getting stuck in and looking for opportunities to pinch the ball, and to use it effectively when we have it. Less needless kicking unless we are in real need of it– keep it in hand and run it down the pitch.
When we act together, and keep it in hand and rolling forward, looking for support etc – we make lots of ground.
Lineout still needs work but that will come – I intend to do more catch and drives, the last one we did during the match gained us 20yards…
So, less kicking, better lineouts and more attacking. Those are the things to think about when preparing for Saturday.
This is a good start lads, and we have a lot to be pleased about. We need to work together and move forward for the next match, because its time to show everyone what we really can do.

Ned