MHRUFC U9 Menaces vs Melton Mowbray RFC - 29.01.2017 - Match Report

U9s hosted Melton Mowbray this Sunday in bright but muddy conditions. Melton brought 2 teams - A & B - and an 11-man Menaces squad allowed for plenty of opportunities for all members to combine together.

Melton’s B Team were Menaces first opponents of the morning and whilst the eventual scoreline reflected a gulf in ability, the Menaces took a few minutes to find their stride. Kicking-off with Arthur Adams, the Menaces were soon on the scoreboard with a cleverly-worked try by Daniel Weston smoothly fed by Teagan Beaufoy however Melton Mowbray equalised moments later with an unopposed run. Stung into action, the Menaces stepped-up a gear: George Williams was next to score with a determined run through the heart of defence. Melton went through 7 phases and ultimately were turned-over as Menaces defended strongly, intricate passing turned defence into attack Joab Tiney the ultimate scorer after a passage of excellent passing. Once again, sturdy defending caused Melton to spill the ball which Teagan Beaufoy collected and ran the length of the pitch to score. More try-saving defending and a near-try by Dylan Williams maintained the pressure on Melton and at the close of the first half George Williams grabbed his second try of the game dragging a few tacklers with him over the line. Menaces led at the end of the half 5 - 1.

Again a slow start to the second half allowed Melton to score in the opening passage of play before the natural order was restored: Daniel Weston scored unopposed, Arthur Adams showed his pace, and a brace from Jonny Sobek meant the Menaces finished 9-4. The scoreline reflected the strength of the team and try scorers but once again it was the ever-improving tackling that proved the difference.

Melton’s A Team as expected provided a sterner test with significantly better tackling and accurate passing of their own. Menaces looked a little tired and perenially on the back foot, defending strongly but forever playing catch-up. Daniel Weston continued his performance from the first fixture and scored all Menaces 3 tries in the first half - again a combination of power and determination seeing him over. He added a 4th early in the 2nd half and was joined by Teagan Beaufoy and Joab Tiney on the scoreboard, the latter a try in the final passage of play ensuring the game ended in a fair 6-6 draw, again stout defending being the standout Menaces improvement over the season with the usual strong-tackling squad members being joined by performances across the rest of the squad.