U11 ISA National Rugby Tournament, Rushmoor - 10 November 2016

The boys were very excited for this tournament after our A team had beaten Thorpe House this week. The first game was against the hosts and we started strong with Harvey C falling just short of the try line. They pushed back by using their strong runners to exploit the gaps we were leaving in defence. We sorted ourselves out but not before conceding two tries. The game finished 2-0

Into the second game and we knew we had to wake up if we were going to stand a chance of going through the pool stage. Jayme H said he really wanted to beat Hawley School and he hit the ground running. It was Thomas T who took us ahead followed by a fantastic run from Adam Y to take the game 2-0.

No rest for the wicked as we were straight back on the pitch for the next game against St Nicholas. After sorting the defensive gaps from the first game, Gateway boys were strong and applying pressure well. Joss K attacked the space well to take us to 1-0. A great on-side interception from Adam left him with space to take it to 2-0. He quickly followed this with another to go 3-0 up. A fantastic pass from Noah L meant Joss K could make the run for the final play but was tackled and lost the ball as he went to place it down for the try.

Through to the Quarter finals and our opposition were Finborough School. They were big lads, but we know the bigger they are, the harder they fall and we threw everything into the game. The boys kept their cool and stayed composed when they could quite easily have let the game go to their heads. An equaliser in the closing minutes by Ryan M meant that the game had to go to sudden death and the first try wins. The final try by Finborough was a lucky one. This was a tough game both physically and emotionally. Our boys were outstanding sportsmen throughout the game and they were amazing ambassadors for the school,

Well done boys.

From a very proud Mr Clark