Sunday November 2nd Dartford Valley away to Basildon.

The U12 girls from Dartford Valley travelled across the water to face the opposition of Basildon RFC on Sunday. Whilst there was a chill in the air as summer has now left us behind, the supporters were energised by the warm glow of expectation and the beaming smiles from the 26 girls readying themselves for battle. The season has not long started and the larger pitch and 12 aside Rugby was new for some, as a friendly game with very hospitable hosts it was decided to play the game in 3 20-minute thirds to allow a little extra coaching and feedback in the breaks.

The Beginning.
For the neutral it was a thrilling affair for the first 5 minutes Valley were camped in their own half indeed for the most part in their own 5 metres, a break by Cara and strong carries by Dara and Arianna led us past the halfway line briefly only for Basildon to turn us over at a breakdown, the breakdown was one of Basildon’s strengths and a cross field run from a nimble winger put them in front 5 minutes in 1-0. It took only 2 minutes for the strike back to occur, though extremely evenly matched there was a definite contrast in styles, the Valley forwards and centres in the back line were ferocious in attack with dominating runs through the centre of the field and whilst Basildon managed to nick the ball at a breakdown they were duly tackled into touch, the pass in from the touchline was the only invitation Isla Johnson needed and another mighty run saw her first try of the day, 1 apiece and game on! 1-1
This was a feisty affair in the best possible way, and the girls showed the faithful supporters that Rugby is no longer a game just for the boys. Time after time Valley were resolute in their tackles, whilst Basildon continued to be superior at the breakdown they had phase after phase until again a cross field run to dot the ball down in pretty much the exact spot the first try was scored in. 2-1 In quick response Valley did what they do best and that was truck it up the middle, strong runs from Dara, Ariana and a finish from Cara saw out the first 20 minutes at 2 try’s a piece 2-2. The early morning cold had long disappeared as the feast on display kept the supporters warm with their pacing up and down and their vociferous support.

The middle
Whilst the scrums are still uncontested at U12s, there was plenty of learning to be had from the multitude of scrums to be had all day. It felt like Valley were playing with a cheat code as Darcy Tite has mastered the competitive strike of the hooker and was dominating all game, after one such scrum Darcy then showed her talents could be put to use in more than just the pack as after a couple of passes she found herself with the ball and decided to stretch her legs with a determined run to score her first of the day 2-3 . With what felt the longest part of the game without a try and crunching tackles time and again from both sides Basildon decided to beat Valley at their own game and with 4 strong carries through the centre of the field brought it back to evens 3-3. It was not long however before Valley was back in front because the resulting kick off was caught by Darcy Tite who now decided to show her skills as a winger running a try in from the halfway line with a fantastic solo try 3-4.

The end
As Basildon surged forward in the final third of the game Ella picked up a ball in the loose and whilst quickly tackled popped the ball up to Tilly Timon who with quick hands released Darcy down the right wing for what looked like a certain hat trick, Basildon saw it differently however and with the pace they had at their disposal chased her down with a great double tackle, again Basildon were better at the breakdown and came away with the ball only for it to be ripped out of their hands by Tilly Timon, the ball went in the loose but was quickly scooped up by Freya who sprinted Crossfield and down the left wing for her first try of the day. This was the first time in the game that there was daylight between the 2 teams 3-5. The work rate of both teams is second to none and it is turning into a long day in the office, a rushed pass at a breakdown and a dropped ball is all the invitation Basildon needed to claw one back to make it 4-5. The comeback was short-lived as from the kick off Tilly Timon caught the ball and with a switch move played to perfection Darcy finally ran in her hat trick try 4-6. Basildon were not finished yet and a mazey run from the backs followed up with some strong forward phases scored what was to be their final try of the day 5-6. What followed was a quick succession of try’s for Dartford Valley A strong run and well crafted offload from Cara to Isla Johnson who ran in her second 5-7, a runaway try for Freya made 5-8, another strong run from Cara who dominated most of the day saw the game off at 5-9.
To be honest the scoreline flattered Valley in the end, it would be easy to say that fitness played a part as they finished strongly. However in the 12 a side game Valley had 2 subs which were well utilised, Basildon had a bare 12 and there were no fresh legs for respite during the game, ultimately that was the difference. Overall a brilliant display of rugby from both sides and based on the game today the grass roots for girls rugby is bright. Valley looks forward to a return visit from Basildon and the opportunity to repay their fine hospitality.

In closing it is easy to look at the try scorers today for the glory of the win, but as anyone that plays or coaches rugby knows it is often the unseen and the less glorious moments that win a game. Every player on the team played a part in todays win and all deserve a mention.

The work rate was immense, the tackle rate was high and the dogged determination in defence set the standard for the try scorers to follow. Sophia, Tilly, Ella, Dara, Emily, Violet , Fran, Smithy, Grace, Cara, Freya, Fran, Isla, Darcy and Arianna take a bow you were great today.

If there is anything to take from todays win it is the need to use the full width of the pitch and take less contact because you will eventually come across bigger, stronger opponents. That however is for the training field next week, for now we bask in the glory of a well fought and deserved win.