Festival success for Heath U11s and U12s

Haywards Heath RFC mini rugby section sent two teams to the Pulborough B Festival last Sunday and both came away with silverware after winning their respective competitions in fine style underlining the depth in talent across all mini age groups.
Haywards Heath U11s win Pulborough FestivalHaywards Heath U11s win Pulborough Festival
Haywards Heath U11s win Pulborough Festival

The Under 11s faced a strong pool of Sussex based teams including Chichester, Hove and Worthing - after some great rugby and dogged defence Heath manged to top their group on try count back with their dominant display against Hove that resulted in a 6 try to 0 victory proving the decisive factor . Winning the group put them into the final against the Group 1 winners, Petersfield, who had narrowly edged out Horsham to win their pool. Heath started playing up the steep slope and always looked to have the game under control leading 1-0 at the break. Going downhill in the second half meant that Heath were able to pressurise Petersfield and run in two more tries for a comprehensive 3-0 win. Given that a number of the boys in the squad have only been playing rugby for a couple of months this victory was a real testament to the coaching team working on the basics to ensure effective and entertaining rugby while the boys develop their skills.

The Under 12s faced a single pool competition against hosts Pulborough, Horsham and visiting Surrey side Cobham with the first and second in the group going through to the grand final to play off for the trophy. It was clear from the warm up that the boys were up for it and, despite the intense overnight rain, the games were played in glorious sunshine. Heath dominated the Group winning all of their games and running in some great tries in the process. The team managed to mix a real physicality and desire at the breakdown with an ability to play as a team and move the ball wide - a combination which their opponents were unable to deal with. So after topping their group Heath made the final in which they were to play Cobham who they had previously beaten 4-0 . Unsurprisingly the final was a far tighter affair and whilst the Heath 12s always looked to have a grip on the game, they came away with a nail biting 1-0 victory to win the tournament. A great day for the Under 12s who visibly grew in confidence as the day progressed and under the direction of their coaches were working hard for each other moving the ball around the pitch with confidence – the squad really stepped up to the plate and made their coaching team very proud.

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