JR The ScrumhalfAram The Back

We lost yet before we get into any commmentary, its worth reminding myself that its easy see problems from the touchline. The view from the field of play is significantly different from that view from the touchline. With that point in place, this commentary may contain some negative elements but never forget my respect for your commitment and desire to play the best game in the world, rugby.

Our tackling was outstanding but our realighnment in defense was slow. We were exposed anytime Roanoke was able to attack behind our forwards. Our cover defense was just about nil with the notable exception of Coleman who covered the entire width of the field with tackles and Brian Patterson who looked for defensive work all over the pitch.

Our forwards demonstarated the ability to dominate the scrumdowns yet we seemed to show reluctence to attack from that point of strength with coordinated weakside moves. Notable exception was Phil Bassettes galant effort in the second half which paid off when Cody was their on time to score the try. Our backline counter attack was not without effort but there was no misdirection or change up in the angles of running which simply exposed us to more pressure. Our lineouts have been much more consistent in the past--the throw was too low or lacked timing.

Darryl produced some outstanding solo runs and he was rewarded with a poached backline pass and a 60 meter run under the sticks.

Okay,if you have read this far, we have covered the obvious---what do we do now? The State Championship is glaring us in the eye.( Opinon guys) I say cast away any conservatism--take risks--attack on your feet-- ball in hand. Attack more from the base of the scrum-- its a strength we have barely exploited. We may sacrifice some recylced ball but go for daylight and every opportunity that presents itself. PLay for the joy of the game. "To risk nothing is to risk everything."

Best regards,
Cary

Reported by Danny Patterson

The backs had a good run on Saturday. It was a straiht forward attack but what they lacked in imagination they made up for in open field support. I lost count of the try scoring but a partial accounting follows. Steve narrowly missed a hat trick. Brian Patterson scored 2 tries. Will sliced through for one try and set the stage for Phillip to get his first United try. Darryl had several runs that rank among the prettiest that we have seen this season.

The pack gave the backs a lot of ball to work with but a lot of it was crap. I would have liked to see the pack consolidate and control the ball so that JR could have passed under less pressure. Lineouts were the only trully ugly part of our game. Shaggy supported the backs well and Phil and Tyler made some penetrating runs. I will let Carl do the in depth analysis on pack play.

The most encouraging improvements were the reduction in the number of penalties that we inflicted on ourselves, the backs couter attacking was much improved and, with the exception of the two plays where Virginia scored, the defense was rock solid, especially JR and Brian P.

My greatest concern is how hard will it be to live with Tim Brown after his near perfect kicking exhibition?

I heard several players mention how nice it is to have a group of loyal fans who regulary attend our games. The fact that some of these guys are as knowledgable and worldly as any you will find anywhere adds to the quality of our club.

Reported by Danny Patterson

In this 22-16 victory, once again we were our own worst enemies by giving the referee frequent just cause to blow his whistle. If we must blame the referee, we are certainly suffering an epidemic of bad refereeing because this would be the fourth game in a row that we are innocent victims. I personally don't think it is the referees. I think we are lazy, undisciplined and /or ignorant of the laws. We were coming into rucks from the side, laying on or near the ball after tackles and off sides in every conceivable situation to name a few of our bad habits. We con't continue to play this way if we want to achieve our goals. Going forward, selection criteria must include a player's knowledge and application fo the laws of rugby. Players should be aware of our expectation of no dumb penalties.

Now that I have vented. I would have to say that the match was enjoyable to wach and coach. Spirited play by the forwards and some exciting movements by the backs made this an exciting game. Shaggy showed a lot of hustle in chasing a deep kickoff and created a a lucky bouce and scored a beautiful try. Full back, Patrick Brenner,supported the backline well throughout the game and was rewarded with a try and Brian Patterson punched one in. Will Moore kicked a penalty goal and made his conversions and did a goodjob of kicking tactically which kept them on their heels to open up our running game. Tackling was excellent for the most part however we did allow two of their larger players to run over us for tries. Herman would have to be my choice for Man of the Match. He ruled the lineouts and was all over the field in support and defense. Other pack members who stood out with their aggressive play were Grunk, Paulie, and Thomas.

An enthusiastic crowd that included a good contingent of Old Boys joined us for the match. I would like to express my gratitude for the great attitudes exhibited by the plyers who were not able to get into the game. We are quite a team!

Best regards,

Danny Patterson
804 730 5865
804 730 2997

Sept 29th United v Western Suburbs,Reported by Danny Patterson

We were fortunate during the first half. Suburbs squandered nearly every opportunity that we handed to them. The first half was marred by our lack of concentration and commitment which resulted in mental mistakes and missed plays. Somhow they only managed to score 2 converted tries. It was disappointing to see United play this way.

An entirely different team seemed to take the field for the second half. United returned to their normal determined and aggressive style of ply. The pack's attack was relentless and their support was all over the field. The backs found and exploited a Suburbs weakness in handling deep kicks and were successbul in moving the ball to our wings. We played nearly the entire period in their half of the field but were only able to punch the ball in for one converted try. Suburbs deserves a nod for their determined defense that kept us out of the try zone despite our furious attack.

When the final whistle blew there was a strange silence. Neither team had anything left. Cheering was out of the question for Suburbs as they joined United in desperate gasping for air to repay an oxygen debt that had mounted during the intense offensive and defensive efforts. United game Carl and me all we could ask for as coaches---everything they had. We should all be proud of the pride and character that was displyed on Saturaday.

In the second match, the B side allowed 2 tries and were unable to answer despite a valiant and determined effort. The backs moved the ball well and the wings had an active day.. Determined play by the pack was needed to overcome some questionable calls by the referee who seemed to be blowing his whictle because he likes the noise. We are seeing some positive development in quite a few of our younger players. Our future is bright.

Sept 29th United v Western Suburbs , Reported by Cody Sutton

We lost 14-7. It was a hard fought match that should have had a different outcome. They scored and converted their two trys in the first half. The team was more fired up throughout the whole game then I have ever seen us. The entire second half was played on their half of the field. We quickly pushed the ball down the field with the pack and scored a try.. I am not exaggerating when I say that we had the ball at least ten times at their five going in and lost possession to dumb mistake like off sides, hands in, or a knock on. The ref blew the whistle to end the game with a penalty to us and we were inside of their ten meter or so. It was a disapppinting way to end the game, but I am happy that we kept the intensity there. All in all I think the whole team played their hearts out and never gae up, or got down like it seems we so often do when we get behind early in a game.

Posted online Sept 24th by Danny Patterson, Backline Coach,Selector

Not many complaints from me. The bottom line is they were large and wore us down. When we got tired we started making mistakes and on several occasions we had our heads down and were looking at our feet instead of at them and they ran around us.

Mental mistakes were abundant and I attribute them to fatigue. I don't know what the penalty count was but it seemed like we were penalized about five times as often as they were. We worked hard to put them under pressure only to be penalized and we let them off the hook. Our attack was blunted by an unusually large number of knock ons, which is out of character for us.<

They were successful attacking weak off the scrums and we were slow to adjust our defense. We need to spend some time on that this week.

They took a lot of our scrums. We may want to work on getting fast ball when playing against a large pack such as this. It will save energy and take away some of their size advantage.

I am proud of the back's defense. Raleigh had large centers and we were able to stop them behind the gain line in almost every instanse. They could not penetrate our defense in several goal line stands, which required determined tackling on our part. Our centers did an excellent job in getting back in support.

In the first half we effectively kicked to space and coverage was excellent. We had them on their heels but were unable to mount any type of running attack to take advantage of it. The second half yielded some bright offensive moments but we knocked on too frequently to mount a sustained attack.

We are heading in the right direction!

We lost to a strong side today; its good to face a superior opponent now and again in our fixtures to measure our progress and learn hard lessons. This commentary chooses to refrain from any in depth critiques; the coaches and veteran players will sort out our areas that can and need to be improved upon. In fact, this post match commentary welcomes perspective from any player, old boy, or coach as long as the viewpoint is positive, constructive, and motivates us to seek excellence.

Brian Patterson was fierce in defense: his tackles were laid on with total committment. Phil Bassette, as usual, was a titan in the lineouts. JR's workrate at scrumhalve is phenomenal and he demonstrated enterprise and risk taking gamets with some individual runs off the base. Autum took it to the edge and Darryl had a couple of extended broken field runs through traffic that were breathtaking. New mate at outside center (name?) was controlled effective runner and defender. Jonathon stoked a drop goal off a penalty mark that was a vision of grace. Tim Brown picked off a Raleigh backline pass for a try and looked devastating off our weakside lineout forays.

Interesting and hopeful aspect to this match is that after 15 minutes into the second half, we knew the match was lost, our players seemed to relax, threw off the tenetive nature of our play in the first half. We ran harder,tackled harder,rucked harder: we raised our level of play in those closing minutes,we took chances, and competed with grim determination yet still retained that element of joy essential for rugby excellence. Cody,Crazy,Tyler,Chris delivered outstanding physical play. We have a vast resevoir of promise. It's there. Nurture it. Know how to find it. Respect the game. Respect your mates. We will win.

With much respect,

Cary

Sept 15th, 2001

United v Rocky George

Reported by Danny Patterson,Backline Coach/Selector

The most reasonable approach to reviewing Saturday's match is to focus on what Rocky Gorge (RG) did well rather than what we did wrong. I say this because most of the things that we did wrong were the result of their good execution.

RG was very good at taking the ball away from us in tackles and mauls. They attacked the ball and were intent on ripping it from our possession. We will benefit from protecting the ball more when it is in our possession and by following RG's example of aggressively going for the ball in every situation.

We could ill afford giving up the extra pssession because RG was having their way with us when they attacked.

Much credit should be given to their back row forwards especially their 6 and 8 who effectively inserted themselves into the attack from everywhere on the field. Their loose forwards were fast and moved like backs in the open field.

We did a decent job of tackling their large and physical centers. We were up in pressure and generally made initial contact well behind the gain line. Due to their size we often need two or more players to bring them down. With the high activity of their back row forwards we found ourselves in many overload situations and our wings and fullback were compelled to play flat as a result. RG was good at recognizing this and kicked deep over our heads. We allowed too many kicked balls to bounce and RG was there in numbers to make us regret it. RG exploited the wind;we did not.

Our forwards made us all proud with their pushover tries and we as a team never let up.

The B side match was encouraging in several aspects. First, the large number of players that were available for selections ensures out long term health. Our relatively inexperienced wings were fast and physical and are quickly getting a good grasp on the game. The front three were determined in their defense and Will did a good job in kicking to open space from flyhalf. Jaco was solid at fullback in every aspect. The forward play was overall sound. Tylers'stry at the end of the match was a thing of beauty and we should focus on this as the beginning of our week in preparing for Raleigh.

RG's coaching credentials include captaining the Eagles on two international tours in the 70's, many years as the old Eastern Rugby Union coach, and serving as National coach for a brief period prior to the Jack Clark era. With all due respect to Carl (and none for myself) I believe that RG was a better coached team who trusted their coach's advice and followed his direction. The result was a well executed game plan.

Danny Patterson
804 730 5865
804 730 2997

Sept 8th

United v Fort Bragg

This report is based upon a collage of observations and post match chat with players and coaches. We took this match by dictating the pace amd bending the style of play to our methods. Patrick , at fullback, showed a consistent knack for penetrating off the counter attack and inserting into the backline. Pat has a natural gift for taking the ball at pace. Spectacular try starting at mid field off a long penetration by Patrick to an off load to the explosive Brian Patterson who finished the last 20 meters thru heavy traffic. Cody Sutton straightened out our running lines time after time with devastating forward thrusts into the thick of the defense. JR Zola is the hardest working scrumhalf we have witnessed in a long time. Jonathon looked powerful and Steve Griffin was ever cool and cagey at flyhalf. Our pack produced plenty of possession off the rucks we entered. Tyler Schmal is violent and contentious as he moves up the pitch. We will defer to the coaching staff for in depth critiques next week but some of the backs felt we could have performed even better by realighning quicker in defense and attack and exploit the width of the field more. Our forwards need to tidy up the ruck a bit more so JR can devote all his energy to clearing the ball rather than rooting it out on his own. On balance, a beautiful result for this time of the season----our Club has a vast amount of promise.

Best regards,

Cary

We dropped our three matches today to some strong sides today. Yet, we did improve as the day progressed. Our best performance by far was the last match v Cheasapeake-Baltimore,veterans of the National 7's tourney, over the last few years. Outstanding performances by Jonathon Leach with the ball and in support. Steve Griffith looked committed on defense and ever mindful in support. Phil Bassette is rock solid with the ball and is so confindent as he moves into contact. Phil always gets the ball away to his support. Brian Patterson was able to breach the defense time after time, Brian has huge talent and heart and we are all adjusting to how best support his spectacular breaks. New player Jason, "The Sugar Daddy," showed some quick moves and potential for the future.

In the end, we have the talent, experience, outstanding young players, and the will which was enough for use to produce some outstanding sequences but hardly enough consistent play to win a match. It is self evident that we,as players, are not putting ouselves under enough pressure at training to elevate our play. We probably dwell too much on one version of touch at practice, we don't work enough on our restarts, we need to end training with some full contact "heaters" ie five minutes of contact, two minutes of rest, five minutes of contact rugby and so on. "Never underestimate your ability to get better."

See ya on the pitch,
Cary

23rd June

United 7's Mountain Road

The weather was kind today, partly cloudy with a mild breeze coming from the north west. This reporter played in one match and witnessed three others by United until work called me back to Williamsburg. The first match was United II v Maryland Exiles. Our side marked the return of the legendary Pete Sweet at flyhalf and Danny Patterson at Center. We will not dwell on the score but we did score one try in the second half when Sweet sucked the defense in on the right side and then sent a gentle cross field punt to the left to our swift winger "cheeta" who beat the cover defense and dotted the ball down. United I lost to Norfolk 40 to nil in our next match, Bassett combined with Lowery on a nice off load after contact but we are gonna forget about this match rather quickly. Duncan made the best open field tackle of the day one on one. Courageous effort by Duncan. United I dropped their next one to a strong James River side 7 to 19 with excellent ball retention skills. Stand out play by Brian Patterson.

Out of curiosity this reporter tracked 22 total possessions in three matches. On 12 of those possessions we passed the ball once before going into contact. On 8 possessions we made only two passes before going into contact! We must use our space, pass out of pressure, retain the ball with passes, then find a gap to attack. Our patience and confidence with the pass is dreadfull. We have courage, large turnouts at training, talent----even average players can become good passers.

The most remarkable aspect to this tourney was the enthusiastic support and play of our club members. We entered 3 sides today with nearly 30 members of the club playing on various sides. The first side of note was the "Va. Barbarians " lead by Rhys Hansen. This group was characterized by lots of experience and the best looking kit. The next side lead by Eric Payne and Tyler Schmal, "The Hanover Boys" was loaded with power and speed. The last side lead by Darryl and Jonathon was a prudent blend of experience and players being introduced for the first time to the nuances of 7's.

Virginian Barbarians

Paul Keal and Steve Griffith turned in some stellar moments and Pat Buck showed some breath taking pace. Pat has a gear that I call "on my god, he is going to score a try pace." Pat ran down some runners that had broken away and would have surely scored but for the speed of Buck.

Its was encouraging to see the enthusiasm for our game today. Special thanks to Murphy, Tournament Director, and Manning for operating the grill.

Homepage

Page 2