Match Report-
View 25 - Kings 10
I went to View to watch this excellent game of schoolboy rugby yesterday (especially for a trial!). While View were the clear winners, the actual game was a lot closer than the score alludes to.
The game started with a barnstorming try by the Kings boys, in what seemed to be only the first few minutes of play. It a try generated through the some excellent phase play from the big forwards and showed immediately what seems to be a key weakness of this View side, their organisation in defence when on their own try line. As a View old boy, I was worried this was going to be long game…
That thought didn't last too long as the View boys hit back soon after with a pie of their own. Followed by another in quick succession. The View boys had woken up and through what seemed to be, 85% possession, provided two tries through their lose forwards sniping around the ruck. The tries went to Michael Wells (No 8 ) and Jack Dempsey (No 6). I was quite eager to see this Wells lad play after the not so positive views on his ability, from this website. I realise this is the only game I have seen him in, but from this one outing I can say that I was positively astounded by his talent. He had a blinder and was easily MOM.
What was most astonishing about a player of his age is his decision making skills. While he made many tackle breaks, he was very weary never to get isolated, and always seemed to make the right decsision with ball in hand. He marshalled his team around the park very effectively and you can see that the entire team looks to him for direction. He very much reminds me of Dean Mumm from the King’s in 02 side.
From here, position seemed to remain with View which must have been very frustrating for the King’s backs. When they got a touch they looked very dangerous (much more than the View side) however their problem is their scrum half was providing atrocious service all game, limiting their attaching opportunities. From the limited look I got, the King’s 12 (Foketi) looks like a freak, He is big and runs fantastic lines. The other stand-outs seem to be the 15 (Atallah) and 14 (Behne-Smith), all who looked like GPS material. View are lucky the Kings 9 (Gregory) was not on form because the backline looks like it would have done some serious damage.
The View backline did not look so crash hot. While they did score a two tries (from memory), both came against the run of play from poor kicking by the King’s 10. The few backline moves they executed (also hampered by their own mediocre 9) ran into some serious brick walls, one in particular called James Stokes (13).
All that being said, there were a few kids with some real talent for View in the backs. One kid, wearing number 19 for the entire game looks to be a real future star. He alternated between wing, outside, and fullback throughout the game and looks identical to Quade Cooper. He even has the same haircut and side-step! He seemed to me, the perfect 10 and reminded me of an elusive Beale at this level. He was turning players inside out and was unlucky not to score a great try and dancing his way through the King’s backline.
At 17-5 the game looked to all View mid way through the second half, until one of the locks from View (sorry I cant remember who) was given a yellow card. With 14 men on the park Kings stepped up the intensity and scored another one through phase play on the line. It was now 17-10. With 15 men back on the field View again regained possession and were rewarded with a penalty from junior Quade (No 19) and another try on the buzzer. Game over.
Looking back at the game, View were the deserved winners on the day. They controlled possession and they took their opportunities. The major difference between the two sides seemed to be View’s loose forwards, in particular Wells and Dempsey who controlled the tempo of the game and really disrupted Kings’ ball at the breakdown and their 9’s service. If Wells plays the rest of the season like that, he should be a real chance as GPS 1 Captain. However, if he is to get injured, Views chances of winning this year are slim to none.
All in all, both teams have some great strengths and the rematch between them could go either way. My prediction would be that whoever is playig at home for the rematch will win between these two teams. Kings have a stronger backline, and pack which is better from scrumaging point of view. View have a much stronger pack at the line-out and a phenomenal Captain. View also seemed to be the fitter team on the park which was likely the telling difference out there yesterday, this will obviously change by the time they play eachother again.
