Recently, we participated in a couple of fantastic events that showed tremendous potential for TIFS rugby stars of the future.
On Wednesday 17/4 a group of year 8 boys travelled over to Medina to compete against other island schools.
All of the boys performed phenomenally well and showed great teamwork. Trys were scored by a number of the boys in the first two matches, Marley J being a stand out performer, dancing his way past defenders. Alfred W put in some massive hits and showed his potential for the future.
Joe F and Archie B showed their tackling and power in the match against Medina, setting up several trys for the speed machines, through the middle and around the fringes.
Felix B and Rory B were a force to be reckoned with against The Bay and a combined side of Ryde and Cowes. Alfie O put in some trademark steps and put his speed to good use. Oliver K put his body on the line several times with some straight up running, as well as Max L and the combined power of the twin pairing of Jacob and Oliver O.
The only game that didn’t go in TIFS’s favour was against a very strong CTK side, where some loose defensive work at the end of the match resulted in a score just before the final whistle, to edge them ahead. Special mention to Sonny F and Albert W who were pivotal in ensuring opposition players didn’t break the lines.
On Tuesday 23/4 the year 9s travelled to Medina again with the same determination to win.
The first two games seemed like a breeze for the TIFS group, Marley J, Fin B and Arthur W powering across the whitewash for several well scored trys. Cian SB showed his kicking prowess with a great chip over the top which was scored by Arthur W, great vision from him. Alfred W and Marley J again showed their skills in both tackling and attacking.
Two fairly easy games at the start buoyed the team’s spirits into the final and toughest game, against The Bay.
From the off the boys were in a defensive mood, Max S, Herbie CH and Rudi T putting in a massive shift to keep the Bay lads away from the TIFS try line. TIFS were up 1-0 in the first 2 minutes in a well worked whole team try, dotted over by Fin B.
The Bay responded with two trys in quick succession, breaking through the TIFS line and scoring. This didn’t worry any of the lads as they battled back up the pitch and scored their own reply. Taking the score to 2-2 at the half.
The last half was scrappy, as both teams were tired and anxious to secure the win. Reuben CR put in massive hits to defend the line, Buddy F showed no fear, and Tom N used his power and aggression to defend well. A loose break allowed The Bay to score again, unfortunately TIFS were unable to score again. The final score was 3-2 to The Bay.
These were two brilliant festivals where TIFS came up a little short at the end, but showed brilliant teamwork and determination. Well done to the players who showed lots of potential for the future.
