u18s advance to League Bowl Semi Final

This has been a great week for Colts rugby at Bolton RUFC. On Wednesday evening both the Bolton Colts teams had the opportunity to train with guest coaches Rick Phillips, James Mitchell and Andy Hughes from Sale Sharks and Friday when they met up with Andy once more at the Raging Bull Colts League presentation evening when both sides collected their cups and medals.
Sunday was a new challenge for the Senior Colts as they had never played at Liverpool Collegiate before and an outing in the Bowl competition was a new experience for the lads too. With the home side ending the League campaign in 4th place in Division B, two divisions higher than Bolton the lads knew that they had their work cut out today; and it was sunny too another surprising event!
The Bolton lads started the quicker of the two teams and playing up the slope had Collegiate on the back foot. The pack who were immense throughout threw down the challenge to the larger home outfit and it was accepted by the home 8.
A break by Stand Off Joe Speakman cut through the home defence and Joe had the composure to draw the cover before offloading to Inside Centre Chris Brownlow who scored under the posts and then converted his own try and Bolton were –7 ahead after 10 minutes.
Straight from the kick off Jacob Walker snared the ball and punched a man sized hole in the home defence before handing off to George Weston who took the ball on. Ryan McClusky ended the forwards cameo with a burst of speed to outstrip the light and dark blue shirts and Chris gladly added the extras to make the score 0-14 to Bolton who were scoring at a point a minute.
No one expected Collegiate to lie down and for the next section of the game there was a blue tide flowing down the hill towards The Mersey as Collegiate hit their straps and had Bolton on the back foot. One score became two but Bolton’s heads didn’t go down and you could see that despite the 10-14 scoreline the belief was still behind the visitors’ eyes despite a yellow card reducing Bolton’s ranks.
Bolton surged back upfield and pressurised the home side in their own 22m area. Tempers frayed and unfortunately the home Hooker momentarily lost his cool and received a red card for striking an opponent. To rub salt into the wound quick hands by the Bolton backs capitalised on the moment while the home side reorganised. Again Joe Speakman and Chris Brownlow combined to cut a swathe through the defence and this time George Weston was on hand to take the final pass and score under the post at the speed of an express train. Chris improved the try and at the half Bolton were in front 10-21.
The second half just brought more drama and excitement as captain Josh Holmes, making a rare appearance at Full Back, seized on a kick deep inside his own 22m. As he took the ball the opposition Centre was putting him under pressure but a change of gear saw Josh glide away from trouble and start on a run that cemented Bolton’s position. Up to speed Josh carved through the chasing Collegiate players and with support on either shoulder he pinned back his ears and outpaced the full back to score in the corner. A superb captain’s try and one which strengthened the position of the team and the resolve of the players. From almost on the touchline Chris Brownlow’s conversion struck the cross bar, a superb kick after a scintillating try; 10-26.
We then saw a “what happened next’’ moment take place. In keeping pace with Josh’s break the referee had pulled a muscle and could not continue. After a moments conversation the Bolton Manager was persuaded to take over the duties and the game continued.
Perhaps the new referee suited Collegiate and they again had a purple patch. They were stopped just centimetres short of the try line by good Bolton defence but quickly recycled the ball to score to bring themselves back into the game at 17-26.
However, Bolton countered the fightback and marched straight back down the field where Chris Brownlow added a penalty after an infringement 17-29.
This was perhaps too much to bear as from that moment on Bolton got stronger and the Collegiate side’s heads began to drop a little. Bolton turned the screw and Charlie Aylett was next to profit from excellent work throughout the team as he turned more excellent play into 7 points with typical pace and power; 17-36.
The Bolton pack were beginning to dominate and this reflected on the superb work of the front row of Connor Orrell, Joel Thompson and Jacob Walker who had dug deep and calling on their extra fitness and resolve had prevailed. The Georges Carbery and Weston in 2nd Row were everywhere in attack and defence while in the back row Charlie Aylett and Ryan McClusky shone with pace and precision but still did the “hard yards” but Jordan Ashton worked at a level which would’ve driven most players to a standstill and yet he still looked eager for more work and snuffed out any remaining home offence. Harry Kay entered the fray from the bench to give Joel a well-deserved break and again looked the part upfront dominating the breakdown. We weren’t certain if Joel’s personal best performance was due to or despite having to play in Head Coach Jonathan Hill’s boots; whatever the reason we are looking forward to a repeat next time out.
Behind the eager and never shirking forward pack Scrum half Harry Stocks run the game from 1st to last whistle and his outings in the 1st team (with Ryan) are certainly paying dividends as he looks unruffled and unshakable in all he does and keeps the Bolton side on the front foot at all times while tackling well above his weight when needed. Joe Speakman is having a ball at Stand Off and his running and distribution had the home side’s backs in turmoil. In the Centres Chris Brownlow had another excellent game while outside him Joe Partington added flair, solid defence and pace to burn. In fact the only question in today’s game that wasn’t answered was how Joe didn’t manage to get over the whitewash. Tom Hill is returning from injury but he looks back to almost full fitness as he took his opportunity at Stand Off for the final quarter with both hands and like Joe had his Centres running some brilliant lines. A headache for the coaches maybe on the cards for selection in the remaining weeks of the season.
On the wings Charlie Hardern ran with strength and guile and tackled like a back row. His all round game is a delight to watch and must be a nightmare for defences. Joey Gore had little to do on the other flank but looked to have made the most of a rare opportunity as he rounded the cover and stepped the full back only to be brought back for a foot in touch.
Josh Holmes was immense at full back and he finished the game in style recording two more well taken scores to complete his hattrick. Chris Brownlow kicked one conversion but Josh couldn’t add the second on the final whistle to bring up the 50 point mark. Final score 17-48 and Bolton march on into their second semi final.
A 50point score would not have done Liverpool Collegiate justice and their all round play deserved a tighter scoreline, especially being one man down and without several first choices. Collegiate can now concentrate on the Lancashire cup and who knows the final may see a repeat of todays game, however, we are sure both Widnes and Fleetwood will have much to say about that on 3rd April.