The first fixture in November saw the OB’s U12s welcome Braintree to Ashwells.

In a hard fought and physical game, the OBs emerged the winners by 5 tries to 2. The try scorers were , William (2), James F (2) and Frank (1).

Some of the boys picked up injuries, notably James Fergus who it was feared, may have fractured a finger. Thankfully, it seems as though the injury, while painful, will not require a lengthy lay off.

As always, the tackling was exceptional, the rucking and mauling strong, and competing for the ball at the breakdown outstanding.

The passing is a work in progress, with more than a hint of Groundhog Day in its execution. It can be done though, as Frank showed on several occasions, with several perfectly timed passes to put a player into space. If Frank has the skill and vision to move the ball through the hands, accurately and at pace, others need to aspire to reach that standard. Running sideways, backwards, or a combination of the two while ignoring a player in space, and then losing the ball, is not going to win matches against strong opposition.

The Braintree boys for their part played well with some strong tackling and rucking. Unfortunately for them, and luckily for us, they showed the same reluctance to move the ball through the hands.

James Savage refereed the game, and both sides conceded far too many penalties for infringements at the breakdown, and that is another area the boys need to focus on.

Overall, OB’s put in a strong performance, with every player contributing to a fairly bruising encounter. Every one of the OB’s boys tackled hard, and it was hard on Braintree to lose, but the OBs were just a bit more physical in contact.

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