Perse rugby team coaches reflect on excellent cup run
The Perse U15 rugby team saw their excellent National Schools Cup run come to an end after a narrow 19-17 defeat at home to Stamford School in the Plate semi-finals.
Stamford had the better of the opening exchanges and benefited from a number of penalties awarded at the breakdown due to Perse infringements. As a result, the visitors applied pressure with their kicking game and scored two tries from intricate lineout moves in the first 15 minutes to go 12-0 up.
The Perse battled back strongly with Tobias Franklin kicking a penalty to get the team on the scoreboard.
With momentum shifting in the home side’s favour, a well-timed miss pass from Joshua Karat to captain Tom Meadows set up an outside break, creating the opportunity for Caspar Emerson to race over on the wing just before half time.
The second half proved to be tight with both sides resolute in defence and the kicking game becoming a prominent feature.
However, The Perse went 17-12 ahead with their only real opportunity of the half as Ollie Brierley powered over the line to touch down after good work by Tobias Franklin and Tom Meadows.
With only a few minutes left though, Stamford attacked into a large blindside from a five-metre scrum to score a try. The extra points kicked from the conversion were enough to secure victory for the visitors.
Perse Head of Rugby Simon Thomas said: “Despite the disappointment of the cup run coming to an end, the team should be incredibly proud of their efforts this season. They had a number of notable wins in the cup, such as their recent matches against St Ambrose College and Berkhamsted.
“Their level of performance and cohesion as a team has grown throughout the year and they should go into their U16 season full of confidence.”
Team coach Charlie Baker added: “The attitude and character that they showed throughout the year has been highly commendable and as a group, we couldn’t be more proud of them.”
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