Bittersweet afternoon for the Weston Colts

Somerset Colts/U18s League
Weston Colts 19 Keynsham Colts 24

The last time these two sides met, Keynsham Colts were easy victors in the run-up to Christmas, so Weston approached this return fixture with some degree of trepidation.

However, with five minutes to go, an unexpected victory for the Seasiders was on the cards. But ultimately, it just wasn’t to be.

The game started well for the home side, Weston, competing strongly at the breakdown and applying pressure to visitors, but a loose pass resulted in an interception, and Keynsham were seven-nil up against the run of play.

In previous games, this might have led to a falling off from the Weston Colts, but rather this time, it simply galvanised the side.

Weston were able to apply consistent pressure to their opponent’s line, and eventually, from a tap penalty, Brennan Goodland crashed over in the corner to bring the host’s first points of the day.

It got even better for the hosts, as a clever chip through led to a foot race, which the Weston centres won, with JJ Weall dotting down. Ollie Dadds added the conversion, and the home side took a deserved 12-7 lead.

This is how the half ended despite further pressure from the home side and an opportunity for Harry Wills, who was only a fingertip away from another try. A memorable upset was on the cards.

However, Keynsham is a very accomplished side and could bring on some fresh legs at the beginning of the second half. The anticipated onslaught did come, and the visitors could strike twice in the early part of the second half to establish a 17-12 lead.

It could have been worse, except for try-saving, last-ditch tackles from Jay Isaac and Ben Donachie to weather the storm. Weston were not done and great work around the breakdown and tactical kicking set the Seasiders up with an opportunity from a line out 5 metres out.

The line out functioned perfectly (as it did for most of the day), and the forwards established a strong maul, followed by a series of pick-and-goes, allowing scrum-half Fin Simpson to dive over and level the scores.

Ollie Dadds again added the conversion, and with just over five minutes on the clock, Weston looked like they might pull off a deserved victory.

However, it was not to be; some inexperienced defence gave Keynsham a penalty five metres out, and from that distance, the visitors were unstoppable, touching down under the post with the extras added; the game concluded with the visitors winning 19-24.

The Weston side were frustrated, disappointed not to come away with all the points. But no one could fault the endeavour and energy of the Seasiders, particularly the pack, who were far lighter than the visitors but met them toe-to-toe at the breakdown and provided a stable basis at both scrum and line-out. However, the fiery determination around the breakdown provided the basis for the more expansive display.

The pack was bravely led by Alex Sandford, with the ever-improving Keiran Van Rassel carrying hard and the back row of Ben Donachie and Ellis Rogers disrupting the opposition at every opportunity. It was great to see Jack Groom returning to his boisterous self alongside the effervescent Sam Slingsby.

Overall, it was a bittersweet afternoon for the Weston Coles; it was so near to a famous victory, but it established an excellent basis for the rest of 2024.