Beautiful weather was upon us as we approached our first game of the term. Kicking first, we applied high pressure instantly. For what was beyond my vision, we claimed the ball from an error, powered through and scored the first try of the game within no more than 20 seconds.

As the heat started to play its part, the boys did tremendously to keep going and throw everything at a well drill Marlborough side. 2 tries were scored against us and we had work to do leading into the second half.

The first 15 minutes were tough, with tackle after tackle flying in, scrum after scrum being won, the team were physically and mentally challenged. A frustrating period saw us concede and go 33-5 down. What can be said for the remaining 15 minutes is nothing short of outstanding. A spark had been found, and to put it as politely as possible, demolished them. Our physicality in the tackles, the liquidity in our attacks were too much for Marlborough. The phases were long, but after pushing and pushing, we found our reward with 2 excellent tries and conversions. If only we had 10 more minutes with that momentum! Despite the loss, the boys put in a performance that as a coach I am delighted with. Despite a couple of basic areas that can be worked on, you can't teach work ethic and desire, and they had it all on show. Plenty of potential with the group, and an exciting term of rugby awaits us.

Thank you to everyone for supporting the boys; it can play such a significant factor in their confidence and overall game, and I look forward to meeting more of you as the term goes on.

Adam Heaton