14th April 2007

2nd XV: BAC 68 - Broad Plain 7

The last merit table game of the season saw BAC playing at home in the return match against Broad Plain who dealt the BAC boys a beating at the last meet.

The BAC 2nd team was as strong as it could be with the 1sts taking a full compliment to Nailsea and Blackwell, but with the hard ground and a fast back line consisting of Joe 90, Sam, Raj, Bruce and Andy (and of course Mark but someone has to field the kicks!), the chances for a try flurry was high.

Considering the considerable heat, and their considerable weight, the forwards had a great first half, keeping the Broad Plain pack pinned at the break downs and keeping up with the fast play.  The lineouts were a bit sketchy to start with but after brining Mark in from full back to jump at 2, even that worked well.

With the forwards securing good ball, the backs were free to demolish the opposition, the first strike of which followed some quick hands out to Bruce who skinned his opposite number to put down under the posts.

A second soon came from Bruce again, which worked to open up the middle of the pitch for the next attack when Raj dummied out, then ran in the try.  Joe 90 had a blinder with some good positional kicking from fly half, and some piercing attacks resulting in him sharing the hatrick+1 try honours with Bruce at 4 a piece.

Sam further proved his worth in the centre with efficient tackling and good attacking runs which rewarded him a try as well.

In the pack Ben Blue Socks had some storming back row breaks, scoring an unbelievable 3 tries! no mention though of the one that could have been......

Conversions however were a totally different story with only 4 out of 12 successfully over the cross bar.  And its not like they were even from the corners of the pitch.  Fortunately for the kickers, the dunce cap was shared between Joe, Chris and Sam.

17th March 2007

1st XV: BAC 28 - Ashley Down 24

For those eager readers the BAC match reports on a Monday morning, sorry for the recent lapse in communication.  We'll blame it on a mixture of me being injured and missing the action and some pretty uneventful non-report worthy rugby.  Finally however there is something to write about!

Having not won a match this new year, there was no chance of the BAC boys getting all cocky and over confident.  In fact rather the opposite, following the rather humbling 7 league losses in a row, BAC were even more focussed on the job at hand.  That of a critical bottom of the table match against Ashley Down Old Boys.

The big Ashley pack mixed with their trademark 'aggressive' play always makes the outcome from these north Bristol derby's unpredictable with pretty much even honours to date.

The latest BAC reshuffle in the backs saw Shep getting a 1st XV start on the wing across the pitch from Bruce back from injury.  The centre pairing was Smithy and Ewok with Raj brining up the rear.  In the front 8 was Simon securing a No.4 position and a formidable Anglo-French back line of Duncan, Pascal and Jean-Noel.

The forwards had one of their better games matching the Ashley boys in the scrums with Jack sniping plenty of their lineout ball as well.  The rucks were strong and the rolling mauls made for some decent yards up the pitch.

The backs had a bit of a stinker to start with not being able to react to the pressure of the rush defence, but after a few tactical changes the rush defence proved to be Ashleys downfall, with ball after ball being exploited up the 10 channel.

The first points came from Darrons boot after being camped out in the opposition end for the first quarter of the game, soon followed by a second.  The first touchdown unsurprisingly came from a cheeky break from Smithy in the centre.  Ashley then came back with a couple of tries, one of which was gifted to them by a miscommunication and subsequent collision between Raj and Bruce both chasing back on a chip through from the Ashley fly half inside the BAC 22, leaving the ball open for an easy try.

The second half try scoring started off with another Smithy break, taking the inside pass of Brian and dodging tackles up field from the half way to touch down under the posts.  Another excellent effort came after some good forwards phases then Brian nipping round the pack cross the white wash.

Of course it wouldn't be a game against Ashley Down without plenty of friendly fisty cuffs.  However BAC took it on the chin (or balls and cheek in Bruce's case, bridge of the nose in Jeans case and various facial positions in Jimbos case).  But that's all par for the course and all in all Ashley played a good game.

Now following that win and that of the BAC 2nd XV, with the new backs coach joining us on Tuesday, we must all make the effort to get to training which should pave the way onto winning the last two league games of the season!

17th February 2007

1st XV: BAC 3 - Ross-On-Wye 19

An under strength BAC held off a strong 2nd in the league Ross-On-Wye side to a respectable 19-3 loss this week.  This was that much more of a surprise as BAC were missing several key forwards and were sporting a new look 3 quarters.

BAC by no means played their best rugby, in fact the general display was pretty poor with much of the match resembling a primary school football match with everyone chasing the ball round the pitch.

The conditions were good for running rugby, and BAC did have some great attacking runs, but none which resulted in a score.  Most of the time any good first or second phase ball was ruined by scrappy follow up phases, with opposition stealing the ball and making the most of our mistakes.

The BAC lineout took a downturn after the previous weeks outstanding effort, much of which can be put down to unfamiliar players and no practise, that of course in addition a very well drilled opposition.  Much of our own ball was lost and the steal count was well down from the last outing.  The scrums were okay, but still not solid enough with a lot of our own possession lost out to slow delivery back to Brian, and a quick 90 degree rotation by Ross.

The backs put on a better performance this week, but the loose play and decision making still left a lot to be desired.  This was however made up for with some good tackling, especially in the centres with Dave and Sam.

So that leaves us 2 of these 5 straight league games to make and impression on this division and ensure we don't get demoted to Gloucester 3 all over again.  To do this, in the first instance, we absolutely have to come to training.  It was painfully obvious from this weekend those players who were unfamiliar with our tactics, game plan, and also who were clearly not match fit.  At both Tuesdays and Thursday training we managed a whole 12 players to each, bit embarrassing hey guys!

10th February 2007

1st XV: BAC 0 - Dursley 29

Fortunately towards the end of our snow covered week, the temperature increased and gave great weather conditions for our re-arranged league match against Dursley, that is apart from the pouring rain!

With a few players down in the forwards a reorganisation was called for seeing Bruce back in the pack with Jean-Noel at No.8, and Jimbo in the second row.  The backs took on a change as well with Sam joining Scotty in the centre, Rob on the wing with Chardy and Smithy bringing up the rear.

The forwards did a great job in the lineout with Bruce and Jack winning almost all our own balls and with Jack stealing a fair portion of the opposition ball as well.  The set phase scrum was a different kettle of fish altogether.  The first 4 or so were a frustrating affair with re-set after re-set coming from a combination of props not binding, engaging to quickly or the general sloppiness of the every wetter pitch.  Those we did win often came a cropper with the Dursley pack pushing us back forcing the errors from No.9.

For the balls that did come out to our back line, very little was achieved with the rushing Dursley defence, and towards the latter part of the match it seemed like every other ball was dropped or knocked on by our 3 quarters.  Undoubtedly the rain and mud was partially to blame, but it would be unfair on the weather for it to be held totally responsible.

All that being said, BAC put a good effort in the first half, keeping the score to an honourable few points.  But in the second half with the pitch getting more and more torn up and muddy, Dursley smashed the game right open taking every advantage they could punishing a panicked and exhausted BAC side.

That's 2 out of our 5 straight league matches lost, with Ross, Kingswood and Cotham to come.  Lets make sure we get to training and fix these silly mistakes and start playing the rugby we know we can!

3rd February 2007

1st XV: BAC 21 - Tetbury 27

Unfortunately having played in Saturdays match, and been utterly disappointed at the end of the match, it is very difficult to write a positive match report even though I've no doubt there were plenty of positive BAC moments.

Anyway, in the surprise of the season, BAC lost out to an aggressive attacking Tetbury in the league.  Although the first half had some sparks of brilliance, namely Darron punishing some early Tetbury infringements with penalty points, Bruce making a try from nothing with a great solo effort, and Chardy chasing down an uncharacteristically good kick through from Scotty, the rest of the match was pretty un-eventful.

The forwards did a good job in most of the scrums, both for and against, and stole a fair amount of line out ball.  There were even some good continuity runs, but none that did any real damage.  Similarly in the backs there were some good passages of play, but we rarely broke the defensive line or looked liked scoring.

In defence we were okay, the forwards didn't seem to be spreading in defence on lost balls and the backs lacked the usual defensive communication.  Which all seems pretty negative, but I'm sure there was some good stuff as well!

A bit of a shock at half time, was our top points scorer of the half, Darron, being substituted for a fully capable Rob Jones.  This lost us our only real edge of the half which was Darrons boot from distance.

About half way through the second half, the only real action of the match kicked off with a flurry of punches in the forwards resulting in young Sam Shep taking more than his fair share of smacks and Duncan getting blind sided by the thug at No.8.  The latter resulting in Duncan off the pitch with a severe cut above his eye and nasty swelling.  Fortunately though his looks can't get any worse so we're not to worried.  Surprisingly the only player to get any punishment was Joner with a red card.  Punishment which seemed pretty one sided, bearing in mind a later infringement right in front of the ref when Bruce got his head guard ripped off while he was on the floor.

Anyway aside from all the negative, full credit must be given to the Tetbury guys who gave us a good wake up call.  Lets now all get to training and put it right before our next 4 league matches!

27th January 2007

1st XV: BAC 22 - Barton Hill 3rds 18

After a few weeks off over Xmas and a match cancelled last week, the BAC 1sts were in desperate need of some decent game time, and they got just that against a well drilled, so far unbeaten, Barton Hill 3rds.

The BAC side saw a few big changes this week with Rob Jones starting at fly half and Smithy starting outside Scott in the centre.  Both changes worked well in the match, with some quick decision making from Rob releasing some good backs attacks, 2 of which ended in a Ben Smith all or nothing trade mark try!  The first also being converted by Rob.

The first 40 minutes was the better half for BAC attacking play with the forwards more than equal to the big Barton pack, pushing them back on almost all of the Barton balls and competing at the lineout.  Aside from Smithy's 2 tries, the backs strung together several effective moves, but for all the ground gained they just couldn't quite finish off.

The second half saw BAC take the lead when the forwards were rewarded with a score from a powerful driving scrum 5 meters out, pushed all the way up and over the white wash with Jean-Noel claiming the points from No.8.  Unfortunately after that try BAC seemed to step off the gas, with panic and frustration tainting any good ball.  Conversely the Barton forwards kept pounding the BAC lines with some great passing out of tackles making the defence all the harder.

The BAC second half weakness in attack was more than made up for with some crunching defensive tackles, keeping Barton at bay camped in the BAC 22.  Finally in typical BAC fashion, near the end of the match with BAC up 17-13, they really let their guard down with some missed tackles gifting Barton with the softest try of the match, leaving BAC with a almost impossible task at 18-17 with 2 minutes to go.

Some how in the dying minute of the game, BAC managed to regain control and punched an attack up the right wing, caught short just outside the opposition 22.  With the next ball won by the forwards, the backs lined up for what was surely the last play of the game.  The ball sailed down the line and got to Smithy who popped up to Raj coming from fullback, crossing the 22 then releasing Bruce 10 meters out who just had the winger and fullback to beat.  With the winger taken on the outside, Bruce took the hit from the covering full back and crashed over the line dangerously close the the corner flag.  Although initially contested by Barton with calls of feet over the side line and the ball being stolen, the Ref made the right decision and awarded the try.  

Even though they were a 3rds side, the Barton boys were well drilled and of course unbeaten before today's match.  BAC can take a lot from the match, as we'll need to with 5 big league games on the trot.

Remember, get to training this Tuesday with Broad Plain, and keep the fitness up with the Thursday session as well!

13th January 2007

1st XV: BAC 7 - Cheltenham Saracens 10

Too many mince pies and turkey took its toll on an unfit and out of practise BAC side.  Wet weather had meant all training leading up to the match had either been cancelled or relegated to the small patch of grass lit by the car park.  Plus with the weeks previous match being cancelled due to waterlogged pitches, this match was the first real run out many of the players had for 3 weeks.

The game itself was pretty evenly matched even with BAC running on 75%.  We got an early score with Ben Smith working some magic up the wing in his return from injury, but unfortunately that was pretty much the most exciting thing of the whole game.  There were a few individual sparks of brilliance from Brian and some of the pack, but all too often these suffered from poor finishing once the ball started shifting across the pitch.

The forwards did a good job considering they had not played the new scrum rules as we didn't have a game the week before.  Also there were some good lineouts with Jack claiming a fair few of the opposition lineout balls.

The rest of the match was a medley of missed tackles, poor handling and some bad decision making from BAC.  That said, there was some brave defending on the BAC try line on several occasions which prevented a more severe score deficit.

To add insult to injury, BAC were leading 7-3 until the last few minutes of the match, where a flurry of rucks and mauls finally pushed the Sarries over the try line.  And a successful conversion put them too far for us to regain the lead.

All in all not too much to get worried about though.  A bout of bad weather has meant we haven't had the ball time we needed after Xmas, but even with that we still held out the Sarries until the very end, and we can definitely take something positive from that.  Once we've had these next two weeks of training and friendlys we can take it all out on Tetbury.

16th December 2006

1st XV: BAC 10 - Old E's 13

Match report to come...

2nd December 2006

1st XV: BAC 24 - Westbury on Severn 8

Although BAC have had an impressive league run under new Coach Mark's guidance with 2 wins in a row, no one was fooling themselves that the last two weeks matches were against the bottom 2 of 3 teams in the league.  This week however pitched us against WoS who were not only above BAC in the league but also who dealt us a considerable beating 26-12 in the cup.

There has been quite a bit of rain in the preceding hours, but by the time kick off came it was a glorious sunny day, with the pitch just about resistant enough for a good bit of running rugby. 

From the off, BAC hit out hard, and the first 15 minutes was a constant bombardment on the WoS defence.  The BAC communication was excellent and the forwards put all their weeks training into practise.  The big WoS pack proved a stubborn opposition at times with some aggressive rucking, but our boys generally came out on top, one time in particular was an impressive 20m drive up the pitch.  The forwards defence was second to none with every WoS attack at the line stopped, with the exception of some dubious decisions from the ref as the WoS forwards seemed to knock on twice while crossing the line.  However that was to be the only real threat of the match.

The BAC backs played one of their best games to date with a special mention for Brian at scrum half who played a blinder, stealing balls, making breaks and getting the last try of the match.  The first score came from Scotty who ran in a try after linking up with Ewok and breaking the enemy lines.  The second score summed up the backs efforts, following a set play from the forwards, the backs attacked the WoS defence with straight lines of running, releasing Bruce on the wing to beat the fullback.  Darron kicked the rest of the points with 3 conversions and a penalty.

So 3rd league win in the trot, and we can put it down to great coaching and team effort.  Now we have to maintain this level of development by turning up to the Tuesday  and Thursdays sessions.

25th November 2006

1st XV: BAC 31 - Treadworth 3

This week saw us making the long trip up the M5 to Gloucester to play Treadworth on the common.  The weather started off quite fresh, but by the start of the match the rain was picking up, gradually turning into driving rain which made playing all the more difficult.

The Treadworth boys were out early warming up, as we arrived in dribs and drabs, none more so than Raj who managed to arrive 2 minutes before kick off, so we ended up starting with 14 players waiting for him to get his kit on!

From the off we hit Treadworth hard, and our early efforts were rewarded with a penalty from Darron.  The line outs were a bit scrappy in places, but the scrums were nice and solid.  As a marked change in tactic, there was plenty of passing out of tackles keeping the ball alive, and the forwards produced some impressive phases coming tight off the backs of rucks and mauls.  One such move freed Pascal to gallop up the pitch, breaking numerous tackles, then as he was finally felled he popped a pass to Bruce who broke the 15's tackle and grounded over the whitewash.

The next try was from great support play with Jutty joining the backs instead of getting sucked into the maul, taking the pass from Ewok and performing a Wayne Sleep esq. pirouette to break a double tackle and roll across the line.

The ever reliable centre partnership of Ewok and Scotty took on a whole new edge with no dropped balls, some well worked moves and some impressive breaks.  None more so than the one that resulted in Scotty floating a lovely timed pass out to Bruce on the wing, who had to break a mere 3 tackles before taking a dive and sliding over the line.

The last try of the day came from more impressive forwards support play with several phases from a lineout.  The backs crashed the ball through the centres inside the opposition 22, and then the forwards took several quick balls which resulted in Pascal crossing the line.

The other points came from Darron's boot with 2 more penalties and a conversion. The final score 31-3 and not 21-3 as currently reported on the RFU website.... needless to say emails have been sent!

The one almost 'classic school boy error' came from Bruce chasing a high kick, off the pitch, fielding it, running back to the side line to give a quick line out pass between Brian and Raj, only to have it intercepted by an unseen opposition winger who slipped behind Brian to steel the ball.  Fortunately for BAC the joke ended up on the sneaky winger as Bruce chased him cross field so he had to slow, just enough for Brian to jump him from behind to flatten him like a pancake.

Right now for the bleet! although the last two weeks opponents are in the lower levels of the league table, there is still a marked improvement in BAC's play, and we can attribute that to the coach, Mark.  What we have to do now is take this forward, make sure we are available for training on a Tuesday, and a Thursday for a league fixture, and show Westbury on Severn that they caught an under strength team on a bad day when they beat us 26-12 in the cup!

18th November 2006

1st XV: BAC 26 - Tetbury 0

11th November 2006

1st XV: BAC 15 - Old Elizabethans 30

After what seems like an eternity of away games, we finally had a trek out on home soil against Old E's.  This is always a fixture to look forward to, because in the day we were evenly matched teams usually with a match going either way in a season.  This year was hopefully no exception with Old E's taking the first leg.

Old E's are a well seasoned Gloucester 2 side.  Rarely have they glimpsed at promotion or demotion usually finishing mid table.  This all means they can never be taken for granted.  They've a decent set of forwards, not big enough to compete with a large pack, and some well drilled backs who can give most of the teams in a league a run for their money.

Anyway to the match.  It was a cracking day, bit breezy, but great for rugby.  Our prospective new coach was on the sidelines watching the game, identifying possible development opportunities.  Suffice to say he probably wished he'd brought a pen and paper!

The game was pretty even most of the time, but the all too common BAC faults kept creeping in, none more so than in the first 1/4 when a missed tackle resulted in Old E's first score. 

The first reply came from an excellent catch and drive from a 5m BAC lineout, with the forwards securing the ball and trundling over the white wash.  Scorer unknown at this time.  However with the exception of a penalty, that was to be the end of any BAC points in the first half.  The remainder before the end of the second 1/4 involved a lot of defending against Old E's offensives, where they seemed to be pulling players out a hat with the number of overlaps they had.

The only gem in the second half was an awesome quick penalty taken by smithy in our 22, which he tapped himself and sprinted up the pitch to score un touched under the posts.

The soon to be coach gave us the low down after the match, and we know what we need to work on!  So everybody make sure you make Thursday for the first session with the new coach!

04th November 2006

1st XV: BAC 6 - Dursley 41

This week we took the short trip up the M5 to play league leaders Dursley.  After plenty of rain during the week, match day turned out to be pretty good weather, if not a bit too hot for rugger.

There was a fair amount of anticipation about this match as we were playing the table toppers and they were expecting a win.  With Smithy still out injured, we had much the same team as the previous match against Cotham except with Darron back behind the boot.  And as if playing the league leaders wasn't enough pressure, Scotty in a moment of madness, shoulder barged their fly half after he'd kicked the ball, earning himself a yellow card and 10 minutes in the bin within 2 minutes of kick off.

The next 10 minutes was pretty intense with Dursley capitalising on the one extra man, and BAC putting on a valiant effort to make up for it.  Fortunately the result was only 3 points lost, but from then on the it was a bit of a strange match.  BAC held our own in most of the set plays, but during open play we were pretty poor.  The backs were guilty of too much kicking and the forwards guilty of some key first contact missed tackles.  Full credit to the Dursley forwards though who played a great attacking game, exploiting the bad BAC first tackles to put our pack on the back foot, while they carried on taking the tackle and popping up to the next attacking forward.

The Dursley back line was competent and confident no doubt help along by our bad tackling, as after the first few punts down pitch, they ran absolutely everything else.  Even with the change of end, and the sunlight and wind both against Dursley, BAC still couldn't capitalise leaving themselves with too much to do.

It must be said all in all the score doesn't really represent the game, as most of the points came from breaks and occasional missed tackles as opposed to us playing crap overall.  In fact the tackles aside, the effort BAC were putting in was fantastic, keeping it up till the final whistle.  This week its about a 5/10 for performance but 8/10 effort.

28th October 2006

1st XV: BAC 12 - Cotham Park 5 (or 7)

This week saw the 1st XV taking on old rivals and bottom of the league Cotham Park away.  One of the last times these two sides met was a couple of years ago when the winner of the match was assured promotion to Gloucester 2, with Cotham being the victors.  However a reversal of fortune at the end of the following season saw BAC promoted and Cotham back down to Gloucester 3.

Anyway enough reminiscing, and back to the match report!

We took the short trip across the bridge to the Cotham ground, which it must be said looks a damn sight better than the potholed manure covered ground of yesteryear.  The pitch was near on perfect, which was a sharp contrast to the first really nasty conditions of the season.  The wind was wailing and the nasty bitty rain was drenching everyone through and that was just the warm up.

Cotham won the toss an opted to play down hill with the wind, with the hope to get as many points on us with the advantage, and leave us chasing and knackered in the 2nd half.  Fortunately a valiant defence from the BAC boys made the match shape up slightly different.

Within minutes of the kick-off Smithy went down after a nasty stamp on the ankle from the opposition.  This took him out the rest of the match and called for an early tactical change by the BAC back line with Bruce dropping back to full back and Sion coming onto the left wing.

With the wind holding off any kicking efforts from Rob, we were pinned down in our 22 for most of the first half.  Although we were getting some ball we just couldn't break the strangle hold and get over the half way line.  After about 30 minutes of attacking play, Cotham were finally rewarded with a well worked back line try, which may or may not have been converted.

The second half was a total reversal of play, with BAC instantly pinning Cotham downhill in the wind.  All of Robs kicks were flying miles down the pitch meaning any effort Cotham made to get out of their 22 resulted in them quickly returning to their half. 

Shortly after half time, BAC worked their first try with Bruce coming into the line and taking a pop off Rob, crashing the centres a few meters from the try line and then setting the ball for a recycle by the BAC pack which was swiftly picked up by Brian and in a bit of doctor wizardry jinked through a few tackles over the line.  Rob was unfortunate to hit the posts on his conversion attempt, however there was some dubious un-sportsmanship beeping of a car horn at the exact moment of contact.

The forwards had a great game with a return of plenty of phase play and all members of the pack at some point taking the short ball from Rob to crash a few yards.  The next try then came from some solid backs work from a ruck, with Scotty running wide, and Bruce switching back in field changing the angle to take the pass and the Cotham backs by surprise, then with only a couple of players to run around the try was academic.  This one was booted clear by Rob!

BAC then had to defend a few last minute attacks by Cotham, but with Rob booting down field with the wind, they didn't come to much.  A much better match for BAC all in all, with 2 league wins on the trot, a solid 8/10 for both.

21st October 2006

1st XV: BAC 17 - Cheltenham Saracens 15

BAC's favourite phrase this season seems to be "cutting it close" when it comes to league games.  This match makes it 3 of the last 4 to finish within 2 points, fortunately however for the first time with BAC on the winning side.

With our Captain back finally back from his 3 match lapse (cavorting in Vegas and Hawaii) and pretty much all the victorious team from last week in the starting line-up, spirits were up for our first league match against Cheltenham Saracens this weekend.

Both teams were evenly matched, with the Saracens having a mix of old and young heads up front and in the back line.  Smithy worked a bit magic early on with a break from the half way line, skinning a few of the opposition and grounding under the post.  Darron successfully converted his first kick to make it 7-0, but that score was quickly cancelled by a good Saracens forwards effort which released the backs to run in from the 22.

The majority of the first half saw BAC camped in their own half defending attack after attack.  Any possibility to retaliate was frustrating quashed by some handling errors from BAC.  Fortunately all Sarries came away with after all that attacking was a 3 point penalty.  A score which was quickly equalled by a similar offensive from BAC and a great drop goal from Darron, leading into a 10-10 score line at half time.

The second half was better all round with some big scrums against the head and lots of stolen lineout ball.  However the next points came from Sarries with a great short chip over the top from the winger, a pretty lucky bounce (the other way an I'd have caught it) which their fullback coming through at full pace, caught and ran in an easy try which was unconverted.

So literally minutes from the end saw Sarries leading 15 to 10.  Without knowing the time BAC kept up the attacking play, thinking we were actually further behind than we were.  Then in the dying seconds of the game, inside the opposition 22, BAC kept hitting the line phase after phase.  The final movement seeing Jack crash over the whitewash from a ruck.  That made it evens, with the last kick of the match making all the difference, and Darron securing a great 2 point win.

Full credit to Sarries who played a great game that could easily have gone either way.  BAC performance 8/10, effort 7/10.

21st October 2006

2nd XV: BAC ? - Whitehall ?

This Saturday the 2nds faced Whitehall - who BAC had beaten at the end of last season. Whitehall arrived with a decent squad and were fired up looking for revenge from the previous game and sadly for BAC they weren't to be disappointed. it was a fine day for rugby following some heavy rain to soften the ground and wonderful sunshine but BAC started the game without their heads screwed on and in no mood for champagne rugby called for by the conditions.

Immediately on the back foot BAC were up too slow in defence and lacking commitment in the tackles so it wasn't long into the match before Whitehall went in for a try through their centres. However, as if by magic a scuffle appeared and the scorer was sent to the bin to reflect the satisfaction of scoring, or whatever it was he shouldn't have done. This was followed promptly by another setback for BAC, but more so for their 2nd row Chris Wheatley when he dislocated his shoulder. The ambulance was swiftly called over, the decision was made not to 'pop' it back in and get him playing again and he was waved off to hospital - bonus points if anyone knows which hospital as he seemingly vanished.

The game restarted with BAC slightly more in tune with the purpose of the game but the makeshift team left too many gaps and let the opposition run too freely and another try was conceded. In the second half the BAC scrum sorted itself out and started to become more dominant - only to have its thunder stolen by an injury in the Whitehall scrum which forced the game to go uncontested, leaving everyone with an eerie sense of deja vu.

Three more well worked tries were scored by Whitehall and BAC left it til late in the game to start playing how they should have done all along, finishing with a good forwards try scored right at the end of the game by Jools. in this lacklustre performance there was no man of the match for BAC, though it should probably go to the opposition captain for stripping off for the ref part way through the second half.

14th October 2006

1st XV: BAC 38 - Aretians 2nds 5

This week saw a welcome win for the 1sts against an under strength Aretians 2nds.  We didn't travel away with our first choice 1st XV as we were still missing several key players and the 2nds had a merit table match, which overrode our additional player requirements for a friendly.  Suffice to stay we managed to get together 15 players and no subs, all of whom impressively lasted the full 80 minutes!

The Aretians team were an odd mix of old head forwards and really young backs, whilst our own team had the addition of Ben Blue Socks at no.8, Podge flanking, Body propping and Lawrence in 2nd row.

From the off the BAC pack played like I've not seen this season with cracking tackling and general defensive play.  The most notable sacking coming from Gareth as he cleaned the 15's legs from under him, and unfortunately knocking the young lad in the testiculars which KO'd him for a few minutes.

With the exception of the occasional lost ruck or maul when it was our take in, the forwards did an exceptional job, fanning out defensively at the breakdowns and taking the first phase tackles.  This added to the fact that Brian was ripping ball from hand time after time, meant the front 9 were pretty formidable.

The backs had one of their best runs of the season, the few early mistakes soon went and all that was left was some pretty inspiring running rugby.  Rob Jones made a show at fly half which gave the back line another attacking edge, he also managed 4 of his six conversions, and all in all played a good game (no one mention the kick off).  The centre pairing of Padbury and Eatock worked well with Dave playing inside and putting in some great tackles and Scott getting a some good breaks.

Smithy playing against his old club put in a great show, with 3 fantastic self made tries, much to the utter annoyance of the Aretians back line.  And when Smithy wasn't taking it on himself, he gave me a few popped passes which resulted in at least one stunning try, one gift on the line and one Smithy probably could have got himself, but generous to the end (and perhaps a little fatigued!).

Chard put in a good effort, taking the ball into contact and some good defensive tackles, especially as he wasn't going to play and was carrying a cold (although he did have his kit).  And also a special mention for Body who had a painful game at prop with his opposite man dropping his shoulder giving Body nothing to bind onto.  This eventually resulted in unopposed scrums, but only late into the 2nd half when Body really couldn't take anymore.

So this week, weakened Aretians team factored, effort and performance both get a 8/10.  I hope to see as many as possible of those 1st XV retaining their place next week for the league match!

14th October 2006

2nd XV: BAC 30? - Aretians 3rds 5?

BAC 2nds this week had a home fixture against local rivals Aretians - its usually a good hard battle and this game kept in with tradition. Once again BAC were fielding a bit of a scratch side but the players switched on early and linked up very well. if anything there was too much energy and hooker Jut conceded a penalty within about three seconds after shoulder-barging an opponent out of the way in order to get to the ball. Several more penalties followed in quick succession as BAC found themselves on the back foot, pressured by a big and aggressive Aretians pack. Defence by BAC however was strong and eventually we took possession and cleared our lines. Aretians managed to take the first score though with a well worked try through the centres, the BAC tackling this time left wanting. BAC didn't leave it too long before replying and pressured their way up the pitch before a penalty from 10 metres saw the ball carried at pace towards the touchline and pack and then offloaded to prop Neil Macintosh for a comfortable try. this gave renewed enthusiasm and BAC started to move the ball better - this included the pack who gave a strong platform from scrums and lineouts and were mauling effectively and the second try came just before half time from Jut in the far right corner.

30th September 2006

1st XV: BAC 3 - Ross-On-Wye 34

As I wasn't there, this brief match report is based on hearsay and rumour plus a sprinkle of imagination.

On Saturday the BAC 1st XV trekked off to the far away land of Ross-On-Wye.  After leaving late, no doubt due to inconsiderate team mates not turning up when requested (unless of course any of you had genuine reasons for being late in which case apologies for who ever you are), the 45 minutes journey time left very little preparation and warm up time at Ross.

From the kick off, the BAC brains were still in the cars although the bodies were bumbling aimlessly around the pitch.  BAC didn't really do anything right in the first half, with no real game plan, everyone following the ball not the game, and easily won balls being turned over by the opposition.

Jimmy caught a high tackle quite soon in, which didn't help the general atmosphere, and Brian stepped up to scrum half brining Ewok on from the sideline at outside centre.

Noted issues with the BAC play was no looking for the ball when the rucks and mauls formed, and instead just running in and binding on, often resulting in lost ball.  Also during defensive malls and rucks, there were no pillars either side ready for the next attack.  The loss of Duncan was definitely noticed as there was no cohesion and guidance in the front 8.

The backs didn't get much ball, and I can only assume what they did get, couldn't really be capitalised on.  By the score I guess Darron did manage a penalty.

The conditions were rife and the journey was long, but nonetheless the 1st XV need to really take stock of the past few weeks and make some big changes tactically and player wise if necessary else I'll have to write these 'gas myself in the garage' reports every week!

Finally, a common message from Saturday and noted from previous weeks, we really have to start playing with some of that BAC passion from last season.  If you don't know what that is, or you think that sounds a bit odd, then therein lies the problem.

30th September 2006

2nd XV: BAC 35ish - North Bristol 4ths 15

23rd September 2006

1st XV: BAC 20 - Kingswood 22

Always an entertaining fixture against Kingswood, and this encounter didn't disappoint.  Kingswood were up to their usual tricks and the Ref who wasn't doing any favours for either team had a nightmare match.

In a change of form, the BAC side came out a bit under the weather to start, with the first kick off seeing no real chasing down from the pack.  This was much of the tale of the first half.  It seemed scrums were being turned over by Kingswood as was much of the open phase rucks and mauls.  When some clean ball did finally come out to the backs, the Kingswood backs were up so fast, the ball was played with an air of panic.

This all changed round in the 2nd half with BAC opening up their scoring with an opportune try, started by a kick from our 22, chased down by Smithy who had the job of knocking the opposing chaser away, then securing the ball by the try line after a he kicked through.  Nino in support then showed his flashy white boots were good for something and tapped the ball over the line and dived down for the score.

The only other BAC try came from some magic from the outside centre (me) with some perfectly knocked sideward ball out of contact (exactly parallel to the half way line I might add) then another sideward ball to himself collected and swiftly popped up to Chard who out ran the Kingswood "well built" centre to score a great try.

The second half also saw Kingswood swap the "well built" centre for a younger faster version, who took us all by surprise with some darting runs and steps resulting in a good Kingswood try.

About 20 minutes from the end, BAC had fought back to take the lead by 2 points.  The lead then swapped back and forth as Kingswood capitalised on another Refereeing blunder from a lineout to score the other side of the pitch.  That was pretty much the nail in the coffin with 1 minute to go and a deficit of 2 points.

All in all BAC played the better game in the 2nd half, but still not good enough to take the match.  First half was 5/10 for effort and performance, levelling out to a 8/10 in the second half.  And a special 10/10 for Jimbo who was by far the best water boy I've ever seen, people were even turning him away!

And a special mention for the Kingswood No.8 who very politely threw the ball in my face after I tackled him off the pitch.  Very gentlemanly conduct, the referee was well out of order to send you off.

23rd September 2006

2nd XV: BAC 50 - Kingswood 3rd's 20

16th September 2006

1st XV: BAC 18 - Pilning 3

Not having played against each other for 2 years since BAC got promoted to League 2, this match had the makings of a classic.  The week before, an under strength 2nd XV got a beating at the hands of the Pilning 1st XV, so we had a little extra to prove this week.

Yet again, after the quick drive down, through the thin village roads and round the bend over the hill, we were greeted by the ever surprising Pilning home ground.  If it weren't for the corner flags and the rusty rugby posts, we might have mistaken the pitch for a uni students back yard.  Nonetheless at least the changing room for the away team was no longer in the ex railway carriage round the back of the club house with no lighting or heating.  Instead we were treated to the fantastically furnished boiler room again.

The Pilning pitch dictated a change from the usual BAC wide play, seeing as we had no room to run, we tried to keep the ball in the forwards as much as possible.  Fortunately the Pilning forwards, although matched us well to start with, couldn't keep up the act for the whole game.  Jack got plenty of steals from the line outs and the scrum had several good drives stealing Pilning ball.  Gareth had a good game from flank, taking a few high balls and gaining some yards.  Other notable efforts from the pack were Duncan with his usual sacks and support and Jimbo who brought down their big flanker to help prevent a try.

The backs had another shuffle, with Pascal defaulting to centre from the bench.  This proved a test for him, as at every breakdown he had to refrain from his usual No.8 support and stick with the backs.  Smithy had a good game as usual, and I had to make the effort to come in field as there was no pitch left by the time the ball came out.

The first try came from a great support move, with myself crashing though and popping to Pascal, who intern popped up to Chris to run in the try (I'm sure the tales from the pub have him running the length of the pitch).  The only other try of the game came from a second phase move in the Pilning 22'.  A ruck formed on the left side of the pitch, and I came outside Darron to take the pass, dummy out wide and slip through a lovely big gap to get the touch down.  The rest of the points came from Darron popping over 2 penalties and a conversion.

It definitely didn't feel like an 18-3 win with everyone thinking Pilning were just behind us.  Pilning played a great game, with some excellent tackling, they seem to have the backs but don't do anything adventurous.  You can't help thinking their skinny pitch is their own worst enemy.

We are of course a league up and expected to win.  We should have played better and yet again the fitness showed towards the end of the match with even President Russell reflecting on the lack of fitness.  8/10 for performance 7/10 for effort!  Lets make sure we get in some mid week fitness lads!

9th September 2006

1st XV: BAC 31 - Ashley Down 33

For the first league match of the season, BAC's revamped 1st XV were up against arguably one of the best packs in the league in the form of Ashley Down Old Boys.

This week, the new BAC 1st XV sported many of last seasons 2nd XV regulars with Chris hooking, Gareth & Nino flanking, Ben 2nd row and Rob & Chard on the wings.  All of whom started the season off to a flying start, especially Chard who scored a fantastic wingers try doing all the work himself from the half way line.

The revamp also had yours truly playing out of my usual positions of wing and flanker, at inside centre, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  I'm sure the back line would have preferred a few more passes though and a lot less crashing..... then again what do they expect from a flanker/winger? (and I must note, didn't drop a single ball!)

Ashley Down opened up the scoring early on with a typical forwards attack, their clear tactic for all matches, soon followed by another onslaught narrowly missing out on a try.

After the initial shock of going 7 down so quickly BAC started getting into their stride a bit more.  For the majority of the scrums our pack did a good job, with some faltering towards the end.  The lineouts were also generally okay, with some steals.  However against that strong Ashley Down pack, its hard to come out on top.

When the backs did get the ball, and managed to not drop or knock on, they easily had the measure of the Ashley Down backs and were punching holes all over the place.

The end of the match also saw the welcome return of Raj who came straight on to full back and scored a try.  Other tries were from Ben Smith with a lovely break from the 22, yours truly with a classic centre crash ball, and herr Captain who was right on my shoulder after a crash ball, and took the pop to run in a great try.  There was one more try but I can't think who.... I will be sure to update once the poor lad has voiced his concerns at training on Tuesday.

All in all, 7/10 for performance, 8/10 for effort.  We need a few more games as a team to really start getting it together, and fitness was lacking for some of the players (you know who you are).

9th September 2006

2nd XV: BAC 12 - Pilning 42