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The Yate Rugby Blog


Hey team, Try-Line Tilly here, and wow… what a game to report on this week. Yes, the score line didn’t fall our way, and yes, we walked off with a few bumps and bruises (and even a couple of missing players!), but this match showed something far more important than numbers on a board: care, spirit, and scrums.

Let’s get stuck into it.


Standout Moment

Once again — and I feel like I say this every week — our scrum was an absolute force of nature. Stable, powerful, relentless. Even when the game wasn’t going our way, that platform never faltered.


💭 Feelings Going In vs Feelings Coming Out

Heading into the match, we didn’t totally know what to expect. We’d heard Saracens were strong, fast, and dangerous — and they lived up to that reputation.

At full-time? There was disappointment. Not just because of the score, but because losing teammates to injury is never easy.

But that disappointment? That’s just proof of how much this group cares about each other and about the badge they wear.


🔎 Standout Players & Units

The forwards:👉 Dominant in the scrum👉 Disruptive at the ruck👉 Slowing Sarries ball again and again

A massive shout to Joe Hill, too shifting from No.8 to the wing and playing like he’d trained there all season. Adaptability like that is rare and brilliant.


🎯 What We Did Well

It’s tough — really tough — to keep finding yourselves defending under your own posts. But after the initial frustration, these lads showed real character: They reset. They refocused. They made their next actions positive.

The pod work looked good, the communication was strong, and they stuck to structure even when the pressure cranked up.


🔧 Next Week’s Focus

This team will bounce back. Next week, it’s all about:🔥 Sharpening our defensive shape🔥 Becoming harder to break down🔥 Turning that scrum dominance into territory and pressure

By the end of the season, the goal is clear: become a team that is very hard to beat.


🤝 Moment of Teamwork & Resilience

This one was class.

A scrum inside our own half →Seb launches a beautifully judged kick →Superb chase →Pressure forces an opposition knock-on →We win the scrum →Seb goes again with a kick to the corner →We almost steal the lineout…


That whole sequence took us 70 metres up the pitch, all through teamwork, graft, and intelligent rugby. One of the best team efforts of the game.


👏 Respect to the Opposition

Saracens were:⚡ Fast⚡ Agile⚡ Athletic

They really tested our tackling and were dangerous across the pitch. But more importantly, they showed respect — in their play and after the match. Always good to see.


🌱 Player Progress

A special mention for Logan Skinner growing in confidence every week and today stepped up brilliantly as a starter in the scrum. Love seeing that development!


📣 Supporters Make the Difference

Even as the score slipped away, the parents and supporters from both sides stayed loud, supportive, and encouraging. That positivity matters the lads felt it.


🔥 Three Words to Sum It Up

Care. Spirit. Scrums.

A tough day, yes. But a day full of heart.


This team will bounce back — and Try-Line Tilly will be right there on the touchline when they do. 🏉💙💚

 
 

🌟 Under the Lights… Final Score: Yate 26 – 13 Chipping Sodbury

Rose: Rob… what a night! Friday under the lights, rain pouring sideways, mud everywhere, derby tension you could slice with a studs-on… I’m still buzzing!


Rob: Same here, Rose! That was proper rugby. Grit, power, heart, and a Yate performance the lads can be proud of and we have plenty to talk about!


⭐ Standout Moment

Rose: Right, Rob, start me off. Your standout moment?


Rob: Tough choice having seen Evan-Ridley Demonick in open space counter to score, but that 50:22 from Rhys Summerville just after halftime. Absolute peach of a kick! It felt like the whole game flipped right there, momentum swung in favour of Yate.

Rose: Oh yes! You could feel the surge from the crowd. That moment was the turning of the tide, and from then on the forwards just took over.


💭 Pre-Match Nerves to Full-Time Feels

Rob: You could sense the determination before kick off. After the first game, the lads knew they needed to step up.


Rose: And they did exactly that. By full-time? Satisfaction, smiles, and a real sense of “job done.” That walk back to the sheds felt different tonight.


💪 Forward Dominance & Backline Quality

Rose: Shall we talk about the forwards? Because in those conditions… wow.


Rob: They were monstrous. Marshalled brilliantly by the scrum-half, always ready to carry, clear out, dominate the contact area… textbook wet-weather rugby.


Rose: And when the game loosened up? The backs just said “cool, we’ve got this too.” You love to see that balance.


🧠 What Yate Did Really Well

Rob: For me, the best thing was their rugby IQ. Smart decisions. Sticking to the plan. Playing the game that was needed, not the game they wanted.


Rose: Yes! And the sheer resilience. There were moments in our 22 where Sodbury were knocking hard and Yate just refused to crack.


📈 Areas to Sharpen

Rose: If we’re being picky… discipline can always be improved


Rob: 100%. A few penalties gave Sodbury cheap territory. Clean that up, and this team goes up another level.


🤝 Respect to Chipping Sodbury

Rose: Let’s give Sodbury their flowers. That was not a 26–13 “comfortable” win, no matter what the scoreboard says.


Rob: They were physical, brave, and dangerous from anywhere. Proper derby opponents. They kept Yate honest all night.



🌱 Player Progress & Standout Performances

Rose: Big shout to Austin Pullin, tough conditions, put in a great shift on the wing in only his 2nd appearance.


Rob: James Cannon stepping back into first team duties made an impact against, twisting the knife against the tiring defence.


Rose: And Adam Bishop looked sharp in a new role until that injury. Fingers crossed he’s back soon.


Rob: And of course… Matt Starr. Man of the Match. First season with the club and putting in a performance like that? Superb in set piece, outstanding in open play. Huge future.


Rose: And we can’t forget the repeated hard yards from Ben Hayman and Brad Mears. Machines.


📣 Supporters & Atmosphere

Rob: The crowd tonight… wow. Cold, soaked, windswept and still loud from first whistle to last.


Rose: The kind of atmosphere players feel. And the derby energy from both sides? Magical. Yate’s supporters absolutely deserved that final whistle moment.


🔥 Three Words to Sum It Up

Rose: Go on then, Rob. Three words?


Rob: Heart. Determination. Rewards.


Rose: Couldn’t have put it better myself.


A huge night for Yate. A huge win. And a huge step forward.


Until next time,


Rugby Rose & Ruby Rob 🏉✨*






 
 

What an afternoon! Yate Rugby Academy proudly hosted our latest Yate Rugby Schools Network Contact Tournament, welcoming teams from Brimsham Green, Yate Academy, and Chipping Sodbury School — and what unfolded was nothing short of spectacular.

Across Years 7, 8 & 9, we saw more than 100 young players step onto the pitch with passion, excitement, and a hunger to play the game we all love. From the very first whistle to the final tackle, the energy was electric.


⭐ A Festival of Rugby

This wasn’t just a tournament — it was a celebration:

  • Fun rugby

  • Competitive rugby

  • Passionate rugby

Rugby was definitely the overall winner.

The commitment, teamwork, and respect shown by every player was something truly special. Smiles everywhere. Coaches buzzing. Parents cheering. Teachers proud.

And the best part?

Every single kid asked the same question:

“When can we do this again?”


That’s when you know you’ve done something right.


💛 Why This Matters

At Yate Rugby Academy, our mission is simple:

Get more young people playing rugby.

Not for trophies. Not for glory. But for:

  • Fun

  • Fitness

  • Confidence

  • Friendship

  • The love of the game

Seeing so many young athletes embrace rugby — some for the very first time — reminds us exactly why we do what we do.

🙌 Thank You

A huge thank you to:

  • Brimsham Green School

  • Yate Academy

  • Chipping Sodbury School

  • All teachers and coaches

  • All parents who turned up to cheer

  • And most importantly… the players

Your enthusiasm and spirit made this tournament unforgettable.


🔜 More to Come

This is just the beginning. Our school network is growing, our partnerships are strengthening, and these tournaments are set to become a regular fixture.





Yate Rugby Academy is committed to giving every child in our community the opportunity to play rugby — free, inclusive, and unforgettable.

Bring on the next one. 🏉🔥







Massive thank you to our Sponsors of the EVENT Boken, The Rose and Crown and Yate Outdoor Sports Complex








 
 
"Pride, Positivity, Progression"
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