A-Level End to the Season for the Spitfires

Harpenden 7s marked the last fixture of the 7s season and the RAF Spitfires were determined to go out on a high. Harpenden was also going to be a testing ground for the future, as there was no open group to play in, therefore all opposition were going to be professional teams, mostly with players drawn from the Guinness Premiership, and including seasoned internationals.

So it was with some trepidation that the RAF Spitfires took to the field at Harpenden, pitched against three serious sides in the group stages. A visiting French side formed the first opposition, who would be followed by the Castaways and Saracens, fresh from their participation in the Middlesex 7s.

However, the French were obviously intimidated by what they saw and pulled out in the early stages giving the Spitfires a bye to the next match against Castaways. This was always going to be a close encounter and the Spitfires started well. Castaways kicked off and the ball soon popped out the back of a ruck and was passed out to James Challenger who fed inside to Rory Wood who went over to score in the corner. A great start from the squad, but unfortunately the conversion was missed. RAF pressure continued and Castaways were pushed well back into their own 22. However a knock on allowed Castaways to take the initiative and chip to halfway where the ball was collected by Tim Barlow who off-loaded to Nathan Jones who then made a terrific break down the middle before trying to pass to Challenger. But the ball went to ground and advantage was back with the Castaways when the RAF were penalised for crossing. From a quick penalty they went over to score and convert, leaving the RAF trailing 5-7 at halftime.

The second half started well for the Castaways who applied pressure for several minutes before breaking through a tackle and scoring in the corner. Their lead was now extended to 7 points and the RAF were on the back foot. However, undaunted, they continued to fight back, and a brilliant break by Callum Smith allowed James Challenger to chip and chase, recovering the ball just in time to score under the posts. He successfully converted and the scores were levelled at 12-12. The Spitfires continued to apply pressure throughout the second half and were unlucky not to score again through James Woodcock, but time was not on their side and the final whistle went to signal a very credible draw. However the players were disappointed to not come away with a win given the chances they had during the latter stages of the game.

Next up were Saracens, fielding their full Middlesex side. As favourites for the tournament they had a lot to prove in these early stages. The Spitfires started well and the defensive play was sound, but it was only a matter of time before Saracens ran the ball in under the posts. There were some sparkling moments in the first half – Tchad Collins-Francois was unlucky not to have support down the left wing when he made an excellent break. But the professional side were too strong and when Gareth Hopkins went off injured, the London side were leading 0-19.

The second half saw some more spirited performances from individuals but faced with a professional team, several more tries were added, and the final score was 0-41. However, there were some good individual performances throughout.

The Spitfires had done enough to make it through to the quarter-finals as the highest placed runners-up but would next face the Marauders, who had last played at Twickenham the weekend before and fielded another professional side.

The Spitfires were determined to go out on a high and from the Marauders kick-off their defence held strong. The RAF were handed the advantage with a scrum where Tim Barlow took the initiative winning a penalty for the Spitfires before getting the ball out to Nathan Jones who ran it home to score in the corner. The shell-shocked Marauders were on the back foot for the next few minutes of play, but managed to break down the middle from their own 22 to score under the posts and take the lead. Another try was added before half-time but the RAF were still in with a chance at 5-14.

Determined to fight back, they forced several errors early in the second half and from an RAF penalty Barlow and Smith managed to work the ball up to the Marauders line. They were lucky to clear to the 22. From the line-out an excellent ball out to Callum Smith gave him the break he needed and he scored in the corner to close the gap to 4 points. However the Marauders were determined not to be overtaken and soon added another try. The RAF kept the pressure on and both James Woodcock and Tchad Collins-Francois were unlucky not to score. But the Marauders made use of every ball and another two tries were added before the final whistle.

However the RAF left the pitch with heads held high. “We may have been beaten by a better side, but when you consider we started the season towards the lower end of the division below, to come through the season and move up to the elite level, playing against premiership sides, shows how far the squad has come over this season,” remarked Blythe Crawford. “Under the outstanding coaching of Tim Barlow the team has continued to develop throughout the season, both as a squad and as individuals. One of the main goals of this 7s season was to develop players for the senior and U23 15-a-side teams over the summer, and I think their management will be impressed with how the players have developed. We have reached every goal we set out to achieve and more, and I am already looking forward to next season. A huge thank you must go to the Sports Board and our sponsor, Spitfire Ale. Both have been incredibly supportive throughout the season for what is a fledgling sport in the RAF.” Coach, Tim Barlow, was equally impressed. “In this our first full season we could not have dreamed of ending it playing against a team like Saracens. If we continue to improve at this rate I see us being competitive at the very highest level next season. I would like to reiterate the thanks we owe to the Sports Board and Spitfire. But the greatest thank must go to the players themselves. It has been their commitment throughout the season, giving of their own time to come and represent the Service. It has been a privilege to work alongside such a coherent squad of players. We already have plans afoot for next year and it promises to be more exciting than this one. Roll on next May!”

The RAF Spitfires will be training throughout the winter months and kick off again next May following the 15-a-side interservice games. 2010 promises to be an exciting year for the squad.