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Please find fixtures below up until next Tuesday. As the weather turns colder, pitch inspections will be undertaken on the morning of the match by 1100 with notification following shortly after.

We are taking a larger squad of Colts B players to Thorngrove to allow for flexibility and opportunity.

Touch teams from Colts and up are scheduled to play in fixtures against Horris Hill this Saturday.

All Year 3 and 4 will play in our Friday and Tuesday fixtures, regardless of the number of teams listed, with allowance for touch also.

Match Reports

Saturday 13 January
U13A XIII vs Elstree
Lost 65-25 (Neil C 2, Barnaby D 2, James P)
It was Pilgrims’ who registered the first points of the campaign with a Neil C try. He bulldozed through the Elstree defenders to score. However, Elstree responded quickly with a try of their own. They managed to score a few more before Neil responded once again.

At half-time, we decided to rest Neil and Elstree’s two strongest runners. This did broaden out the game with the half being five tries to three in Elstree’s favour, but much more of an even spectacle to participate in. Barnaby D’s strong running and James P’s initiative for a quickly taken penalty eliciting reward. Ben A worked tirelessly throughout, as did many. We will be working on our contact skills and tackling, which, whilst present, need refining, as we look forward to Thorngrove on Wednesday. AJS

U12A XII vs Elstree
Lost 45-10 (Chenhan Z, Ike C)
The first game of the season was no easy run out. We were somewhat outmatched with regards to athleticism and size.  Kicking off to start the game Elstree’s inside centre, a mountain of a boy, trundled through our entire team for a score. We elected to receive the ball after this and moved the ball quite well, our support play was a little lacking and this led to an easy turnover for Elstree and a repeat of their first try. To spice things up on their next possession Elstree moved the ball out to their wing and an exceptional weaving run gave them their third score. The next passage of the game was slightly more competitive, but we failed to capitalise on our strong running and Elstree used their size to their advantage to further their lead. The first half ended 30-0. In the second half our support play and attitude improved, Pilgrims’ were tired of being run over and dug in and gave a real fight. Hard running from Chenhan, driving his legs through contact, gave us our first try of the game. Ike scored our second after some excellent running by Harrison and Finn. Our next fixture will hopefully be a bit more competitive, and boys will continue to work on their tackle height during training this week. AC

Colts A IX vs Elstree
Won 55 - 20 (Archie W 5, Christian B 2, Theo W 2, Farid A 2)
Elstree were a big and fast team. In the first twenty minutes of the match, it was close run. After a slow start from Elstree, Pilgrims’ scored two. However, Elstree woke up and levelled the score and looked likely to take the lead going into half-time. Changing the flow of the game, Pilgrims’ scored one more before going into half-time. In the second half, the character of the game changed considerably. Elstree appeared to run out of steam, while Pilgrims’ went up a gear. With five minutes left to play, Pilgrims’ were running away with it. However, the final score flatters Pilgrims’ a bit. Elstree won a lot of the rucks and made deep inroads into Pilgrims defence which was patchy at times. Pilgrims’ were good at getting over the line, but their game was too individualistic. A lot of ball was wasted and against better sides would have been lost in mauls. Nevertheless, it was a brave and determined game from a Pilgrims’ side with real potential. Man of the match was Archie W who led the team with formidable tackling and determination. PB

Colts B IX vs Elstree
Lost 20 - 40 (Nicholas M 3 Boris H 1)
Our long-awaited first contact fixture of the term got off to an excellent start. Nicholas M drove the ball over the line within the first minute-and-a-half and one could be forgiven for thinking that the momentum of the game was going to build in Pilgrims’ favour. When Nicholas scored his second try, that buoyant feeling grew, and I must admit that I thought we perhaps had the game in the bag. And that was the high point...

Elstree then responded with some mercurial movements from a very strong player who was able to cut the line at will, and change the course of the match once he had found his confidence. The score-line favoured Elstree 20 points to 15 at half-time, and they returned for the start of the second half with more efficiency. Elstree scored 4 more tries in the second half to Pilgrims’ one.

Upon reflection, we can feel very proud of our boys’ start to the season. They played with heart, made some good tackles, and there were lovely ball-carrying moments. Boris H’s try towards the end of the first half was a lovely example of good running rugby, and this is something we should try to cultivate with this group.

I look forward to monitoring their progress as the season continues. CXC

Foals A VIII vs Elstree
Lost 50-10 (Benjy C, Finlay N)
The first game of the 2024 campaign saw the Foals A take on Elstree. Elstree started the game the stronger of the two teams, scoring in their first few phases. The boys displayed great progression throughout the fixture. Elstree ran a few tries in, utilising the space and an occasional missed tackle. Despite this, the boys pulled their socks up, kept their heads up and grew into the match. By the second half they were matching the physicality, holding their own in the rucks, but not quite getting over the line. Tries from Benjy C and Finlay N were well deserved but still left us short. A special mention goes to Nicholas B, who played his first game of rugby this afternoon, bringing real energy and commitment to the game. On to the next. MTG

Foals B VIII vs Elstree
Lost 50-15 (William S, Cameron, Rafe)
Progress and learning was the name of the game for our first fixture of the season for the mighty Bs, on the back of limited training time and a whole load of new rules that are introduced since Year 4 rugby. I wanted the boys very much to not focus on the scoreline or the match, but instead to concentrate on getting the experience of a match-type situation for this level of rugby, with the boys understanding the flow of the game and how it all fits together. This certainly happened and the progress of the team throughout the course of the match (which started with Elstree running straight through outstretched arms to score a try in the first 5 seconds, to some free-flowing rugby with multiple phases being played towards the end). The determination of the boys was evident, and it was great to see the likes of William S and Cameron going for it when running with the ball in hand, and Inigo putting in at least 3 fantastic tackles to help us in defence. Targets to focus on are not to be afraid to take the ball into contact - rather than always looking to offload, continue to work on tackling and looking like a strong and intimidating defensive line and to run with two hands on the ball so that it does not get lost in the tackle. Please do continue to listen to the ref and coach going forwards guys, we are all there to help guide and explain the rules! CAL.

Foals C VIII Touch vs Elstree
Won 10-4
The first match! An important one for setting our stall out in terms of what we wanted-fast direct running and quick to defend while keeping a system (straight line of defence) when the ball was with the opposition.

The boy's focus was simply superb from the outset. Despite the weather, they ran their hearts out and deservedly took the lead. Several tries were disallowed for not grounding the ball, but we were ahead at half-time. Some mazy running from Connor, who seemed to be able to change direction and spin on a point, outfoxed the defence, which for the most part was difficult to break down. Caspar had to get into his stride and, once free, was very difficult to catch. As our confidence grew, Ryan also got in on the act. Despite a committed defence, we were able to score regularly and keep ahead. Midway through the second half, we tired a little. Not surprising considering the speed and energy with which we had played the first half. Despite this, our organisation and line were well-organised by the boys and Elstree were rarely able to get through. An excellent first outing with much improvement during the match was encouraging. We also have plenty to work on going forward, and the boys will be more confident from Saturday as we approach this week's training and the rest of the season. TWR.

Andrew Short
Director of Sport