Colts tour to Canberra

The Harlequin Colts tour started well with most of the boys arriving on time at Melbourne airport for a 7.15am check-in on Friday morning. Sporting the new polo shirts the team looked cohesive and relaxed. After arriving in Canberra we had a light training run followed by lunch back at the accommodation. The accommodation worked well with five guys per room and everyone getting on well over the course of the tour. Transportation for the whole weekend was via minibus driven by Jeff Cornford who deserves huge thanks. The afternoon before the first game was taken up with a team meeting and game preparation including rubs and strapping.

Colts v Tuggeranong Vikings Colts

Our first game was under lights at Viking Park against the Tuggeranong Vikings Colts. This was the first game the Harlequin Colts have played for 2010 with many new players and combinations to be tested; coming up against a well drilled Vikings Colts side playing their fourth trial game of the season and also including a couple of Academy players. The match was set out for four 20 minute quarters with the Quins side starting very positively and competing hard. The set pieces looked particularly good considering it was our first trial game and we were able to win our own ball easily from scrums and lineouts.

The opposition coach said afterwards that 10 minutes into the game he was getting a little worried as our boys held their own for quite a while. However the Vikings were able to break through the Quins defences and score a try around the 12 minute mark, with another try coming close to quarter time. These tries, as well as the ones that followed in the later quarters, mainly stemmed from missed first up tackles, then once the defensive line was broken they supported very well and got a roll on from there. They also spread the ball wide on second and third phase which enabled their outside backs to drift into gaps in our defensive line. These deficiencies in our defence will be addressed by the start of the season through an increase in match fitness (our boys started to execute tackles too high as they tired), and more work on defensive patters and communications.

All 12 points for Quins came in the second quarter with Jack North first to score after bustling over the try line from a few metres out. This finished off a good passage of play where our boys were able to maintain possession and string a few phases together. Ryan Raubenheimer was next to score after he picked up the ball from the back of a scrum that was 40 metres from the opposition try line and 5 meters in from touch. Ryan showed great strength to break the tackle of the blind side flanker and shrug the tackle of the opposing number 8. He then displayed his ample pace leaving all chases far behind as he sprinted up the touch line, finally getting around the fullback at the tryline to score in the corner.

Both sides made extensive changes in the second half with all Harlequin players given the opportunity to play in their preferred positions. The Vikings side scored two tries to nil in the second half, however the Quins continued to maintain a good amount of possession and enjoyed continued set piece dominance with a few tight head scrum and opposition lineout won.

Scorers:   North, Raubenheimer (Blannin 0/1, Thompson 1/1)

Harlequins Colts v Gungahlin Eagles u18’s

The second game was played against the Gungahlin Eagles U18’s who were supplemented by a few of their colt players. The game was again broken into four 20 minute quarters and played under sunny conditions with a 1.30pm kickoff. The side enjoyed some familiar supporters on the sideline in the form of Geoff Raymond and Nick Aiken. After a slow start which saw Gungahlin score first after slipping through our defensive line, Quins were able get a roll on scoring the next four tries. Gungahlin’s next try came with our side deep in attack and the ball moving wide along the backline when a misdirected pass was intercepted by an opposition player who went the length of the field to score. The opposition was also able to score a further try from the base of a ruck with a pick and go on the try line finding us napping as we simply didn’t post up.

Harlequin’s tries came from good backline movement which saw our winger getting plenty of ball. The opposition defensive line was often caught out by fast ball at the breakdown facilitated by good support play and cleanout from the forwards and fast direct service from Jeff Park at half back. Brody Molly at five-eight was also a stand out with his explosive pace towards the defensive line constantly keeping the defence in two minds.

Our set pieces also remained strong but unfortunately the scrums went uncontested at half time due to an opposition injury. The forwards also scored two tries in the second half from well worked mauling and rucking movements. Overall it was a good effort from our team who had to back up after played the night before, and with a few players unable to play due to injury, many new combinations had to be tried.

Scorers: Shadbolt, Molloy, Raubenheimer, Macnee, Blannin, North, Mackay, Holmes (Blannin 2/3, Thompson 3/4, Sappideen 0/1)

Other Activities

After a brief court session following the second game, the team enjoyed attending the Brumbies v Sharks game at Bruce stadium. The following morning all Colts were present and accounted for at breakfast. We left the accommodation for a recovery session at the AIS which included using the 25m pool and the plunge pools and then on to the airport to fly back to Melbourne.

Injuries

• Dalglish – back (didn’t play 2nd game)
• Buckingham – corked thigh (didn’t play 2nd game)
• Sappideen – thigh strain (able to play 2nd game)