A much changed Enfield Ignatians U16 made the long journey to Essex on a breezy Sunday morning to face a strong Rochford Hundred side. The match marked a debut for Richard, a welcome to Flynn, a brand new recruit who joined the squad to support and learn more about the most beautiful game, and a welcome back to Nathaniel, who joined us for a couple of training sessions at the end of last season, but whose pre-season was hampered by a broken hand sustained whilst playing, you guessed it, the less beautiful game!

Enfield got off to a flying start! In the opening minute, Max fielded a clearance kick just inside Rochford’s 22 metre line and whilst everyone expected the ball to be passed in field, he spun and darted down the left wing to score the first try. Harry added the extras to make it 7–0.

Rochford responded quickly, with their try scorer breaking through several Enfield players to score down the Enfield’s right flank, narrowing the gap to 7–5. The next ten minutes saw a midfield battle, with Rochford dominating the set piece and Enfield showing greater flair with the ball in hand. Finally, Enfield scored their second try when Sammy finished off a well-worked move from a lineout, through the hands of the backs. Harry’s conversion extended the lead to 14–5 on 13 minutes.

Rochford then mounted a strong comeback, scoring two quick tries in the 22nd and 25th minute through powerful running and exploiting gaps in Enfield’s defence. With both tries converted, the hosts took a 19–14 lead.

Enfield, frustrated by handling errors and under constant pressure from Rochford's abrasive play at the ruck and around the fringes, then scored a breakaway try. With the ball turned over, Sammy chased down two clever kick-throughs and scored his second try, again converted by Harry, putting Enfield back in front at 21–19.

As half-time approached, Enfield believed they had turned the ball over near their try line. However, the referee brought play back for an earlier infringement, awarding a penalty to Rochford, who again via the quick tap laid siege to the try line, and although Enfield managed to turn the ball over once again, a rushed clearance kick gifted the ball back to Rochford a mere 5 metres out and this time they were able to force their way over. The conversion was added to give the hosts a 26-21 lead at the break.

The second half was a tense affair. Enfield struggled to convert territory into points, and despite several promising attacks and well-placed kicks to the corner by Harry, Enfield couldn’t win their line out, and when they had the ball it was knocked on or turned over at the ruck. However, the breakthrough finally came on the 61st minute when Sammy completed his hat-trick. Harry’s reliable boot added the conversion, giving Enfield a narrow 28–26 lead.

The final ten minutes were a scrappy affair, with both sides battling hard. Enfield held firm and were relieved to hear the final whistle, securing a hard-fought two-point victory.

Rochford certainly had the edge in terms of physicality and at the set piece against a depleted pack, but Enfield’s pace and resilience proved decisive, and this encounter served as a valuable warm-up ahead of Enfield’s second league fixture at Chiswick on Sunday. Our thanks to Rochford Hundred for their hospitality and to the travelling parents for their support and for providing transport for a number of the boys.