Somerset Cup Round One

Taunton Rugby Football Club started their defence of the Somerset cup and fielded a side which had a mixture of experience and youth and development which resulted in an 8 try to one win.  It could be said from the possession that Taunton had and the length of time they spent in the North Petherton half, why only eight tries and much of that must go to the effort put in by the North Petherton defence and in particular their back row.  The superiority in the Taunton pack often saw North Petherton travelling back at a very fast pace but great commendation must go to the North Petherton back row who manged to salvage the situation by securing their ball.

Taunton had scored three unconverted tries within the first 15 minutes by a mixture of power and speed in the back line. Wilf at outside half ran some excellent lines taking quick ball from Oliver Massy-Birch who was relishing in the dominance of his forwards and the provision of quick ball.  This gave Wilf time to set his backs in motion with a very quick and elusive Jack Blackburn creating gaps and distributing to others.  We saw many carries by the forwards from the front five with some of the biggest headway being made by No8 Hallam Chapman who had a large influence on the game.  The front row was strongly supported by the power house of Andy England and Stuart Persey who not only won his own ball in the lineout but also took North Petherton ball.

It was not only size which drove Taunton forward but also their superior pace both in the forwards and the backs and it took a while to see who the bearded player, with number 7 on his back was for Taunton who seemed to be pulling off tackles. Carrying ball and making breaks and being in support. It was our General Manager James Tolman who had a storming game.  However so did many other players in the team but if we had to award a man of the match it must surely go to number 13 who was the Taunton centre Joe Blackburn.  He seemed to cover every inch of the pitch running in support and attacking the line at every opportunity and was fearless in defence, making tackles and quickly rolling away to be ready for the next phase. He either showed that he had been very well coached or had tremendous natural ability or a mixture of both.  We must compliment North Petherton on their tenacity and sticking to the game for the whole match and they were rewarded with a try near to the end of the game.

In conclusion this showed the tremendous gulf and talents of the Taunton Team and North Petherton who play in the South West Tribute 1 and why the authorities should look at how to accommodate the developing players who support their teams in National League Rugby.

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Final Score: North Petherton 7 - 46 Taunton

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