Proud just doesn't cover it!

To anyone who wasn't there, looking at the score line, the question of why was this match not stopped will be asked. To those who were there you will know and understand why. Our U18 girls went to Trojans in the national cup with only 12 players compared to Trojans 23, with 2 x 35 minute halves to play. Our players have all come up from U15s and Trojans are older and more established and experienced. Alton quickly went down by a couple of tries but picked themselves up and worked hard. They knew they had lots to learn. At half time the score was 50-0 and we offered the girls various options of borrowing players, stopping, changing the format etc. However our girls consider themselves a team and wanted to keep playing. They had never played such tough opposition before and wanted to improve. After a couple of injuries both teams dropped to 10 a side but our girls got closer and closer to scoring and made better and better tackles. Many times they chased back to stop Trojans scoring under the posts, forcing them out to the sides. In the whole game there was never once when they let their heads drop or they didn't run back from their line after a try, ready to go again. The coaches from the opposition applauded their grit and determination and the skill that they showed when they got the ball. Parents and coaches of Alton are so proud of them and we know that this will serve as a game to learn much from. These girls really did show rugby's core values at their best and added a few of their own- determination, stick-ability and positivity.