Chipstead Exiles U 12's welcome Moscow Black Hawks to the Meads

16th April 2014: On a fine sunny spring afternoon Chipstead U12s (“Exiles”) played host to Moscow Black Hawks. Despite having only been formed two and a half years ago the Black Hawks played some excellent rugby and gave the Exiles a competitive series of games; with the Russian side combining a useful blend of speed and physicality that ensured a feisty but friendly series of matches.

The games took the form of series of 9 a-side competitions with Chipstead playing to RFU continuum rules and the Black Hawks playing to the Russian equivalent. So the Exiles had to adjust their game plan to accommodate uncontested scrums, fly hacking and hand offs. However the core Laws of rugby are the same irrespective of borders and all the games were played in a spirit of friendly competition with no quarter being given on the pitch by either side.

The fixture started with a drills session which allowed the teams to mix before we got down to the business end of the session. We played four games, 2 of 10 minutes and two of 5 minutes. With a good turnout from the Exiles the coaches sought to give everyone game time by mixing the teams and utilising rolling substitutions. Hard tackling and positive rucks and mauls – by both teams – ensured quite a bit of fluidity in possession and the game was refereed to try and accommodate the two codes and keep the games moving.

The first two matches were evenly matched with Chipstead ending both games ahead 2 tries to 1. The Chipstead slope (we played on part of the 1st XV pitch) allied to the hard ground and the heat (hard ground and heat not being words that we have used much this year) and the physicality of the contact were having their effect. So the remaining two games were shorter. The third game was a draw and the final game saw the fresher legs of the Exiles ensure a 2-0 win.

What was encouraging from an Exiles perspective was the way that all the players threw themselves into the fray, working at the tackle and the breakdown to recycle the ball and putting their bodies on the line to counter the frequent attacking breaks of the Black Hawks.

After the game it was back to the club house for shepherd’s pie with beans and presentations before the Moscow team headed back to London. Reciprocal gifts were exchanged with a commemorative plaque and Chipstead Beanies now en route back to Moscow.

So what of the visitors? The Russian coaches can be very proud of the group of players they have under their charge. For a young squad with only a couple of years of Rugby under their belts this was an accomplished performance with well executed phases of play matched with an uncompromising physicality; making for the basis of a good team performance. We wish them all the best with the rest of their tour.