Heathfield ran out convincing winners in this RFU National Plate Final against Kidderminster Carolians (KC) played at the AJ Bell Stadium in Salford, home of Premiership team Sale Sharks.
A decent number of parents and supporters had made the long trek to Manchester and they happily made as much noise as the more numerous KC supporters. The day inevitably added to the already large number of people who ask ‘Where’s Heathfield?’ Sponsorship support from Sussex Country Gardener had enabled the team to travel up the day before and thus had excellent preparation on the day rather than stumbling off the coach into the match after a six hour journey.
Conditions were ideal with a smooth well-grassed surface and a variable breeze. Early cloud and a hint of rain later gave way to a sunny afternoon.
As is often the case, the first contact set the tone for the game. KC kicked off a little too deep and Heathfield secured the ball and drove upfield. Throughout the game the green pack had an edge in most phases with the notable exception of the scrummage. However at this level the scrum is not allowed to move more than 1.5 metres so KC were unable to benefit as much as they would have liked.
Two early KC attacks were snuffed out by important tackles by Tom Burgess and Oliver Osler-Holt. Then increasing Heathfield pressure earned a penalty near the ten metre line. Burgess's kick came back off the crossbar but Heathfield were able to regain possession. This led to sustained pressure on the KC line and after seven minutes Lewis Headland was able to work his way over near the left hand corner, well converted by Burgess (7-0).
Soon afterwards a penalty at the scrum allowed Burgess to extend the lead (10-0).
One of the best tries on the day came after a KC kick out of defence was fielded by George Gomersall who ran it back, making useful yards before it was taken on by Osler-Holt who fed Mylo Vanner-Mackew who touched down near the left hand corner, again well converted by Burgess.
From the kick off Ben Boorman caught the eye with a characteristic strong run. After 25 minutes KC made one of their rare incursions into the Heathfield half and their scrum half looked to have found an opportunity on the blind side of a scrum but this was well stopped by Vanner-Mackew.
With just a few minutes left in the half, KC made another visit to the Heathfield 22 and this time their scrum strength brought reward. Although Heathfield did secure their own put in, it was slow and the KC scrum half was able to intercept and dive over near the posts (17-7).
This merely spurred the Heathfield team to greater efforts. Pressing into the right hand corner a line out was driven forward and a consequent penalty was quickly tapped for Osler-Holt to dive into the corner in the last act in the half (22-7).
Heathfield’s lineout was generally secure but the key area in which the game was decided was the battle for possession in the loose and at the breakdown. It was here that the more combative green eight took control with James Pancaldi noted as one of the best performers.
Given the nerve-stretching events at Henley, the Heathfield supporters did not regard this score as being decisive. The KC skipper at inside centre did look threatening but his team rarely secured enough possession for them to mount consistent pressure on Heathfield.
The pattern did not change in second half although it was notable for an outstanding individual performance by skipper Nick Cook who led by example with some key line out steals and ball carries. He also collected the next try under severe pressure from defenders after Boorman had again made holes in the KC defence (27-7).
Sam Brown was noted with an important tackle while Osler-Holt again caught the eye regaining a kick ahead and with good hands that led to a promising attacking scrum. Cook continued his fine afternoon with a classic number 8 try off the scrum although he was injured in the process (32-7).
Heathfield were able to seal their victory with a final try as Headland made a blind side break and Pancaldi was on hand to collect a deserved reward for his crucial efforts as part of the better pack on the day (39-7).
The RFU is to be congratulated for organising this competition which provides a higher level of competition for young men about to start adult rugby. Heathfield certainly like the competition as they have now come away with a trophy twice in four years. Although it is to be hoped that the RFU can be more realistic in the expenses provided for teams making long journeys necessitating an overnight stay. Heathfield are deeply appreciative of the support provided by their sponsors and in particular Sussex Country Gardener without whom this might not have been possible.
The use of multiple rolling substitutions allowed Coach Dave Cook to use all 22 members of the squad and it is a reflection of the quality of this team that the standard of play was unaffected by the many changes. The author apologises for not reporting every individual performance but it has to be said that each player contributed on the day to put in one of their best team performances and is dedicated to every player in the Colts squad. "One Team, One Squad".

The squad:
Jacob Perrett, Alex Hodgins, Henry Lelacheur, Jem MacVicker, Nicholas Cook, Sam Brown, James Pancaldi, Alex Wexler, Lewis Headland, Tom Burgess, Oliver Osler-Holt, Ben Boorman, Mylo Vanner-Mackew, Ollie Batchelor, George Gomersall, Josh O’Reilly, Tom Groves, James Young, Lars Thorkildsen, Jack Brown, Sean Crozier, Ollie Carter.