Wigan U10’s escaped the smog and headed for the Cumbrian fells for a round robin with Penrith and Kirkby Lonsdale.

Match 1: Penrith v Wigan

We welcomed the temporary return of Ethan Hulme after a lengthy loan to the U9’s.

Much of the early play was inside the Penrith half, with Wigan pushing for the first points. But they were caught napping, and Penrith scored first with a breakaway try. Mack was quick with a reply, weaving through the Penrith defence for a try in the middle. Tom saw to the following break from Penrith, hanging on to the ball carrier until reinforcements arrived. Penrith recycled though and eventually battered their way through to go back in front.

The sticky playing surface did Wigan no favours, and they struggled to adapt to the conditions. Handling errors came from the combination of cold hands and a ball resembling a heavy bar of soap. But Wigan perservered, and Penrith had to tackle well to keep Wigan out. A break from Myles ended in touch, but his prowess at the lineout returned the ball to him, and he finished his own move with a touchdown.

Wigan’s defences again were led by tackling from Harry and Kyle, but insufficient numbers getting involved in the breakdown, and too many ‘fingertip’ tackles from other Wigan players, allowed Penrith to keep moving, and they added two more tries in quick succession to get 4-2 up at the break.

The highlight of the second half was probably Harry’s amazing backwards off-load as he was bundled at speed in to touch. Sorry I can’t recall who caught it, but the catch was as remarkable, and Wigan were allowed to keep the ball moving.

With much of the second half played out in Wigan territory, there was no further score.

Full time: Penrith 4 Wigan 2

Match 2: Kirkby Lonsdale v Wigan

Whilst the Wigan players went indoors to de-frost, I spent a few minutes watching the Penrith / Kirkby match and it evident that Wigan would need to lift their game to keep up with their second opponents.

Sure enough, from the off Kirkby made a strong start, but Wigan did raise their own game and matched everything thrown at them. A break from Myles evened out the territorial stats, and play was generally even for the opening minutes. Joss made a break and delivered a lovely long pass which glided through Williams hands and had Mack been able to use it, he would have been in. This was great exciting rugby to watch. A Kirkby ‘one to watch’ got past four Wigan players, but was halted with a superb tackle from Joss. Jacob and Ethan also getting involved in the tackling. Myles almost made the line with a trademark break, and Ethan nearly finished off, but a team effort was required to power the ball over the line, with Harry claiming the touchdown. Unfortunately Wigan’s nerve didn’t hold and they allowed Kirkby to reply right on half time.

Wigan went up yet another gear in the second half, and things looked promising. Unfortunately Joss was injured in a crush and had to leave the field. His are hard boots to fill and the lack of an as-accomplished scrum half for the rest of the game was a handicap for Wigan.

A strong run from Kyle opened up an opportunity, and Harry was there to finish off, putting Wigan a point ahead.

The excitement continued throughout the rest of the second half, with the teams fairly evenly matched, and playing great rugby. Wigan did well to move the ball when they could, and also did well competing on the floor. Most scrums and line-outs went Wigan’s way, but relentless Kirkby pressure got them two more tries.

This was a superb Wigan performance, perhaps not reflected in the result, and the players should take heart from the display they put on.

Final Score: Kirkby Lonsdale 3 Wigan 2

Many thanks to KLRUFC for hosting and for really looking after us. We look forward to our next visit.

Squad:
Eli, Ethan, Harry, Jacob, Joe, Joss, Kyle, Luca, Mack, Myles, Tom, William.

Man of the Match TBA

Tries:

Mack 1
Myles 1
Harry 2