Derby RFC Dev XV Match Reports for the 2008/09 season

15th Nov'08: Bakewell II 05 - 07 Derby Devs

Derby Devs played with great spirit in this close match. Thrown together and arriving with little preperation Derby started the match brightly and the forwards dominated the opposition for the first 20 minutes. Derby outscrummaged Bakewell for much of the game and secured good possesion from the line out. The front row were strong throughout and all completed the full match somehow. The muddy conditions limited the game for both sides in terms of expansive rugby but we adapted our game to suit the conditions to better effect than Bakewell. All of the forwards played well with the back row and James Marshall being the standout player, deserving to score his try in the first half, strong in defence and mobile aroung the park.

Howard at scrum half had an effective game as usual and constantly harrassed his opposite number. Scott Hudson played well at 12 until he had to leave the field after a cut above his eye. Before the game we agreed that we would operate rolling subs even though it was a league game. In the second half Derby should have made more of the posession and territory and should really have scored two more tries. Chris Caswell and Mark Poutney in the back row both came close to crossing the line in a ten minute period when Derby were all over the Bakewell line.

In the backs Craig Hughes played well but had limited opportunity to break the line of defence as the ball was often not great and the opposition were often infringing without being picked up by the referee. Rob Paylor was reliable as ever at full back and made a number of line breaks with often just the last pass not going to hand to make the score.

In the backs Scott Hudson filled in well at centre with strong running and sound defence, Tony and Pete on the wings contributed well in defence and attack and both played well throughout.

Captain Fearn had a steady game and kicked well scoring the vital conversion to secure the win.

The front row combined well and were solid scrummaging and mobile around the pitch. Second rows Tim and Simon secured good lineout possesion until Simon had to leave the field through injury with about twenty minutes remaining being replaced by Rob Boyle. Nathan came on for Chris Caswell in the back row.

The game went down to the wire with the Derby defence being pushed to the limit but remaining unbroken. In the final minute Bakewell were awarded a penalty virtually in front of the posts, somehow the kicker missed and Derby Devs had won the match. This was a rewarding victory and Derby deserved to be at least one further score ahead really but in the end had to hang on for the win.

Match Report by Andrew Fearn

25th Oct'08: Mansfield 3rd XV 06 - 08 Derby Dev XV

No match report at the moment though here's a link to the Photograph Gallery.

11th Oct'08: Derby Dev XV 55 - 00 Paviors 3rd XV

No match report at the moment though here's a link to the Photograph Gallery.

4th Oct'08: Amber Valley 2nd XV 10 – 14 Derby Devs XV

A Development team showing more reshuffles than Gordon Brown’s cabinet and with messrs Bussell and Irwin being jetted in seconds before kick off to make up the numbers, eventually took to the field like Christians thrown to Lions against a big, experienced, free scoring and unbeaten Amber Valley side. Unfortunately for Valley the Devs tore up the script!

The Devs pack immediately took the game to Valley this seemed to shock Valley into a few “misdemeanours” and “indiscretions”. From the resulting penalty kicks Fearny made ground to allow a series of strong driving mauls orchestrated by Macca to push Valley back. Lineout after lineout Leicester and Hudson supported by Britton, Macca, Ross, Fergal, Calvert and Irwin were dominant and slowly took Derby close to line. From another lineout catch and drive Fergal ‘Sharkey’ was pulled down just short of the line to allow Buss starring at scrum half ever the scavenger to twist, turn, pirouette and stretch for the line putting Derby 5 - 0 up, good reward for the control showed by the Devs pack to a man in out mauling their much bigger opposition!

Derby continued to play the same way with some success however at this point the referee’s intereptation of the ELVs at the ‘breakdown’ started to dominate the game with neither side having any clean ball the game reduced to “penalty roulette” and single phase rugby! From another hotly disputed “misinterpretation” of the ELV’s in front of the posts this time by Valley, Fearny slotted the penalty to take the Devs into an eight point lead. Derby were dominating the game territorially but from the kick off some juggling that would light up any travelling circus by the “Dumb and Dumber” of the Devs back row eventually (after another harsh spin of the “interpretation of the breakdown” wheel) resulted in Valley slotting a penalty of their own to get on the scoreboard, this seemed to jolt them into action and Valley started to come into game through good tactical kicking. Derby enjoyed the edge over the Amber Valley forwards in the loose and tight however Valley finally made their considerable size advantage count when after a lack of concentration by the Devs resulted in a powerful drive for the line from a five metre scrum. This was stopped short allowing (a character resembling “the Jailor” from Monty Python’s life of Brian sorry….) the lithe Valley scrum half Mick Ash to take a leaf from Buss’s scavenging book and bulldoze over, the conversion added took Valley into a 10-8 lead.

The physical forward battle continued to be a place not for the squeamish as Derby lost Fergal and Valley lost Roger Bryan to injury. Both sides picked up battle scars for comparison later! However crucially the Devs forwards held their discipline.

The second half was dominated by the spin of the “roulette wheel” at the breakdown with both sets of forwards reduced to shrugging their shoulders at and actually agreeing with each other! as seemingly good quick ball won by both sides was deemed to be illegal through some transgression of the “ever changing rules” only ever seen by the man carrying the whistle! Scott and Ross were unlucky time after time having done well to win ball on the floor only to be penalised for, one can only assume, either being ginger or sporting blonde highlights as everything else was by the book and perfectly legal! The refereeing of the breakdown seemed harsh on both sides and effectively killed the game for any entertainment factor. Fortunately and surprisingly this didn’t boil over into world war three! Although “the Jailor” did spend 10 mins in the bin when he decided allegedly to ruck using his head! missing the ball, the ruck and accidentally colliding with a Derby Player at least 5 metres the other side of the breakdown! Obviously his sat nav had malfunctioned. Derby maintained their Discipline and territorial advantage with Valley only actually making it beyond the Derby 10m line in the final minutes of the game thanks to good defence throughout but particularly by the Chris’s and Dr Mike.

Derby did go close to scoring when another Buss break meandered and zigzagged its way to the line to be enclosed by the Valley hoards only for the attempted pass to go forward (now did Buss actually try to pass a few metres from the line? or was the ball knocked from his hands by would be tacklers?!). Two more spins of the “roulette wheel” (infringements at the breakdown) in front of the posts by Valley allowed Fearny to knock over the kicks to take the Devs into a 14-10 lead and despite a late frenzy by Valley the Devs defence held firm. This was a very good win against a very big, experienced and previously unbeaten side, considering the morning reshuffles! and gets the Devs league campaign off the ground!

Match Report by Eric Idle

27th Sep'08: Derby Dev XV 44 - 12 Mansfield 3rd XV

What a blurr! The Devs bounced back from the Matlock game in style with a try fest! The forwards won a constant supply of good clean ball which the backs put to good use. Sadly suffering from astonishment, heat stroke and with so much activity to memorise and also lacking a pen and paper the full list of try scorers will just have to fade into history!

Rob Paylor certainly scored managing a couple showing that sneaky bit of pace that is rarer that a ‘Buss-pass’, Mike Rollasson also got in on the act. Jon Acton had a great game at scrum half and showed much promise for better things as did the Ant & Dec of the backrow Scott Hudson and Ross ‘you need hands’ Crawley – Nash. Howard Burrows came to the fray in the second half and had a little starring cameo replacing the Manager who was forced to retire for oxygen and a massage. Tim Leicester, Jimbo Smith and Mark Poutney reappeared from the wilderness and Gordon Calvert rolled back the years again before at the final whistle joining the Manager in the oxygen tent - Like two beetroots in salad bowl!

In this game the Devs really started to play with a pattern and this delivered much reward, had this continued for the full eighty minutes more scores were a certainty however over complication and a bit of white line fever in the last third of the game curtailed the try fest and is maybe something to work on.

Mansfield were always competitive especially up front and scored two good tries of their own and contributed to a good open game as did the referee who on the evidence so far this season really should be operating at a higher level (Credit where credit is due I say).

Match Report by Damon Albarn

20th Sep'08: Matlock 3rd XV 13 - 10 Derby Dev XV

Devs opened their league campaign with a trip to Matlock and welcomed back “the Manager”. On an afternoon more suited to sipping cocktails by the pool the quality of the game was a testament to both sides given the hot conditions, long grass and lack of pitch markings which clearly affected some of the 31 folk on the pitch more than others!

Matlock opened the scoring when their left winger was given a long run to the line following good work by their “experienced” midfield. “Nudger” Young showing why the kids were just a chip off the old block! Matlock went further ahead with a similar effort and extended the lead with a penalty kick. You might think the game was all Matlock but this wasn’t the case as the Derby forwards were more physical and had the edge however fell foul too often of the referee and his opinions at ruck and maul, some strange decisions came the way of both sides! Andy Ireland made a few telling runs along with Scott Hudson, Chris Casewell, Nelly and Paul McCartin but the Devs couldn’t break through.

The Devs finally got on score sheet when following a quick ruck the ball came out to George Murfin who after allegedly “crossing” with half his team mates much to the astonishment of Matlock, (and a few of the Devs!) strolled over the line, conversion missed. The second half saw Derby pressing which resulted in a penalty close to the line, up stepped big Michael “Nelly” Jordan who stormed over from (50 m!-well that was Nelly’s version in the bar) 5 metres really! scoring a try “basketball style” which the ref somehow missed! Surprisingly? Maybe the low sun affected his vision or just the fact he was totally mesmerised by Nelly’s impromptu audition for the Harlem Globetrotters.

The game finished with both sides still trying to play open rugby thanks to the referee who now seemed to have “lightened up” and allowed the game to finally flow. Matlock were just worth their win but the Devs need to become more adaptable to the opposition style of play and of course the man in black!

Match Report by Don King “yo mon sign up dat Nelly kid!”

view more Photo's in the photo gallery