Derby`s U13 Tigers met up at 10am on a fine, sunny Sunday morning before boarding the coach for the short trip to Market Rasen through the beautiful countryside of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Having watched these boys playing in recent weeks I could well understand the quiet air of confidence as they looked forward to defending their NLD crown against Nottinghamshire club Paviors.

With plenty of time before kick-off there was time for a quick sandwich or banana, washed down with plenty of fluids. After a leisurely change into their playing kit they embarked on a steady, well-structured warm-up before the referee appeared to check their studs and oversee the toss-up.

Derby Tigers 43 - 07 Cirencester

Derby`s U13`s Tigers warmly welcomed the tourists of Cirencester on their last stop of Derbyshire`s rugby hotspots. Having been based in Ashbourne they had tasted success the previous day whilst visiting Melbourne and were obviously looking to finish of their trip in style by the look of the wigs they were wearing!

This was to be the Tigers final run-out prior to next weeks NLD Final and we were looking for a positive performance in both attack and defence – we were not to be disappointed.

From the kick-off Derby attacked with confidence. Jamie Twigge made ground along the left wing before the ball was swiftly recycled and moved across the backs to the right wing. Luke Bland and George Tresidder combined before the ball came back for Danny Lawson to pick up and drive over from short range.

Within minutes a second try. David Eades made an outside break to gain ground but was caught by the Cirencester full-back. The offload from the ground found Tresidder in support with an easy run to the line.

Derby`s forward were dominating their opponents and Derby`s midfield defence was snuffing out the few opportunities that the visitors were given. In fact they were turning defence into attack. Firstly Tom Kent stole the ball in the tackle inside the Cirencester half and set off for the tryline only to be hauled down by a flying winger with 1m to go. The chance was not lost however as the cavalry soon arrived to secure the ball for Nick Wesson to crash over.

The second time saw Kent combine with George Castledine in a flat defensive line with the centre being popped through the gap. Once again their forwards were in close support – this time Will Skeates picking up at the back of the ruck to force his way over from close range. Castledine slotted over the second of two first-half conversions to leave Derby in a commanding position 24-0 ahead.

This was an ideal opportunity to try some different combinations ahead of next Sunday and the changes made were virtually seemless. Luke McNeilly replaced Jim Brentnall at hooker, Declan McManus came on in the 2nd row and the back row was re-jigged to include Myles Costello at no.7. Nick Rigg replaced Costello at scrum-half, Joe Wright and Tom Mellor came on for wingers Luke Bland and Archie Lynn, whilst Kent and Castledine swapped at 10 and 13 and Eades and Tresidder swapped over at 12 and 15.

If anything the effort was increased in both defence and attack. Cirencester perhaps knew they were beaten but to their credit they kept their heads up and continued to attack Derby from wherever possible in search of a try. Derby were determined to keep a clean sheet and this was never more evident than in two cracking try-saving tackles. The visitors no.5 picked up and set off at pace down the blind-side. This had caught Derby napping but just as a try seemed certain in the corner George Tresidder came from nowhere to cut the attacker down just short of the line. Not to be outdone Tom Kent then put in a bone-shaker of a tackle on the dangerous looking no.8 in front of his posts when a try looked the likely outcome.

In attack Derby were now cutting loose. With some very slick handling in the backs there were chances for all. Kent, Eades and Wright all looked threatening but it was David Eades who opened the second-half scoring after a lovely pass gave him the space to outstrip the defence. Within a few minutes Eades had bagged his second. Collecting a clearance kick just inside the Cirencester half he set off along the left wing before chipping ahead over the winger. The ball bounced up into his hands to allow an easy run to the line.

Derby`s pack were now on the rampage with Skeates, Wesson, Twigge and Harvey Baines leading the way. Lawson, MacManus and Tom Doyle were invariably first to the breakdown and this led to plenty of ball. The forwards once again headed off towards the Cirencester tryline in search of further points. In a flurry of bodies, and after a try was signalled by the referee, Myles Costello emerged with the ball to claim the try. Castledine put over a super kick from wide out on the left for his fourth conversion.

Cirencester did in fact breach the Derby defences before this final try when their captain and no.8 scored a well-deserved consolation try to cap an impressive personal performance.

It had been a superb display from Derby and a very creditable one from Cirencester – the scoreline doesn`t quite do them justice. It became apparent afterwards that there may have been mitigating circumstances. Firstly they weren`t quite at full strength as tourists but probably the boys finding, and then drinking, the coaches/parents beer stash the night before hadn`t helped!!

Team: Will Skeates, James Brentnall, Nick Wesson, Harvey Baines, Jamie Twigge, Alex Tomlinson, Tom Doyle, Luke McNeilly, Danny Lawson, Declan McManus, Myles Costello, Nick Rigg, Tom Kent, David Eades, George Castledine, Joseph Wright, Luke Bland, George Tresidder, Archie Lynn, Tom Mellor.

Match Report by Desperate Dan for The Dandy

Derby Stags 53 - 26 Ashfield

Kettering 17 - 19 Derby Tigers - Match Report

Derby`s U13`s Tigers picked up an away game at Kettering in the hope that some tougher opposition would be good for their preparations ahead of the NLD final. On the back of two excellent performances on their recent tour of North Wales confidence was high and rightly so. 

Everyone woke on Sunday to be greeted by a blanket of snow but fortunately Kettering`s ground appeared unaffected. As a convoy of Derby vehicles made its way down the M1 a number of them had been held up by a nasty looking accident. This meant arriving in dribs and drabs, and that our warm-up would be cut short to meet the 11am kick-off – not ideal preparations. 

This was reflected in the first 10/15 minutes by Derby`s sluggish start – an opening quarter in which they conceded two tries. The first was scored from close range after Kettering had worked their way towards the Derby try line. The second was a strange one. With the forwards at stalemate, again near the Derby line, the referee was about to blow his whistle when the ball just popped up into the air from nowhere and into the eager grasp of a Kettering player who went over unopposed. With the conversion successful Derby found themselves behind by 12 points in as many minutes. 

We know that there is a great team spirit that exists within this squad and I was fairly confident that they would bounce back, and slowly but surely Derby got themselves back into the game. It wasn`t going to be easy though as this Kettering outfit were probably shading it in the forwards with some smart work in the rucks and at the breakdowns. 

Thanks to three try-saving tackles by George Tresidder, Derby`s defence was sound and now their backs were beginning to get on top. Quick ball was swiftly moved across the backs to Luke Bland who made a lot of ground before linking up with Tresidder who ran in unopposed. 5-12. After a sustained period of pressure in the home team`s half, Tom Kent kicked long into space along the right wing. Again it was Tresidder and Bland who combined with the big winger getting the score this time. With George Castledine`s conversion successful Derby were level at 12-12. With less than two minutes on the clock Derby then contrived to undo their hard work with a “Keystone Cops” routine! The Kettering re-start was knocked-on and with the referee playing advantage one Derby player dived and missed and another kicked and missed! The ball was then eagerly scooped up by the home team for an easy try. Half time 12-17. 

The half time talk was very upbeat. The lads were clearly aware that their renewed efforts had paid off but that they would also have to step up that effort in the second half if they were to win the game. 

Kettering must have had a very similar chat at half time because they came out and threw everything at Derby in a 15 minute spell that any lesser team would have crumpled under. Derby`s defensive effort was huge and they gradually soaked up all the pressure and moved themselves down into the Kettering half where they started to take control. A risky pass in the home 22, combined with pressure from the Derby midfield, resulted in Tom Kent kicking the loose ball on towards the try line. Another kick and he dived with the Kettering fullback for the touchdown. Derby, certain they had scored, were disappointed to see the referee had not given the score! This seemed to strengthen their resolve and two minutes later George Castledine, in what appeared to be a pre-planned move, kicked to the corner for Archie Lynn to touch down. 17-17. Castledine struck the conversion beautifully to bisect the posts and seal a most well deserved victory. 

Derby`s forwards had battled hard against an excellent Kettering pack but the difference today was Derby`s backs who were just too clever for their opposite numbers. Nick Rigg looked to be settling in at scrum-half whilst Derby`s usual no.9, Myles Costello, had a very busy game at wing-forward. Also worth noting was Tom Antrobus who came on at half time and gave a good account of himself on his Tigers debut. Luke Bland`s contributions increased as did his confidence and Archie Lynn had a good second half after having missed a lot of the season through injury. Well done boys! 

Team: Will Skeates, James Brentnall, Nick Wesson, Harvey Baines, Jamie Twigge, Alex Tomlinson, Myles Costello, Tom Doyle, Luke McNeilly, Tom Antrobus, Nick Rigg, Tom Kent, David Eades, George Castledine, Joseph Wright, Luke Bland, George Tresidder, Archie Lynn, Tom Mellor. 

Match Report by Guinness Weekly

Derby Tigers 00 - 24 Lutterworth - Match Report

Derby`s U13`s Tigers entertained Leicestershire team Lutterworth in the unfamiliar surroundings of nearby Derby University.

I don`t like the term “one-man team” - it is disrespectful to the opposition and it sounds like you are making excuses for a defeat but in the case of Lutterworth I`m going to make an exception. They have a very talented player at outside-centre - searing pace, quick wits and vision. Twice we played them last season and twice the same player won the game for them. Take him out of the equation and these two teams would be evenly matched with much closer results.

To try and counter him Derby`s midfield employed an “outside - in” defence. That involves trying to force their midfield back inside rather than letting them use the space out wide. This actually proved most effective in nullifying the obvious threat. David Eades tackling cut down several attacks and George Castledine twice narrowly missed out on an interception try after our defensive tactics had caused indecision in the visitors midfield.

Once Derby`s scrum had settled into its best combination there was quite a lot of possession and with the rucking greatly improved from last week, their half-backs, Costello and Kent, had more time and space to get their three-quarters moving. Although there were long periods spent inside the Lutterworth half of the pitch Derby couldn`t quite find that elusive opening and actually ended up 0 - 5 down courtesy of the visitors “danger-man” - what a surprise! From a poor clearance he gathered the ball and weaved his way through the broken field to touch down - it wasn`t poor tackling but exceptionally elusive running!

The second-half was very much a 50/50 affair if we don`t count “you know who”! In the forwards both James Brentnall and Tom Doyle were ever willing to take the ball into the heart of the opposition’s defence and in defence Jamie Twigge was everywhere tackling everything he could find. Unfortunately the downside was two more tries for our friend in the centre. One after a collecting another poor kick and the other after skillfully scooping up a loose ball. For both tries he out-stripped the covering defence with lightning speed. Lutterworth`s other try was scored after Derby had seemingly rescued a dangerous situation on their own try-line. Having secured turn-over ball they attempted to run the ball out only to change their mind instantly and feed the ball back to the waiting kicker who got man and ball. A try was awarded although Lutterworth`s open-side had clearly knocked-on in the process!

Not a lot left to say really. Well done Derby - a much improved performance after last weeks defeat and who knows what the result might have been if it hadn`t been for that one player…………….

A special thank-you to our water suppliers. The coaches found it cool, crisp and refreshing but as usual the boys stuck with their own drinks!

Team: Reece Harrison, James Brentnall, Harvey Baines, Tom Doyle, Daniel Lawson, Donald Inns, Luke McNeilly, Jamie Twigge, Declan McManus, Will Skeates, Myles Costello, Tom Kent, David Eades, George Castledine, Joseph Wright, Nick Rigg, Archie Lynn, Marcus Axelson, Tom Mellor.

Match Report by The Waterboys
 

Ilkeston 17 - 21 Derby Stags - Match Report

Derby Tigers 00 - 40 Sandbach - Match Report

Strong scrummage, slick line-out, excellent rucking, busy half-backs, big, fast centres, big, strong forwards, aggressive defence, sharp attack, clever kicking.

Match Report by The Samaritans

Derby Stags v Mellish Match Reports

Pitted against unfamiliar opposition, a strong Tigers squad was selected to make the journey to take on their Nuneaton counterparts. The result, on a dry, blustery day was an exciting game with the result in doubt right up until the last kick of the game.

The Tigers preparations were disrupted when influential fly half Tom Kent has to withdraw having picked up an injury before the warm-up, necessitating a reshuffle in the backs. However the game also saw the welcome return on Archie Lynn after a long spell out with injury.

Electing to play with the breeze in the first half, Derby sought to play a territorial game with David Eades and George Castledine putting in some excellent kicks to pin the home side back. A well-functioning scrum and lineout ensured a steady flow of possession allowing the backs to sound out their opponents with Marcus Axelson in particular looking threatening.

Derby took a deserved lead when Danny Lawson intercepted an ambitious floated pass and charged over from 40m with Castledine adding the conversion to make the score 0-7.

Nuneaton came back in determined fashion and repeatedly tested the Derby defence. Archie Lynn showed he hadn’t forgotten how to deal with the high ball while Tom Doyle made two opponents wish they had tried to attack open rather than going blind as he put in two huge tackles that made the recent earthquake seem insignificant.

Just before half time Castledine extended the lead when he went over in the corner supported by Nick Rigg after excellent work once again by Lawson. The conversion was missed to leave the score 0-12.

In the second half, Nuneaton came back hard in an attempt to reduce the deficit and after a concerted period of pressured, helped by a number of clearance kicks that failed to find touch, they drove over and added the kick to bring the score back to 7-12.

Derby Tigers 22 - 17 Kesteven (NLD Semi Finals)

Derby`s U13`s Tigers travelled to Sleaford on a cold and windy Sunday morning for this fixture against Kesteven in the semi-final of the NLD Cup.

Was this the result that nearly got away? Four tries up with the game seemingly in the bag! What went wrong? Complacency? Poor conditions? Opponents that just wouldn`t give in? There is also a rumour circulating that “the coaches nearly blew it”! In truth it was probably a combination of all those elements.

Inside 10 minutes Derby were 10-0 up with two direct, identical tries. The ball had been sprayed both left and right to the wings before being recycled and used again. The forwards had found themselves in possession near to the Kesteven try-line and several attempts at pick and drive resulted in tries for Tom Doyle and Nick Wesson.

It had been a good first-half of rugby; excellent forward play providing plenty of ball for the backs. Kesteven were still very much in the game however with several dangerous looking runners but Derby had defended resolutely.

The second-half started out with more of the same. The ball was still being moved out wide but also up the middle too by Daniel Lawson, Will Skeates and Tom Doyle. The third try wasn`t long in coming. Tom Kent broke the defensive line and off-loaded to George Castledine who in turn passed onto Joe Giles. The winger stepped inside before passing out to the looping Castledine who went over for the score. He also converted the try to put Derby 17 points clear.

Within minutes a fourth try. David Eades picked up a loose ball and cleared into the Kesteven corner. Jamie Twigge took the line-out ball and burst through on a 15m run. Will Skeates picked up at the back of the following ruck and crashed over from short range. 22-0.

It was at this point that things appeared to start going wrong. From a scrum on Derby`s 22m line the Kesteven no.8 picked up and went blind, completely wrong footing the Derby defence, to score in the corner. This seemed to boost Kesteven`s confidence and they upped their workrate and kept coming at Derby.

In the next 10 minutes they collected two more tries. Their centre scored after bursting through the defence on the halfway line and then from a tapped penalty they forced their way over in the left-hand corner to bring up 17 unanswered points in as many minutes.

Derby rallied as the realisation of the situation dawned on them and they managed to close out the match by spending the last few minutes camped on the Kesteven try-line. It really had been too close for comfort and should serve as a wake-up call for both the players and the coaches.

Congratulations Derby – bad luck Kesteven. For Derby there will be plenty of hard work before they meet up with their old friends Paviors in the Final on the 27th. April.

Team: Will Skeates, James Brentnall, Nick Wesson, Jamie Twigge, Joe Dawes, Tom Doyle, Daniel Lawson, Harvey Baines, George Groom, Alex Tomlinson, Jack Waggatt, Myles Costello, Tom Kent, David Eades, George Castledine, Joseph Wright, Tom Mellor, Nick Rigg, Alex Barbour.

Match Report by Zippy for The Rainbow News

Derby Stags 09 - 38 Nottingham

With the Tigers training for their forthcoming NLD semi-final, the Stags made the journey across the City to play a re-arranged fixture against Melbourne.

Derby Stags travelled to the south of Leicester to play a tough encounter with a strong side from Oadby Wyggs. The game was dominated by forward play, where Oadby probably had the upper hand.

Derby were forced into defence early on playing into the breeze, resisting strong play from their opposition. Good defence kept the score tied for quite a long period before Oadby crossed the line to score an unconverted try. Derby came back strongly starting to win more ball and used this effectively when Luke Bland raced over from the half-way line to score between the posts, George Castledine converted to give Derby the lead. Oadby again came back strongly and on the stroke of half-time crossed the Derby line but the defence did not give up and forced the ball to be lost forward in goal. Half-time score 5 - 7.

The second-half was much the same as the first, Oadby the stronger in attack being met by a determined Derby defence and Derby using the wind more to clear their lines. Derby managed to keep their lead with tries from Will Skeates and Luke Bland (again) with George Castledine converting one of them. Oadby scored 2 more tries of their own during the second half but failed to convert either. As time ran out Oadby once again crossed the line, but their player lost control of the ball just before the line and fell on the loose ball with an outstretched arm – no try!

The game was won with a determined defence with the boot of George Castledine being the difference between a win and a draw.

Squad: Alex Barbour, Jacob Thomas, George Castledine, Alex Ham, Chris Burns, Joe Giles, Alistair Wolff, Reece Harrison, John Brunt, Will Skeates, Declan McManus, Alex Tomlinson, Jamie Twigg, Luke Bland, Joe Donohue, Max Cook, Alex Law, Charlie Menzies, Dominic Murray, Alex Szrejder.

Derby`s U13`s Tigers travelled east along the A52 for this fixture with Nottingham at their new home, the old Boots Ground, in West Bridgford. The weather across the whole of the country was pretty wet and cold but as the kick-off approached the sun came out and warmed things up just leaving a very stiff breeze for the kickers to contend with. 

With the initial rounds of the NLD Cup and Shield out of the way this game provided an ideal opportunity to give some of the Stags players well-earned game time with the Tigers – coming in today were Reece Harrison, Nick Wesson, Jack Waggatt, Jamie Twigge, Marcus Axelson and Harry Young. 

Although the final scoreline might suggest a one-side procession of tries for Derby it was far from it. Nottingham were obviously a distant second in this particular two-horse race but they never let up trying to attack or compete at the set-piece and breakdown. Full credit must be given to them for their committed performance. 

Within the first 5 minutes both Derby`s wingers, Joe Wright and Tom Mellor, had skinned their opposite numbers to touch down under the posts. A typical George Tresidder solo effort was then sandwiched between two Tom Doyle tries, the first from the Nottingham 22 and the second from halfway! To finish the half Tresidder bagged his second courtesy of a lovely break and perfectly timed pass from his fly-half. 

The second half produced a further five tries. Superb handling by the backs put Harry Young in at the corner, Harvey Baines picked up a score after Daniel Lawson and Jamie Twigge had broken away from a line-out and after several phases of recycled ball, well-timed passing put George Tresidder in for his hat-trick. It was at this point that Nottingham went all out for a try and although they had Derby pinned in and around their 22 for a while the defence was strong and the storm weathered. The scoring was finished off by Marcus Axelson, with a lovely outside break, and Daniel Lawson who broke away from a maul and ran in from 30m. 

In extremely testing conditions George Castledine and David Eades managed to convert a very credible 7 out of the 11 tries. 

Running through the try scorers however, does not tell the full story. There had been a huge forward effort in winning good ball from both the usual suspects and the new boys. Coupled with that there was some incisive and intelligent back play from the half-backs and midfield which all pieced together to create the scoring opportunities. A great all-round team performance! 

Team: Reece Harrison, James Brentnall, Nick Wesson, Harvey Baines, Tom Doyle, Jack Waggatt, Jamie Twigge, Alex Tomlinson, Daniel Lawson, Myles Costello, Tom Kent, David Eades, George Castledine, Joseph Wright, Nick Rigg, George Tresidder, Marcus Axelson, Tom Mellor, Harry Young. 

Bakewell 12 - 26 Derby Tigers (NLD Qualifier)

Derby`s U13`s Tigers travelled north on a cold but dry morning for this fixture with Bakewell in the third round of NLD Cup matches.  

Sunday morning and here we are at Bakewell, no changing rooms, mid-day kick-off and a much changed side due to late illness and injuries.   

In the backs Joe Wright has moved into full back and David Eades stepped in at scrum-half.  The forwards themselves had shuffled to introduce Charles Menzies and Joe Donohue to each other at second-row, Harvey Baines slid back to No.8 and the fearsome ferrets that are Alex Tomlinson and Luke McNeilly were propping either side of Jim Brentnall.  

Bakewell kicked off and Derby received a ball that was quickly moved through several pairs of hands across the backs to edge over the halfway line. The forwards soon settled into their roles by tidying up well in the loose.   

With only 2 minutes gone, the ball was intercepted by George Castledine just outside the 22. He stepped outside his tackler, sliced 5m towards the posts, straightened and opened his long stride toward the corner, stripping the Bakewell backs of any chance to tackle, a superb try.  Just what was needed, any nerves or insecurity about the changes had been blown away. With the conversion slotted, despite the swirling wind, that was Derby’s only score of the first half.    

Bakewell came back strongly, using the breeze and their stronger physical presence to grind away at the “black and amber”, with the game rolling around between the two 22m lines as Derby struggled to familiarise themselves with the strange line up. This period was pierced by a well-worked Bakewell try in which their wing forwards, hunting as a pair, committed a Derby tackler and allowed the ball to be moved through two further passes and over the line.  The conversion was well struck but bounced off the crossbar back into the field of play.  

Bakewell`s spirits and blood was up, again they came at Derby strongly forcing their way onto the Derby try line with both sets of forwards ripping, twisting and grinding manfully.  Derby held the bigger Bakewell unit up over the line with committed defending. 

Bakewell`s second try was a result of a well gathered Derby clearance kick. With the conversion added the result stood at 12-7 to Bakewell. The remainder of the half became a war of attrition with the Derby forwards now finding their feet and starting to match their slightly bigger counterparts. The backs were also running at the Bakewell defence looking for openings. 

Half-time came quickly with neither side having taken or surrendered any further points, but both well aware that this was a close encounter that could still go either way.  

Derby freshened the front row by bringing in their only substitute, Donald Inns, to prop, resting Luke McNeilly who had worked hard under the effects of a cold. David Eades moved back to his more accustomed centre position with George Castledine stepping in to scrum-half in an attempt to increase the physical presence around the loose. 

The change had immediate effect; from kick-off the Derby pack won the ball in a ruck allowing Castledines to pick up and dart down the blind-side, leaving the covering wing and flanker to simultaneously grasp air as he ran through. Less than a minute into the half and the conversion took Derby`s, and Castledine`s, points tally at 14. 

It was a further 15 minutes before there was any additional score. During this time the Derby backs played some lovely progressive rugby with Tom Kent, Tom Mellor, George Castledine and Dominic Murray, moving the ball first to the right and then to the left. Joe Donohue, Harvey Baines, Charlie Menzies, Jim Brentnall and Alex Tomlinson were doing the dirty work by winning the ball on the floor.   

The next score was of the highest quality and from a player who had covered every inch of the pitch - Daniel Lawson. The build up to the score was a team effort, probing and prodding their way to fifteen yards from the opposition line. Lawson then found himself in the right position to take the ball and burst forward. A two-man tackle stopped him and forced him to ground, or so it seemed, but one more twist and he was away to take himself the remaining three yards over the line. A well-deserved try! 

Jim Brentnall brought relief to the Derby faces as he crashed over for the final score. Despite the enforced changes the lads had shown great strength of character to produce a well-earned victory in difficult circumstances. Well done and thank-you from both the coaches and the watching parents. 

Team: Luke McNeilly, James Brentnall, Alex Tomlinson, Joe Donohue, Charles Menzies, Tom Doyle, Daniel Lawson, Harvey Baines, David Eades, Tom Kent, George Castledine, Tom Mellor, Dominic Murray, Alex Barbour, Joseph Wright, Donald Inns.

Match Report by Dylan Thomas, Tricky Vicky C and The Invisible Man

Derby Stags 05 - 10 Mansfield (NLD Qualifier)

The final qualifier for the NLD shield was a must win game for both teams.  The Stags were missing several key players while Mansfield were a much improved side having put some early setbacks behind them and put together a good string of results.  So a close match was in prospect and that’s exactly what followed. 

Straight from the kick-off the Derby pack set about dominating their bigger opponents competing well in the lineout, setting up some good driving positions and taking scrums against the head. 

For 10 minutes they were camped on the Mansfield 22 but were repelled by some determined and committed defence.  Good tactical kicking by Alistair Wolff meant the pressure was kept on and both John Brunt and Kaan Dalkic were unlucky to be held up over the line while Chris Burns thought he had scored in the corner, only to be called back for a knock-on. 

And they were to pay for the missed chances as, on their first foray into Derby territory, some hesitancy in defence allowed Mansfield to score between the posts and convert to give a lead of 7-0, totally against the run of play. 

But showing real character Derby went straight back down the other end and scored a try through Kaan Dalkic following some good play by Nick Wesson and Jamie Twigg.  Harry Young put the conversion just wide of the post to make the half time score 5-7 with all to play for. 

The second half saw Mansfield have the better of both territory and possession and it was Derby’s turn to show they could defend with some outstanding cover tackling and aggressive mauling forcing several turnovers with Reece Harrison and Declan Macmanus leading by example. 

When Derby secured possession and were able to put some phases together they looked capable of getting the crucial score with Jacob Thomas having several opportunities to run at the defence but Mansfield were determined not to concede again. 

Mansfield came back strongly and when they won a penalty in front of the posts decided to kick the points having been able to breech the resolute Derby defence.  The Stags mounted one final bombardment of the Mansfield line but the final whistle came too soon. 

At the whistle the Stags, modest in victory and magnanimous in defeat as ever, had for the second time this season to endure the spectacle of their opponents celebrating like they had won the rugby world cup, the National Lottery and Strictly Come Dancing all on the same day.  What it must mean to beat the Derby Stags! 

The Stags must now wait to see if they have qualified for the semi-finals, but we can all look forward to February 17th when the Tigers will go hunting up the A38 for their encounter with this much improved Mansfield side. 

Team: Reece Harrison, John Brunt, Nick Wesson, Max Cook, Kaan Dalkic, Declan Macmanus, Jack Waggatt, Jamie Twigg, Alistair Wolff, Joe Giles, Jacob Thomas, Harry Young, Alex Ham, Joseph Booth, Chris Booth

Replacements: Rhys Falconbridge, Alex Szrejder, Matthew Rowley, Matthew Drayton.

A big thank you to the replacements who turned up and supported the team but didn’t get much of a game.

Throughout the season most games are classed as friendlies. This just means that the game isn’t part of a competition and as such only has bragging rights at stake. This match really was a friendly. The whole purpose of the morning’s rugby was agreed to be a chance to let the squad members of both clubs get some game time.  

With this as a theme the match was preceded by 2 minutes silence at 11 o’clock, as it was Remembrance Sunday. Across all the pitches at Paviors you could have heard a pin drop. All the boys present showed upmost respect, well done. 

Now to the game. The format was agreed to be 3 sessions of 20 minutes. This gave the 22 Stags players the chance for 40 minutes rugby each and the coaches the chance to experiment with a few different combinations. 

Derby started with the lads who haven’t played as much rugby as some others. They were keen and soon were challenging to win the ball. In this first session Paviors looked the more dangerous of the 2 sides and had the majority of the possession. The Derby defence was tested for large parts of the period and looked to be holding out for a draw only to concede a penalty close to their own line right at the end. Quick reactions from the Paviors side caught the Stags watching them rather than reacting and they conceded a try.

The score at the end of the first session was Paviors 05 - 00 Derby Stags

The second session saw 7 changes in the Stags side and a few positional changes as well. The side seemed to gel better and in this session the Stags were on top for most of the time. Through good phases of play involving both the forwards and the backs the Stags ran in 3 tries, one from Marcus Axelson and a pair from Luke Bland, without reply to leave the score at the end of the second session Paviors 05 - 15 Derby Stags. 

The third and final session saw both sides making further changes. Paviors looked the stronger side in this period, but the Stags defence was equal to the attack, just. At the end of the period the ball crossed the Stags try line on at least 2 occasions only to be held up to prevent the try being scored. The boys were determined to hold out and looked relieved when the final whistle came. 

Although the score was 5-15, the fairer comment is that the match was a draw. Each side won a period and one was drawn. The real winners were the boys who had a chance to play rugby for the fun of it. Thanks Paviors for this fixture, it really was a friendly. 

Stags squad: Alex Ham, Alex Law, Alex Szrejder, Alex Tomlinson, Alistair Wolff, Chris Burns, Declan McManus, Dominic Murray, Harry Young, Jacob Thomas, Jack Waggatt, Jamie Twigg, Joe Giles, John Brunt, Kaan Dalkic, Luke Bland, Marcus Axelson, Matt Rowley, Max Cook, Miles Newham, Reece Harrison, Rhys Falconbridge 

Lincoln 00 - 52 Derby Tigers (NLD Cup Fixture)

Derby`s U13`s Tigers travelled east on a beautiful sunny morning for this fixture with Lincoln in the second round of NLD Cup matches.  

Lincoln kicked-off and initially enjoyed a good amount of possession and territory but Derby always looked confident and safe whilst defending in their own half of the pitch. Having been involved in clearing up and kicking to touch in the early exchanges it was Joe Wright who opened the scoring after a “four on two” was eagerly exploited by Derby`s backs. This opening try was soon followed by Daniel Lawson and George Castledine combining in midfield to put George Tresidder away up the left wing for a second score. 

Despite the good start Lincoln continued to secure quite a bit of ball but Derby`s defence just wouldn`t allow them any time and space, and any threat of an attack was soon snuffed out. 

Derby`s third try had the Lincoln defenders all over the place. Quick ball from a scrum was given to the backs. Tom Kent pulled two dummy switched passes with both his centres and then popped a flat pass out to George Tresidder to burst through at pace – no second invitation needed! 

After Lincoln had kicked deep into Derby`s half, Joe Wright mopped up again. The ball was swiftly moved away to Tresidder who raced off up the pitch and round two defenders to complete an excellent first-half hat-trick. George Castledine converted three of the four tries to give Derby an impressive 26-0 lead at half-time. 

As soon as the second-half started Derby were again on the attack. The ball was ripped from a maul by Daniel Lawson and quickly moved on through several pairs of hands into the Lincoln 22 with George Castledine making ground before being tackled. He popped the ball up off the ground to Tresidder who quickly passed inside to the supporting Tom Kent who dummied, jinked and handed-off his way to the try-line. Superb inter-passing and support work! 

At this point Derby brought on their replacements who slotted seamlessly into the team. Flowing movement of the ball continued bringing an opportunity for Castledine who was tackled on the try-line with the ball being dislodged. Straight back they came with a fourth try for Tresidder after a perfectly timed pass from Alex Barbour. 

The tries had all come from the backs at this point but the forwards finished off the game starting with a score from short range for Will Skeates. David Eades then produced the second of two long, raking kicks deep into the Lincoln half. Alex Barbour chased hard and forced the defender into touch. From this position Myles Costello chipped over into the in-goal area forcing the Lincoln player to concede a 5m scrum. It was all Derby now with the forwards on top. Following a rampaging run from Harvey Baines, Joe Dawes was denied a try 1m short of the line but with an almost repeat passage of play it was Dawes who completed the scoring after bursting through two tackles to touch down to cheers all round. Castledine converted yet again for a contribution of 12 points from the boot. 

This had been a superb team performance. Exciting backplay built on a solid platform provided by the forwards. James Brentnall, Luke McNeilly, Tom Doyle and George Groom worked tirelessly in the loose, Daniel Lawson, Tom Doyle and Alex Tomlinson are beginning to work really well in the back-row and there were the usual big runs from Will Skeates and Harvey Baines.  

Myles Costello`s improved passing is giving Derby`s backs the time and space to attack and score from almost anywhere but on top of all that there is a real team spirit and willingness to work for each other. Coaches and watching parents were delighted with this showing – well done boys! 

Team: Will Skeates, James Brentnall, Luke McNeilly, Harvey Baines, Tom Doyle, George Groom, Daniel Lawson, Alex Tomlinson, Joe Dawes, Joe Donahue, Donald Inns, Myles Costello, Tom Kent, David Eades, George Castledine, Joseph Wright, Tom Mellor, George Tresidder, Dominic Murray, Alex Barbour. 

Match Report by Brian Ashton

Scunthorpe 00 - 39 Derby Stags (NLD Shield Fixture)

Derby travelled nice and early on a misty, cold Sunday to Scunthorpe. The sun soon burnt off the mist to be a bright clear morning ideal for running rugby. 

The Scunthorpe starting line-up looked organised and had a physical presence about them that soon delivered plenty of possession for their backs to run at Derby. The first 10 minutes were played in the Derby 22 metres with some desperate defending keeping the Scunthorpe players from crossing the try line. The game looked at this point to be an uphill battle, not helped by the slight slope on the pitch which Scunthorpe had chosen to play with in the first half.  

It took nearly a quarter of an hour for Derby to get out of their own half, but the forwards were beginning to gel as a squad and began to win more possession. It was as a result of good forward play that the scoring was opened after 18 minutes when Nick Wesson picked up from the base of a ruck, which was about the fourth or fifth phase of play that Derby had driven forwards. The defence had eventually been sucked into the breakdown area and the Scunthorpe players failed to re-organise to stop a determined drive for the line. The conversion was missed but Derby visibly breathed a sigh of relief, 0-5. 

It only took a few more minutes for Derby to score again when scrum half Marcus Axelson crossed to double the lead. 

On the stroke of half time came an excellent try from Luke Bland. The Derby forwards set up secure ball near the half way line and the backs lined up left. The ball was moved right to where the big Derby number 8 had been calling for the pass. With the defence out of position he outpaced all would be tacklers to score under the posts. This time the extra points were added by Jack Waggatt to give Derby the half time lead 0 -17. 

The second half started in very much the same way as the first half had finished. The forwards were increasing their domination of the Scunthorpe pack and the backs getting more comfortable with their possession.  The next score came very soon after the break to give Derby a 0-22 lead. This time it was Kaan Dalkic who scored after peeling off the side of a maul and beating the defence for pace. 

This score signalled the time for change. Derby made all their substitutions with Reece Harrison, Kaan Dalkic and Alex Law making way for Rhys Falconbridge, Max Cook and Matt Drayton respectively. Credit goes to the team as making changes made no effect to the pattern of play. This was confirmed a few minutes later when Jamie Twigg added the fifth Derby try of the game. 

Shortly after, an indiscretion by one of the front row gave him the opportunity to spectate the game for 10 minutes. The next scrum saw Jack Waggatt being replaced by Reece Harrison to enable competitive scrumaging to continue and the Derby 7 man scrum continued to dominate the 8 man Scunthorpe pack. While being a man down Derby really dug in and scored 2 more tries through Declan McManus and Reece Harrison, one of which Harry Young converted.  

In the last few minutes Scunthorpe really came at Derby to get a score of their own, but the Derby defence once again held firm. With the final whistle the score stood at Scunthorpe 0 – Derby 39. WHAT A RESULT! The team played fantastically with several players out of their normal positions, a debutant for the team and playing 10 minutes a man down. 

Squad: Chris Burns, Alex Law, Alex Ham, Harry Young, Jacob Thomas, Joe Giles, Marcus Axelson, Luke Bland, Jack Waggatt, Jamie Twigg, Declan McManus, Kaan Dalkic, Nick Wesson, John Brunt, Reece Harrison, Max Cook, Rhys Falconbridge, Matt Drayton. 

Sandbach 24 - 12 Derby Tigers 

The U13`s Tigers made the foray into Cheshire for their first away game of the season, missing a couple of first choice regulars but determined to give a good account against what was expected to be stiff opposition. 

Sandbach has a justified reputation for developing strong junior sides intent on playing an expansive game and this year’s U13`s are from the same mould – big, strong, well-drilled and, as Northern Lexus winners, clearly successful. 

The games took place on an excellent new pitch, which demonstrates the club’s commitment to junior rugby.  Rumour has it the development included a new entrance to the Mersey tunnel - part of a recruitment campaign perhaps. 

As both teams had 20+ players it was agreed to play three 20 min. sessions. 

Session 1: Sandbach 12 - 00 Derby 

Derby’s current fault of being slow out of the blocks was evident once again and they weren’t helped when the back line had to be re-arranged following an injury to George Tresidder. Sandbach were soon exerting considerable pressure on the Derby line and took the lead when a clearing kick was closed down by the very fast backs, who made Brian Habana look like a slouch, too get up very quickly (too quickly according to some knowledgeable spectators).  The kick was run back and a try conceded between the posts. 

This stirred Derby into life and they started to dominate territory with Tom Kent making some good breaks and Jack Waggatt and Jamie Twigg working hard in the back row.  Unfortunately they could not break down a resolute defence and Sandback broke away to score a second try, this time unconverted. 

Session 2: Sandbach 07 - 07 Derby 

In the second game Derby started to exert some real pressure on their opponents and with Joe Dawes winning a shed-load of line out ball Derby were able to mount some sustained attacks with Luke McNeilly in rampant form.  However, Sandbach took the lead with a converted try following a passage play where the Derby defence stopped for a whistle which never came! 

Derby drew level when after being held up close to the Sandbach line the ball was turned over, but the clearing kick fell to David Eades who showed considerable strength and determination to force himself over between the sticks, making the conversion a formality for George Castledine. 

They nearly snatched the lead following a scything break by Tom Kent who was held up just short. 

Session 3: Sandbach 05 - 05 Derby 

In the last third, Derby again had the best of the territory and possession but failed to make inroads into the defence and ended up conceding a try.  However the forwards really took the game to their opponents before releasing the backs who started to get over the gain line with more purpose with George Tresidder often leading the way. 

The deserved try came when after a series of probing breaks the overlap was created on the blind side and when Joseph Booth was held up just short, Harvey Baines was on hand to thunder over. 

Overall, a good hard test, which on another day could have resulted in a Derby win.  The application and discipline was first rate and the foundations are set for the rest of the season.  The depth in the squad is increasing all the time and it will take opposition of the quality of Sandbach to test the resolve and ability in this team.  We look forward to the re-match at Haslams.

Squad: Will Skeates, James Brentnall, Nick Wesson, Tom Doyle, Harvey Baines, Alex Tomlinson, Jack Waggatt, Jamie Twigg, Myles Costello, Tom Kent, Nick Rigg, David Eades, George Castledine, Joseph Wright, George Tresidder, Tom Mellor, Luke McNeilly, Joe Dawes, Dominic Murray, Joseph Booth.

Match Report by Kofi Annan for Diplomacy Weekly

Coalville 27 - 00 Derby Stags

Derby`s Stags travelled across the Leicestershire border to play Coalville`s “A” team. Having put up a very encouraging performance against Nottingham recently, the Stags should have been quietly confident today. 

I think it would be pretty fair to put the levels of territory and possession at more or less 50/50 yet the half-time score told a completely different story. 

Derby`s forwards had been competitive at the scrums and line-outs, ensuring a fair amount of ball, but unfortunately this possession wasn`t always used to its best advantage. They were not quite as effective at the breakdown, often being pushed back at the rucks by their bigger opponents, but with better technique this shouldn`t have been such a problem. 

Occasional poor handling and holding onto the ball for too long resulted in a lot of turnover ball. On three such occasions the home team pounced and quickly turned defence into attack to score breakaway tries. Their other try of the half was a well-worked push-over effort in the corner. 

A 22 point deficit at half-time wasn`t really a true reflection of the game and there had been a number of ground making runs from Chris Burns and Harry Young up the right wing and Jacob Thomas down the left. 

A number of injuries resulted in a lot of reshuffling of the team during the half-time break but heads did not go down and the second-half saw a concerted effort to get back into the game from Derby. 

With Harry Young at fly-half, any half-decent ball was run back at Coalville with Marcus Axelson, now at centre, leading the charge. Derby were also solid in defence now with Axelson, Joe Giles, Alistair Woolf and Chris Burns putting in some excellent tackles. 

However, those slight errors were still being made and in trying to run out of their own 22 the ball was spilt and quickly kicked on by Coalville to score yet another breakaway try. 

Further injuries and reshuffling appeared to somehow galvanise the team and they now enjoyed their best period. Super, quick passing by Matt Drayton and Marcus Axelson put Jacob Thomas away on what looked like a try scoring run only for Derby`s winger to be felled by a high tackle. Axelson was also brought down by a high tackle from the same player which resulted in Coalville`s centre being sent off and Derby`s centre being helped off! 

In the final few minutes Derby threw everything at Coalville and twice a try was on the cards but an obvious overlap was ignored. A consolation try would have been just reward for a huge effort in very trying circumstances. 

The final score gives a rather distorted view. With a few less basic errors and some clearer thinking about options the result would have been much closer. With such good team spirit this team will surely bounce back and to do well in their next game against Ashby. 

Team: Reece Harrison, Matt Rowley, Rhys Falconbridge, Joe Donahue, Kaan Dalkic, John Brunt, Marcus Axelson, Declan McManus, Donald Inns, Alex Szrejder, Alistair Woolf, Archie Lynn, Joe Giles, Alex Ham, Chris Burns, Jacob Thomas, Harry Young, Myles Newham, Matt Drayton. 

Derby`s U13`s Tigers travelled west along the A50 for this fixture with Stoke. Having played their hosts in the group games of last years Derby Festival they knew exactly what to expect - a difficult challenge! 

Playing on Stoke`s huge 1^st. team pitch I really had it in mind that the open spaces would be right up our street but after the first 15 minutes was spent almost entirely in the Derby half I was beginning to question my judgement! 

Derby`s notoriously slow-starting forwards were being dominated by Stoke`s large pack. This was giving the home team plenty of possession and plenty of attacking opportunites. If Derby`s backline defence hadn`t been switched on then a big points difference could easily have been run up. 

Sensing that they perhaps had to provide some kind of spark Derby`s backs decided to attack from deep. From a line-out on their own 22 quick ball was given by the half-backs and across the centres to George Tresidder who took advantage of the space to run fully 60m. On being caught by Stoke`s full-back he offloaded to a supporting Nick Rigg who gratefully accepted the chance to open the scoring. With the wide conversion missed Derby found themselves 5 - 0 in front completely against the run of play! 

From the restart Stoke went straight at Derby with a series of phased rucks, eventually forcing themselves over under the posts to leave the half-time score at 7 - 5 to the home team but at least it seemed that the Derby forwards had decided to join the game! 

Having been left in no uncertain terms what was expected of them in the second-half, Derby`s forwards began to take the game to Stoke to great effect. A constant supply of good, quick ball was being supplied to the backs who just couldn`t wait to run at their opponents and utilise the space on offer. 

Some lovely passing movements and individual option taking saw plenty of ground gained by the backs with Nick Rigg, Archie Lynn and Tom Mellor going close to scoring that important second try that would perhaps open the floodgates. 

It was the forwards however who produced that second score. A Stoke kick was returned and chased up hard by Derby. Harvey Baines stole the ball in the maul and Will Skeates peeled off to crash over from 10m.  

From their own 22 George Tresidder and Tom Kent combined well in midfield to set Nick Rigg off on a lengthy run. Under pressure Stoke kicked the ball out on the full and from the ensuing line-out it was Kent and Tressider again who put George Castledine through for a 30m run to the line. 

At this point it was all Derby and they weren`t going to let up. More quick hands in the midfield saw their fly-half loop his centres to put Archie Lynn in for his first try for his new club. From the restart Derby set off with authority from their own 22. After Tom Mellor had been halted at the end of a 50m run, Tom Kent was on hand to take the inside pass and run in from 20m. What a try! 

To cap it all off, and not to be left out of the fun, Derby`s forwards got in on the act again by giving Will Skeates an opportunity to score. It was, however, from the half-way line and it is testament to his speed and fitness that he made it under the posts. With three conversions from Castledine and one from Kent, Derby were eventual winners by a clear 31 points. 

After the slow start my predictions had been correct. There had been some encouraging performances from new forwards Nick Wesson and Jamie Twigge amongst big efforts from Baines, Skeates, Jim Brentnall and Luke McNeilly. Joe Dawes again did well in the line-out and Tom Doyle, George Groom and Alex Tomlinson got better and better on the back-row as the game went on. Myles Costello`s passing game continues to improve which gives Derby`s backs the time to play some intelligent “heads-up” rugby and with finishers from 10 to 15 there will always be plenty of tries when given good ball.  

A superb performance - well done everyone!  

Team: Will Skeates, James Brentnall, Luke McNeilly, Harvey Baines, Tom Doyle, George Groom, Jamie Twigge, Alex Tomlinson, Joe Dawes, Nick Wesson, Myles Costello, Tom Kent, David Eades, George Castledine, Joseph Wright, Nick Rigg, George Tresidder, Archie Lynn, Tom Mellor.