This Sunday, WatFuls (Watford RFC and Fullerians RFC) joined forces with Old Verulamians RFC to make sure we all had enough players and substitutes for a wonderfully wet day of rugby at Welwyn RFC.
With wet and muddy pitches, it could easily have felt like trying to play rugby with a bar of soap — but to be fair, dropped balls and knock-ons were few and far between.
Game 1 – vs Harpenden/Stockwood/OA’s Cluster (W: 3–2)
This was always going to be a tight game, but learning from our mistakes from the previous week, we had a solid warm-up and our heads were ready from kick-off.
It didn’t take long — with some great passing, offloading, and attacking play — before we took the lead with a fantastic run down the wing from Ondine (OV’s). Although the lead didn’t last long, and H/S/O retaliated quickly, the standard of rugby on the pitch was fantastic.
Ondine (OV’s) then doubled her tally with another stunning run, dodging defenders left and right. H/S/O came back again, and it looked like the game might end in a draw, but Tilly (WatFuls) had other ideas. She broke their line with a powerful, direct run to put us back in front with only minutes remaining.
In those final moments, we defended superbly, producing some great tackles to hold on for the win.
Game 2 – vs Welwyn (L: 1–5)
Unfortunately, our heads were down before we even kicked off, knowing that in previous weeks Welwyn had put big scores not only on WatFuls but also on OV’s.
We kicked off and, within minutes, forgot how to tackle and spread our lines — things didn’t look good and were heading one way. However, as we started to concede tries, we realised we could get through them, could break their line, and could tackle well. Unfortunately, the damage was already done, and there was no way back.
Arabella (WatFuls) made a great run down the far line and scored an excellent solo try, but the whistle went shortly after. Maybe with another 10 minutes, things could have been quite different.
Game 3 – vs Ampthill (W: 1–0)
Ampthill arrived with a couple of injuries, so to keep things fair we lent them a couple of players (Andrea and Ada) so we could play 12 v 12.
This was a great battle from the start, with nothing between the two sides. There was some fantastic defending — cover tackles from Caitlin (WatFuls) and Beau (WatFuls), and disciplined spacing across our line to prevent tries.
We came close when Arabella (WatFuls) made a strong break down the wing, only to be tackled and taken into touch near the 5m line. It looked like the game would end in a draw, but there was one last move left — Grace (WatFuls) finally found her running boots and powered through to score in the corner. With great support behind her, the game was sealed as the final whistle blew moments later.
Game 4 – vs Hitchin Cluster (W: 2–1)
With time running short, the final game was reduced to 10 minutes. Both sides were strong but clearly worn out. Mistakes crept in, and fatigue showed, but everyone battled on.
We fell behind quickly after some powerful running from Hitchin, which kicked us into life. Knowing there were only six minutes left, we had to respond. Great offloads, ball steals, and rucking helped turn things around.
Tilly (WatFuls), always looking to attack, powered through to level the score. Beau (WatFuls) continued her outstanding defensive work with several try-saving tackles that kept us in the game. Finally, in a brilliant team effort between WatFuls and OV’s, Tilly (WatFuls) scored the winning try.
All we had to do then was defend the last minute — and we did that superbly. Every single player contributed.
Summary
What a fantastic afternoon! You all put everything into the games, and overall, we’re incredibly proud of the results:
Won 3, Lost 1.

Player Awards:

WatFuls Player of the Day: Beau (WatFuls) – fantastic tackling, support play, and all-round performance. Recognised by Welwyn referees/coaches and awarded Referees’ Player of the Day.
OV’s Player of the Day: Izzy – very determined and consistent tackling.

Honourable Mentions:

Ondine (OV’s): Scored two fantastic tries in her first game.
Ada (OV’s) and Andrea (WatFuls): Stepped up to play for Ampthill.
Tilly (WatFuls): Scored three outstanding tries.
Alice (WatFuls): Excellent performance in her first game.

Next week: Mini-tournament at Hertford RFC as WatFuls and OV’s.
Written by Coach Steve.