Here's a round-up of our friendly matches during the 2020/21 "season". After a year of rugby being essentially forbidden, it was fantastic to be able to get our boots back on. Three victories in a row was the icing on the cake - our first ever unbeaten season!
Old Sulians vs Warminster
8th May 2021
Result: WIN ✅
Finally! Proper rugby! After not playing a single minute for 14 months, we ran onto the pitch for our game against Warminster RFC like excited toddlers, which was apt, since we looked like children compared to some of the giants in yellow and blue standing opposite us. Luckily we had a secret plan: COVID 19!
The adapted laws meant that we played without scrums or mauls, taking away a significant advantage from the Wiltshire Hagrids and allowing us to do what we do best: run with the ball. We scored a lot of tries and enjoyed a big win, but particularly pleasing was keeping the opposition scoreless with some heroic last ditch defence.
Old Sulians vs Walcot II
22nd May 2021
Result: WIN ✅
Our second post-lockdown match was a resumption of one of the great rivalries in world sport: Sulians vs Walcot 2nds, the Lansdown derby. Unfortunately it had to played without the usual 70,000 passionate fans but at least we got to play without all the firecrackers and smoke bombs going off for once.
The game was played under the COVID 19 amended laws, with no scrums or mauls allowed, and it’s fair to say that both teams struggled to adapt. The referee seemed to be playing a whistle concerto as yet another tackle ended up as a maul.
Despite this, we managed to play some entertaining rugby, off loading our way to several tries, and the blue and red line remained stubbornly unbroken.
Old Sulians vs Ashley Down
5th June 2021
Result: WIN ✅
Our final match of the season was against the noble Bristol club Ashley Down RFC. It was a somewhat grubby game at points, though tempers simmered down once they had a Sulian to make up the numbers.
Once again the game was played under the adjusted rules, which having had a third go at it the Sulians seem to have got the hang of; Ashley Down stopped taking lineouts once it became clear they had no chance of holding on to the ball, whoever threw in.
As we have come to expect, the adjusted rules caused some stop/start play, but it’s clear that the judgment of the referee is a big factor in how much they influence the game, and this ref was more inclined to let certain things go.
After a couple of injuries, we ended up trading several tries in the second half; overall the Sulians came out with a pretty convincing win.