On Saturday 12th September, Bangor’s young U16 squad faced Civil Service in their final pre-season hit-out before the league campaign gets underway against Portadown/Lurgan next Saturday.

With a number of players unavailable, Bangor travelled with a squad of just 13 players, which was always going to make for a tough afternoon against a strong Civil Service side.

From the outset, Service showed that they had some powerful ball carriers in their back row, and they tested the Bangor defence from the opening exchanges. Their No. 8 in particular proved a handful, making good ground whenever he carried the ball.

Service scored two early converted tries to put Bangor 14–0 behind, but after some strong encouragement from the coaches and captain, Bangor began to put together some good attacking phases.

That pressure eventually resulted in an attacking 5m scrum, with Olly Rice taking his chance from the back of the scrum when he picked up and drove over the line to get Bangor on the scoreboard and bring the score to 14–5.

Unfortunately, Bangor struggled to maintain that momentum and Service were able to take advantage of some gaps in the defence, scoring two further tries before half-time, one of which was converted, which meant Bangor were 26-5 down at the break.

The second half continued to be difficult, with Service adding two converted tries to extend their lead to 40–5. However, Bangor continued to work and eventually put together some of their best attacking rugby of the afternoon.

That pressure was rewarded when scrum-half Thomas Gilmour finished off a good attacking move with a well-taken try, which Ethan Blayney converted to make it 40–12.

Service added two further tries before the final whistle, leaving the final score Civil Service 50 – Bangor 12.

There is no point dwelling on the scoreline. There’s one week before the league starts, and plenty of opportunity to put things right. However, there were also some positives to take from the afternoon. With only 13 players available, every player had to put in a full 60 minutes, and there was no opportunity to hide when things weren’t going our way. A worthy mention must go to the senior players within the team, who battled for the full 60 minutes and put their bodies on the line. That commitment needs to become something that is seen right across the squad, with everyone prepared to step up and do their bit for the team.

And finally, we’re always happy to welcome new players into the fold. If you know anyone who is interested in giving youth rugby a go, encourage them to come along to training.