Good showing from Novos against class opposition

Novos travelled to Waterloo with a strong squad of 20, and although some were a little jaded due to the previous day's wedding celebrations, they were determined not to have a repeat of last seasons horrendous score line.

Receiving the ball from kick off, Novos started strongly with some great carries by flankers Fee Shanks and Jess Griffiths. Aggressive defence forced the hosts into making handling errors, and meant the first 15mins were evenly contested. Waterloo then stepped up a gear, and some clinical finishing put them on the scoreboard, scoring 3 tries in quick succession.

Regrouping, Novos took play down to the other end, with a lovely run from debutant centre, Lucy Henson. The ball was recycled quickly for Ruth Scott to go over the try line for what seemed to be Novos first try. Unfortunately, the referee had other ideas and deemed it to be held up. Although Novos stayed camped in the Waterloo 22, excellent defence denied them any score, and the half time whistle blew with the score 19-0.

In the 2nd half, Novos continued to work hard in defence, with some notable try saving tackles from full back Olly Critchley, but Waterloo were able to use their pace and power to recycle quick ball, and Novos eventually ran out of defenders.

Waterloo had 3 more tries on the board before Novos managed to get a score of their own. A switch in midfield saw Emma Nichol run a great line, wrong footing the defence and outpacing the cover to the line. Waterloo scored once more before Novos were again able to have a period of sustained pressure. Again, a combination of excellent defence and white line fever allowed Waterloo to clear their lines and ended Novos hope of another score.

The final whistle saw Novos happy with their performance, if not the score line of 43-5, but if the aggression and effort can be reproduced over the next few weeks, then the results will start to go their way.

The team are progressing well and with new players coming on board all of the time and the squad beginning to gel, Waterloo have been the best side in this league for years and to but 2 ten minute periods in each half, Novos were more than a match and actually put a lot of pressure on Waterloo's line. Its important we carry this momentum forward into next week for the home game with Camp Hill, another of the divisions stronger sides.

A difficult decision for players of the match, but the coaches decided on:

Forward of the match: Jess Griffiths
Back of the match: Olly Critchley

Match Report courtesy of Ruth Scott