Cairns Storm

Yesterday's match against Cairns Storm was billed as the first proper 1st XV game of the tour and as such there was a lot of competition for places in both the starting XV and the bench.  The Cairns Storm is a representative team containing the best school and club players from Cairns and as such would offer a real test for the Felsted boys.

With our trusty travelling band of supporters giving very vocal support, we began the game well, scoring within the first five minutes.  The initial stages of the game suggested that this could be a good win and give the team a chance to hone the game plan put in place by Chevs.  However a combination of poor decision making, slack handling and some poor tackling meant that Cairns Storm were able to come back into the game quickly.  We had been warned that they would play a very free, unstructured game which could very quickly rack up points; some crucial missed tackles gave them two scores before half time and another straight after.  There was a brief hint at a comeback when Will Malins latched onto a loose ball and scored under the posts, but Cairns Storm had the last word with a fourth try, making the final score 12-28.  These are a few clips from the game

Taylor Sexton's break
Charlie Kingham
Rhys Hartley

Understandably the squad reaction was one of disappointment, particularly as this game was one that should have been won easily.  However there were some good points, not least was the opportunity for some players to make ther 1st XV debut - Hugo Chaplin, Will Edwards, Matt Salter, Taylor Sexton, Jack Stevens.  Hugo Chaplin in particular stood out for his 100% commitment from the first whistle to the last and he deservedly took the 'Man of the Match' award after a fine all round performance.