Wrexham U8s trip to Whitchurch Festival

A cold morning in Whitchurch brightened up to be the best weather of the rugby season so far.

Wrexham were able to take 18 players down to the Whitchurch mini tournament and seperated into two teams.

The Lions - Josh, Iwan, Gabrielle, Max, George, Oliver, Diego, Dan and Will.

The Dragons - Daryn, Matty, Joseph, Ben, Charlie, Rhys, Lewis, Sam and Iwan.

We were placed in some fairly difficult groups, coming up against familar teams like Whitchurch and local rivals Ruthin, but meeting new teams and squads such as Newport, Burton, Crewe/Nantwich and Newcastle.

Some great support from a number of players, great tagging and some good running as well. One thing that has noted was the fact that as a team they were passing tremendously well and creating a very flowing game. This is a theme that existed throughout. Wrexham were unlucky to come out with this score at the final whistle.

Again this was a strong match and performance from the Lions. There was great support and power from Josh, great running from Iwan and Dan, good support from Diego and Max, good running from Gabrielle, George and Will. Wrexham were behind but refused to lion down and give in (see what i did there), a strong team effort drove them to victory over a tough opponent.

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The Lions lived upto their name by again putting in a strong performance. There was excellent running, passing and support throughout. However on the day Whitchurch were able to make the most of their chances and the result went against Wrexham

The final game was against old Rivals Ruthin who as always were a well prepared squad. The Lions at this point were tired and were unable to deal with such a strong opponent. A few decisions went against the Lions but their heads did not drop and their resolve and passion made every supporter proud of them. Well done Lions

A great performance by a group of lads that all parents were proud of! They were described by their coaches as the Harlem Globetrotters of Rugby. Da Iawn Lions

A strong game from the off, fast flowing rugby throughout with some great support, passing and defensive work. Whitchurch were unlucky in that they made some mistakes that Wrexhams desire and determination were able to use and turn into points. Great tries came from great support and great runs. Great team work

A tougher game as mistakes started to creep in. A couple of dropped balls over the try line kept the scores close when in reality the score for Wrexham should have been higher. However great defending from all the squad kept the score to a win. Again another strong game with some excellent support play throughout.

A strange game because Wrexham made some fairly terrible mistakes, fighting over balls, knocking on and not getting tags. They came back into the match but again dropped balls stopped the result from being more positive. Chalked down to experience and hoped that the result would be better next time.

A strong game and a return to form as the team worked as a team and removed the mistakes from previous matches. The team worked hard and got the result. However upon the final whistle the referee claimed it was 3-3 when in reality 4 of our players had scored. The referees decision is final and it was classed as a draw. In fairness to Crewe and Nantwich we couldnt complain as they had really stepped up their efforts and deserved the draw.

Wrexham finished second in their group by a point and therefore went into the third place match.

If you were after a game of the season then I would suggest that this was it. It had it all from both teams, fast flowing rugby with some incredible passing, defending and running. The fact it ended up as a draw was a minor issue. Both teams deserved the success the draw brought. All players left the pitch tired but proud of their efforts.

Can we please thank everyone that came and made the day so good. Thank you to Whitchurch for hosting and thank you to the parents, coachs and players of the teams we played. Look forward to meeting you in the future.