Whitchurch U14s welcomed Whiteheads to the Swamp — Hailey Park — in what was always going to be a wet and muddy encounter. The Warriors have yet to beat the Steelers, but with a good season behind them and a bit of time since they last met, there was plenty of confidence on the touchline that today could be different.

The game started really well and, as expected in the conditions, the forwards did most of the early work with great carrying and hard defence from both sides. Whitchurch opened the scoring with a fine try from Theo, and despite Whiteheads hitting back quickly with a converted try to lead 7–5, the Warriors didn't panic. Theo crossed again and Jay added the conversion to put Whitchurch back in front at 12–7.

The Warriors then had to dig deep, defending their own try line for a good few minutes before exiting well, and held on to head into the break 12–7 up — a lead that felt well earned.

Both teams came out strong in the second half but lineouts proved a problem — plenty of them went unstraight, though the ball wasn't in the best condition to be fair. Whitchurch also began to struggle at scrum time, with Whiteheads getting on top and starting to control the breakdown. Two excellent tries from their full back proved the difference — some missed tackles gifted him the space and he took full advantage, turning a tight game into a seven-point deficit.

Tolis pulled one back with a great try to make it 17–19 and set up a nervy finish, but Whiteheads had the last word with a converted try to seal the win. There were lots of tired bodies out there, but it was a cracking game of rugby played in proper rugby conditions with a great attitude from both sides.

Whiteheads take the win 26–17 — we look forward to the return fixture. 🖤🤍