Norwich RFC 2 - 12 Diss RFC Team Gaze

After the success of the Diss U13 Team Wyatt last Sunday it was team Gaze who took to the field against Norwich on a cold but clear day. Diss welcomed back Matt Flatman at scrum half now recovered from a hand injury but Dylan Smith could only spectate having fallen victim to horseplay at school leaving him with a fractured leg. Norwich were missing a front row player and so Diss tighthead, Jamie Wilks stepped forward to play for the opposition and took every opportunity to test our defences.
The first five minutes of the game were reminiscent of the England start the day before with Diss looking nervous and their handling was poor. Then from a breakdown in our own half Fred Potter picked up the ball and ran the remainder of the pitch unchallenged to score. This action seemed to calm the Diss nerves and the second try followed shortly afterwards. Isaac Powell holding the ball at the front of the maul and being driven over the line by the rest of the pack for a well worked try.
The forwards were now dominating the play and winning a lot of ball. This combined with a back line prepared to move the ball quickly out wide allowed Bryce Cochrane to make a long run to score try three. Try four was an almost carbon copy with ball won by the forwards being moved fast through the backs to give Ben Waters the opportunity to score.
Norwich then scored from a five metre scrum where the Diss defence wasn’t alert to the threat from their centres in time. Shortly afterwards Diss scored from their own five metre scrum. The ball was fed back to Stan Spurdens to score in the corner.
Norwich then saw an excellent kick and chase over the Diss back line, the kicker catching his own ball and crashing down to score.
At half time the Diss coaches asked for more from an already impressive forwards display and as the second half started they won a scrum against the head. The ball went out to Elliot Fulcher who scored.
In the loose the Diss forwards were doing all that had been asked of them. Isaac Powell was putting on an impressive display of go forward rugby supported by the pack. Isaac broke forward and popped a close pass to Will Wilcox to score try seven.
Norwich backs were trying to spread the ball but the play was read by Joe Jermy who burst through for an interception try from around the half way line. Within two minutes Joe ran through the Norwich defence again for try number nine.
The Norwich scorer of their first try then saw an opportunity to score his second. The Diss defence had been beaten by an impressive solo effort from a very speedy runner.
The tenth Diss try resulted from a Ben Waters pick up at the back of a ruck and strong run to score.
Will Wright was having his best game of the season and fought to steal a ball that Norwich should have kept. Will slipped the ball to a rampaging Isaac Powell for a great forwards try.
As the game drew to a close the ball was again worked quickly to the backs and down the line, Ben Waters ran forward and timed his pass to Joe Jermy tying in the Norwich defence as he did so. Joe then scored his hat trick try and the twelfth for the Diss Gaze Team.
A great display by the whole team and clear evidence that the training sessions for the backs with James Hayhoe is paying dividends.