Colts humbled in first outing

Millwall RFC's newest team, the 'Colts' (u19) suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Barking on Sunday, in a disappointing 43-0 away loss.

Despite an impressive defensive effort from the visiting team, the stronger Barking side ran in 7 unanswered tries as the Colts dusted off the cobwebs for the new season.

With an inexperienced side, the Colts were under pressure early as Barking looked to not only dominate possession, but also field position.

"It seemed like every time we got the ball, we had to kick it away because of where we were on the pitch" said Colts captain Jake Vinnicombe.

Without much of the ball, the talented Colts backline had little room to impress. Some ill disciple also cost the Colts when they had two players sent off on either side of the half time break, making their challenge even more daunting, down to just 13 men at one stage of the match.

There were, however a number of positive signs for coach Scott Vinnicombe to take from the match, such as the size and flexibility of his squad:

"we've got a number of guys who can play multiple positions and that showed through today when we had a fee injuries and players in the bin."

While many would be upset at the lop-sided scoreline, the Colts team management refused to be anything but positive:

"it's the first game of the season for us, with a new squad and limited preparation" said manager Kevin Doherty, "whereas it's probably their third or fourth match already plus that team has been together for a number of years. I didn't expect us to click straight away and for everything to go smoothly" he continued "we've got them again at our place on the very last weekend of the season, so it's a great measuring stick to see how much we can improve upon as we play more fixtures"

The Colts next match is at home to Southend on Millwall Park at the end of the month.

Anyone aged 16-19 wishing to play for Millwall Colts should contact Kev on 07896 745965 or email kev@millwallrugby.com training is on Wednesday evenings from 730pm at Mudchute Farm.