After a strong opening weekend of the season against local rivals Woodbridge, Ipswich went into their first home game of the season, against Framlingham, full of confidence.

However despite the strong win, the young side knew there was work to be done after a slow start against Woodbridge, and knew that this much stronger Framlingham side would not allow Ipswich back into the game in that manner.

Ipswich captain Simon Uzokwe reports:

On the back of a good win against Woodbridge, Ipswich took on a well drilled Framlingham side in the first home game of the season. Framlingham piled on the pressure early doors, however Ipswich defended well and Uzokwe, Walters and Talkington established clear dominance in the scrum.

 

Framlingham enjoyed possession and territory, but only had 3 points to show for it. Despite the pressure, Ipswich turned over on their own 22 and Uzokwe managed to find a gap in the Framlingham defence and take the ball into the Framlingham half. Good ball retention enabled the ball to be recycled out to the backs and some nimble footwork from Davis resulted in a try in the corner.

 

Framlingham came bouncing back from this and a combination of penalties and tries took the score to 7-18 at half time. Changes saw Banatvala into the front row, Uzokwe out to 13 and Fiddes to wing. Similarly to the previous game against Woodbridge, the game was turned on its head.

 

Davis and Uzokwe worked well together and skilful offloading combined from Davis complimented by strong running from Uzokwe resulted in two tries.

 

Framlingham made use of their strong runners and after a freak try from a 22 drop out charge down, the score was perfectly poised at 21-28 with five minutes to spare. Ipswich fought hard and desperately tried to find a score.

 

Ward and Turner were dangerous but unfortunately weren’t able to cross the line. In what was an exciting last few minutes, Framlingham defended well and held on to their lead.

 

Again, this young Ipswich side were faced with an uphill task at half time but unfortunately left themselves too much to do. Despite the scoreline, this performance was much better than the previous game against Woodbridge and hopefully Ipswich will be able to continue to build on this and take it into their Daily Mail match against rivals Colchester Royal Grammar School.

 

Final Score – 21-28

It is a tough loss for this young Ipswich side, but they must take heart from their improved performance. They must focus on beginning games in the same manner that they finish them though. They cannot continue to give sides a head start and then fight back towards the end.

However, it is a testament to the fitness, belief and spirit of this Ipswich side that they can keep coming back so strongly. Where many other sides across the country would wilt, Ipswich step their game up and this will be a valuable asset as the season goes on.

The influence of Uzokwe on the side was once again clear, and there is a collective onus on the rest of the side to follow his example. With so many youngsters in the side it is important for them to have a player to lead them, but also for the other older players in the side to follow his example and set the standard for the rest of the team.

They take on RGS Colchester today in the Daily Mail Cup in what looks likely to be a tough test for both sides. Ipswich though should be confident that if they can ride the early storm and keep things even up until the break, their superior fitness and desire will see them through.

It promises to be an exciting game between two of the strongest sides in the region.