Southwold succumbed to Ipswich's talented backs

It was always going to be a tall order but without Joe, Ben S and James and without our three speed-merchants, Billy, Stan and Luke the order was much taller! However, we still managed to field a team with two subs which is great news for the squad going forward.

It all started very well with a few breaks from the off and after less than 5 minutes we were a try up. Confidence was up. Unfortunately the wheels came off for the second and third quarters despite the best efforts from the players. We were a little too slow to the breakdowns and were being muscled off the ball far too often. Despite some enterprising passages of play where we drew the man (on his inside shoulder) and passed extremely well (just like in training!), we were unable to break their defence. The boys were also getting distracted by what some perceived to be unfair reffing which clearly effected team spirit and some performances. The boys must remember that once a decision has been made - rightly or wrongly - by a ref, we need to move on.

The team then showed great character to fight back and dominate the last quarter in terms of territory and possession - unfortunately not in terms of tries scored! On three occasions we were camped in the oppositions 22 and on three occasions we succumbed to break aways which allowed their speed-merchants to run virtually the length of the pitch. With four of their backs in the Saints this was always going to be on the cards.

We not only showed spirit in the last quarter but also considerable rucking and mauling ability as our forwards drove forward with some great buzz balls. But ultimately the Ipswich defence was too solid and eventually we spilled the ball or they turned it over in the loose.

We welcomed two new boys to the team on Sunday, Lenny and Andy, who both played a quarter each on the wing but saw little of the ball. Let's hope the experience didn't put them off. We also welcomed back Christian after a short break.

Notable performances came from Jack FS who's speed around the pitch and physicality was impressive, from Jack A who guts it out from start to finish and Jon who got a try and a few nasty knocks for his efforts. But our men of the match (who also won the boat race) were Jack C, who won a few scrums against the head and scavenged around the loose well, and Evan who made some great swerving runs to break the gain line on several occasions.

I remain convinced that with a full strength team and a performance like we displayed against Beccles recently, we can give Ipswich a good run for their money next time we meet. But in order for this to happen, we mustn't approach the game with the defeatist attitude that I believe was evident before Sundays fixture.