The 1st XV victory over Fullerians was a classic example of how an aggressive defensive strategy can win a game. It took less than a dozen phases from the kick off for Brett Cutbush to intercept a slightly wayward Fullerians pass and run in the first of eight Colchester tries. In truth, from the moment our boys stepped off the coach, you could sense a quiet determination in their approach The Fullerians backroom staff were engaged in interviews with the 'Rugby Nats' filmmakers who had spent the week filming behind the scenes and they clearly felt confident. Perhaps their away victory at Ruislip had led them to believe that overturning our boys would be easier than they might have initially thought? Within 20 minutes we had three tries on the board and Fullerians looked stunned. As a performance it was another step forward from the win over Letchworth, but there is more that can be improved and more to come from this team.

James Crozier turned in another stunning display, this time from full back. The Fullerians defence found it incredibly difficult to get to grips with Crozier and it was no coincidence that the yellow and red cards dished out to the two Fullerian loose forwards with both given for foul tackles on Crozier. He sliced through the Fullerians midfield on a number of occasions and always looked dangerous with the ball in hand. In terms of the bigger picture, every single player contributed to the victory; there were no passengers whatsoever. Although the ball rarely found it'a way to the wings, both Shelford Meads and David Brennan made the very best of their opportunities and were a constant threat with their pace and ability to step inside and drive forward - akin to inside centres. Our centre pairing of George Liversidge and Joe Flexman had their best game of the season so far. Their defence was solid, they carried well and consistently linked play and enabled our finishers to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The front row came under some pressure against a short, awkward opposition but took the upper hand in the second half. Eli Castle and Joe Colcomb were absolutely solid in their work around the pitch, both made timely interventions and Eli continued to clear rucks and worked tirelessly around the corner. The back row was absolutely dominant. Danny Whiteman shut down the Fullerians midfield from the first whistle then later on initiated and executed a moment of pure rugby magic - more about that later! Joe Beckett tackled everything that moved and breathed and Ollie Pickett was literally unstoppable with the ball in hand; he was literally tearing through the Fullerians defence and simply refused to be stopped. Ollie's performance would've, on any other day, earned him the man of the match award, but James Crozier's match-winning display edged it.

Our half back pair of Matt Wadling and Brett Cutbush were once again very consistent and showed that they are always capable of something unexpected. Wadling can tackle and snipe like an extra flanker and always has an eye for a try. Brett can pull off moments of magic and craft try scoring opportunities out of literally nothing. All three substitutes (Rob Pickard, Simon Gray and Jack White) were used and all three made solid contributions. Rob Pickard is one of the real unsung heroes of the squad. Rob is a true club man (he coached last years Under 16's to victory in the Suffolk Cup) and he is universally respected by his team mates; he brings commitment and energy to every training session and game. Jack White came off the bench to make his 1st XV debut at fly half. Jack came to Colchester RFC over the summer and has rapidly worked his way into the 1st XV squad; made a number of telling interventions and his emergence will certainly create competition for places.

My favourite moment of the match - Brett Cutbush released Danny Whiteman for the seventh try with a moment of rugby magic - reminiscent of the 1999 World Cup Final, when Australian scrum half George Gregan released flanker Owen Finnegan with a "behind the back" pass. You could see Whiteman communicating the 'Gregan' idea to Cutbush seconds before the moment of magic unfolded. Colchester rugby is firmly back on track and we need to keep it that way because simply put, complacency is the architecture of your downfall.

In contrast to other competitive sports, we have no desire to see our opposition receive excessive punishment for their infringements. Fullerians lost their No.8 for a dangerously high tackle on James Crozier and was rightly ordered from the pitch in line with the laws of the game. However, in keeping with the spirit of the game the player dismissed left the field without any show of dissent and walked immediately over to Crozier to apologise and shake his hand - James accepted his apology like the gentleman that he is - this is the spirit of rugby.

Ravens vs London Irish Wild Geese

Our Ravens made the trip to London Irish Amateurs to play their 2nd XV. The Ravens put in a strong display and before the game both clubs decided to play unopposed scrummages from the first whistle because both sides were short of experienced prop forwards; this enabled to game to go ahead and remain safe for all those involved. The Irish Amateurs recorded a 27-10 win but the Ravens fought to the very end and showed great team spirit against a semi-pro outfit.

Roundheads vs Mistley, A XV vs Brightlingsea and Cavaliers vs Bury St Edmunds

Our Roundheads made the short trip to the Furze Hill Fields to play Mistley's 2nd XV. In a competitive game our boys came out on top 21-31. The A XV and Cavaliers both recorded convincing victories. The A XV took on Brightlingsea RFC at Mill Road and recorded a resounding 74-12 win. The A XV ran in a total of twelve tries and restricted the opposition to just two. Sam Slaven was man of the match - having recently returned to action after a long term leg injury Sam was excellent in both attack and defence. Winger Fraser Wilkie also put in another great performance. The Cavaliers recorded a resounding 77-19 win over National League Two Bury St Edmunds 5th XV. By all accounts, this was an extremely interesting encounter, dominated by Colchester and the manner in which it was officiated. At one point, the Cavaliers were competing with just 11 players on the pitch for nearly 10 minutes. Despite being numerically disadvantaged the Cavaliers rose to the challenge and added a further two tries to their ever-increasing scoreline! This was a very one sided game, but the teams we selected are genuinely reflective of our playing membership and illustrate the strength in depth at Colchester - five senior teams on show and we are able to field highly competitive sides in every game. Captain Rich Holland paid special tribute to Josh Norkett - Josh is new to rugby and has improved every single week since starting training in September.

Colts Academy vs Bury St Edmunds

Finally this weekend, just before the fireworks were set off, our Colts took on local rivals Bury St Edmunds at Mill Road. Our Colts put in a good performance and recorded the win, but there is still plenty of room for progress. In any game a team will be put under pressure and I was particularly impressed with the dogged defence shown by the Colchester boys. Towards the end of the first half the Bury Colts laid siege to Colchester 22 and our boys did extraordinarily well to keep out their local rivals. They will need to keep working on some of their defensive 'exit strategies' but the commitment and teamwork was clear to see. Captain Sam Lines again led from the front, and particularly in the opening exchanges, he drove the pack into Bury's 22 with several surging runs, enabling Jonah Varela to register the opening try of the game. There are clearly a number of our Colts who will soon join the likes of Jack O'Sullivan, Nic Woodhead and Mikey Johnston in making their senior debuts this season.

In conclusion, another good week for senior rugby. We fielded six senior sides (including our Colts) and recorded five wins. As we move towards Christmas the 2nd XV have a free week next Saturday and the 1st XV will welcome Old Priorians to Mill Road.