There was a fabulous crowd at Mill Road to see the 1st XV return a convincing 55 - 5 bonus point win. Our boys ran in a total of nine tries, five of them were converted by James Crozier who finished the game with a haul of 20 points. The foundation for the win was the Colchester pack. The front row combinations of James Mitchell, Jerone Awesu, Alex Mitchell, Rhys Hartley, and Dan Brennan were utterly dominant. I was extremely pleased to see Alex 'Salad' Mitchell make a positive return to the 1st XV. Alex has worked hard on all aspects of the game - he absolutely loves scrummaging and makes it his absolute mission to dominate his opposition in every engagement.

We saw 1st XV competitive debuts for Francois Rossou and Alex Burman. Francois came into the side and did everything he was asked to do; fit into the defensive system, tackle, distribute, and carry when he had the opportunity - we are delighted with him and his performance. Alex Burman made a massive contribution to the forward dominance. In 60 minutes of rugby, he tackled robustly and stole several throws off the Diss lineout with precise timing and strength. Diss were starved of possession and several times their penalty kicks to touch resulted in turnovers - they simply couldn't take a foothold in the game. Man of the Match Oliver Pickett tore the Diss defence apart time after time in the first half; they simply couldn't cope with his strength and aggression. Collectively, I do not think there has ever been a better group of forwards at this club.

The atmosphere amongst the side is fabulous. The only thing that disappointed the boys on Saturday was the fact that they allowed Diss to grab a consolation try in the dying minutes when we had two players in the 'sin bin' for infringements. You can read the match report and see all the photos from the game here.

The first weekend of the season is crucial. It provides sides with the first real insight to the initial strengths and weaknesses of their squad in a game situation. Preseason games are very valuable, but there's no substitute for a hotly contested competitive game.

Southend, who were relegated from South East Premier in 2018, had, on paper, a really challenging opening game at Eton Manor. It was challenging on two levels. Firstly, it was the very first outing for Eton Manor's newly installed artificial grass pitch. These pitches are interesting because they encourage fast, dynamic, 15-man rugby. Secondly, a trip to 'Manor' is never an easy proposition as the 'pro-am' outfit soon discovered, losing 29-12. This will be a bitter blow for a side who, according to many observers, are considered to be one of the strongest squads in Level 6. Although it is, of course, early days, this is a result that shows you that you can't always buy a win.

Ravens vs Braintree

The Ravens made the short trip to Braintree RFC to face off against their 1st XV in a preseason friendly. Braintree is never an easy place to go. They have a group of aggressive and experienced forwards who will always try to turn a rugby match into a physical confrontation, but the Ravens came out 35-12 winners. The Ravens put out an experienced backline, including familiar faces such as Will Tillett, Damien Brambley and Adam Cook. Debuting for the Ravens was Hugo Kellaway. Hugo, a former Woodbridge School student will be going to University later this month, but before he goes away he has been keeping himself fit and conditioned by training with Colchester. Hugo is a high-quality player and from talking to the Ravens after the game he had a massive influence on the scoreline. Another player who was a constant threat was Damien Brambley. Damien is always dangerous with the ball in hand and the Braintree defence found it almost impossible to contain him. The Ravens start their first season in the Essex Merit Table with an home tie against East London RFC.

A XV vs Clacton

The A XV made the short trip to the coast to take on Clacton RFC in a preseason friendly. Clacton's 1st XV was composed of a big, strong set of forwards. The early exchanges were even with neither side able to gain the upper hand. In classic preseason form, handling errors hampered any phase play and the first 20 minutes were dominated by scrums, with Clacton having the slight advantage.

Attacking downhill in the second half, Colchester had the majority of the ball, and following a few changes in the pack, were beginning to exert more and more pressure in the scrum. This gave Colchester the front foot ball they desired, and after Pat Gardiner had fed Ben Conner, he was able to break through a number of tackles to score under the post, converting his score.

Colchester were straight back into the attack and a clearance kick from Clacton was charged down by Nic Woodhead who in turn was able to scoop up the loose ball before diving over in the corner, conversion unsuccessful. As the second half drew to a close, gaps began to appear in both defences and Clacton were able to capitalise, following a string of passes out wide they were able to score in the corner, conversion missed.

Special mention must go to man of the match Nic Woodhead, who was influential all game, regularly breaking the gain line and resolute in defence. Most of the forward pack played the full 80 and all should be proud of the shift they put in. In the back division, Ben Conner at 10, and Donald Crawford at 12 kept the Clacton defence busy throughout the game with strong carries.

This week's rugby
On Saturday the A XV will be at home taking on local rivals Sudbury Talbots in their first league game of the season. Kick off at Mill Road is scheduled for 3.00pm.

The Cavaliers and Roundheads haven't taken to the field yet this season, but if you are around on Friday evening there's a preseason warm-up game under lights for a combined 4's and 5's side against near neighbours Mistley RFC. The Crow bar will be open and the boys would love to see a crowd at Mill Road to cheer them on.

Next week in London North 1 there are a number of interesting clashes that will tell us even more about the sides our 1st XV will be encountering. Southend will face off against their very local rivals and newly promoted, Rochford Hundred. Again, this will be a fascinating clash for all sorts of reasons! When you read through the Rochford 'pro-am' roster you could be forgiven for thinking it was actually the 'who's who' of Southend Rugby! The Rochford side is dominated by former Southend players Sam Fombo, Ricki Gould, Craig Strachan and Danny Cleare, all of whom made the short trip from Warner's Bridge to Magnolia Road. Rochford opened their season with an emphatic win against Amersham & Chiltern - the side that finished fourth in London North 1 last season. There will be no love lost in this confrontation and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. My money is definitely on Rochford Hundred. They have the momentum and although Southend will be bristling from their defeat at Eton Manor and determined to atone, I simply think that Rochford will have too much for them in every department and fully expect them to secure a bonus point win.

On Saturday the 1st XV are on the road, taking on Sudbury in Round 2 of the London North 1 competition. Although Sudbury are newly promoted it's a game that no one at Colchester will be taking lightly. Every game is crucial and our boys will be training hard this week to ensure that we remain on track.