Saturday, 16th November saw the U13s embark on a long bus ride to face the Carlingford Knights in the Leinster League. The journey was filled with fun and singing, but it seemed to leave the lads a bit slow to start the game. The most exciting moment in the first 10 minutes was a wonderful try-saving tackle by fullback Jack.  Gorey gradually found their rhythm, with big carries from Sam, Hugh, and Andrew putting them on the front foot. Noah scored a nice scrum-half's sniping try at the 15-minute mark, which Harry converted.

Back in the groove, a passage of lovely team play led to a nice pass from Adam to Harry, who scored after fixing his defender. The conversion was narrowly missed. More great pressure from Gorey followed, and moments later, Adam came close but lost the ball at the line. However, the pressure was too much for Carlingford, and Andrew's strong run and good pass to and from Zach resulted in a try in the corner, though it was too far for the conversion attempt. The halftime score was 17-0.

Early in the second half, Eoin Wafer was unlucky to have a try disallowed, but moments later, Gorey's pressure led to a quick tap, and Eoin made no mistake this time, scoring under the posts with Harry converting. More pressure and great teamwork saw Andrew cross the whitewash again, with Harry adding the conversion.

A number of changes and a few uncharacteristic handling errors gave Carlingford the chance to break and score a well-deserved try. A miscalculation by the referee saw the game end a few minutes early, so unfortunately, the boys didn't get the chance to get back to their best. The final score was 31-5.

Special mention goes to our two centers on the day, Zach and Finn, for a brilliant rucking display. Man of the match was Sam, who was a tackling and rucking menace. To those who were critical of their own performances, it's great to see your passion, and don't worry—everyone has those days. Well done, lads, and on to next week's challenge!