The Christmas break in fixtures gives Beverley RUFC the opportunity to reflect on the season so far.
After last seasons outstanding championship success in the North East division, most people realised that whilst celebrating a magnificent title winning achievement, it was always going to be quite a significant jump in standards required if Beverley RUFC were going to survive on their swift return to the National Leagues.
Added to this, the slightly premature retirement of three massive contributors to their forward pack, in Fran Pickering, Gavin Gibson and David Worrall, many would have forgiven Head Coach Anthony Posa for ringing the alarm bells in his pre season lead up.
Any club would always feel the loss of players of this quality, but all three as Posa describes, ‘Were key club men off the pitch as well.’
But Posa has never been one for excuses, and in his own words ‘Has just got on with things’ because ‘You always have to keep evolving and moving forward’.
He has astutely recruited new forwards in Alex Keeton, Paul Steadman, (who both were incredibly playing Yorkshire 5 last season), Kiwi Aaron Carroll, Croatian Tonci Buzov and Brandon Hannam. Carroll and Buzov in particular have improved with each game and both are now consistent performers of the highest level as they have become accustomed to Posa’s style of play.
Added to that is the development of Sam Kerry, Alex Ogilvie, Kris Renwick, Joe Pickets and James Holland who obviously are all continuing to grow from last season and now like their Beavers team mates are seen to be improving with each game. The outstanding Holland has belied his tender years to the point where he has shared the team captaincy with Junior Tupai, such is his growth as a team leader.
The future too seems to be bright as young Beverley forwards Stu Nel, Ben Watson and Bill Mcloughlin have all been given their chance to show their talents at first team level and none have let the club down. Nel being rewarded with a Yorkshire Under 20s training squad place.
The outstanding back line of last season has had its fair share of knocks as well. Injuries have stuttered the seasons of strike wingers Goran Jelencic and Lee Birch, though Birch is still scoring a try a game on his appearances and Jelencic scored a double on his return just last Saturday.
Last seasons’ scrum half Chris Infield has returned to his native New Zealand, Leki Atiola has left to pastures new, and brother Sam has struggled to be available due to his current career options. Posa has again reacted, bringing in talented youngsters in brothers Tom & Mark Steadman, Simon Honey, Tom Carr and more recently Robbie Davidson (who is on loan from National One side Wharfedale).
Mixing this youth and inexperience is never an easy task but in club captain Junior Tupai there is a guiding light for these talented kids and we are now seeing the fruits of Tupai and Posa’s work in the performances of Tom Steadman and Davidson in particular.
Phil Duboulay and Tomasi Tanumi have been the mainstays of the backline this season so far and have probably been the pick of the backs. Tanumi adds quality to almost any position in the back line that he plays and Duboulay is becoming in Posa’s eyes’ ‘a real game manager’.
In summary if you had offered sixth place in the league at just over the halfway point at the start of the season, most Beavers supporters would have probably snapped your hands off. Yet frustratingly, there have been some agonising losses that would of seen an even higher position; notably last minute losses to the top two sides, Rossendale and Huddersfield come to mind.
Taking into account the rise in standards of this league, most don’t realise the rebuilding and transformation that has taken place from last years squad, so seamless has the transition been. One indication to the consistent improvement to all can be seen in the Beavers latest result on Saturday, where they accounted for the Dave Walder coached Percy Park side 33-7, a side that they lost to in the third round 17-20.
Moving forward the Beavers face massive challenges in the New Year with games away to Rossendale and home to Sandal first up, both sides that harbour promotion aspirations. But there is a definite feeling that this young squad is growing and with a bit more luck in the injury department, are capable of pushing on even further given their recent performances.
In saying that, the three week Christmas lay off should see Birch, Nel and Richard Bussey all back for these initial games.
Exciting times, times in which you can do much worse than coming down to support the boys in their home games at Beaver Park, Norwood every second Saturday!
