BE A YATTON COLT - THRIVE, CREATE & MAKE MEMORIES

If you would like any information about the Colts, please contact the coaches: colts@yattonrugby.com

At Yatton we create a special environment for young players entering a memorable two  seasons as a Colt. We have a successful transition pathway. It's a place that will help you develop skills and provides opportunity to play exciting creative rugby, to excelling as a team and as a unique individual. 

Colts are valued highly at Yatton - coached positively and supported in all areas of the game on, both field and off field. They are the future legends of the Club and the foundation of the future.

The lads tour every year, most recently Anwerp and Amsterdam, making memories and friendships through rugby that last a lifetime. 

A warm welcome awaits. Be part of it!

Some match reports for the Colts:

North Petherton - 22nd September:

For their opening game of the season Yatton travelled to North Petherton for a highly entertaining and physical match against a strong and well organised team who just seemed to want it that little bit more especially in the first half.

In the opening minutes there were knock-ons a plenty in the torrential rain as the ball proved difficult to keep hold of. The majority of the scrums seemed to be awarded to Yatton but that was little comfort given the pressure they found themselves under as on more than one occasion they found the power of their hosts too much to hold. More often than not though Yatton still managed to get the ball away but opportunities to break the line were then few and far between due to the speed and aggression of the home defence. After nearly ten minutes and back under pressure in front of their own line, a Yatton pass went to the floor and was immediately scooped up by North Petherton to score and open their account. The next few minutes saw Yatton really take the game back at North Petherton and some strong running and work at the ruck drove them up the field culminating with a pick and drive by flanker Danny Fogg to go through the defenders for a try. Unfortunately try as they might, that was Yatton’s only score in the half. A wayward pass here, an unsupported ruck there and just seeming to be a fraction slower to the breakdown allowed North Petherton to keep Yatton under pressure and the half ended Yatton 5 North Petherton 35

Into the second half and Yatton immediately appeared to be more physical at the breakdown and more direct in their running. In fact, although the opening score went to the hosts it was against the run of play when, after a number of continuous phases what looked to be a superb off-load out of the contact was instead intercepted and run back at Yatton. A phenomenal cover tackle almost saved the day but the home-side back-up and there was little else that Yatton could do to stop the try. The next two scores were both by Yatton. The first was based on some strong running that took them back up the field coupled with a work rate at the ruck that had really picked up as they powered their way towards the line. When they were stopped just a couple of metres short a pick and go by second row Isaac Dahmani saw him power over the line to score. It was over fifteen minutes of hard, well contested rugby before Yatton then scored again. Both sides had opportunities but the defences held firm until having driven them deep into their own half once more scrum half Jack Carter spotted a gap and tore through it to score. With the clock ticking into the last couple of minutes it looked like Yatton would take then honours for the second half but a couple of quickly taken penalties allowed North Petherton to regain some momentum and when another one was awarded just five metres out Yatton were unable to react quick enough to keep them out. That was the final score of the match and so it ended Yatton 19 North Petherton 47

All in all, there was much to be proud of from the whole team and plenty on which to build for the coming season which promises to be very exciting indeed

Tries: Jack Carter 1; Isaac Dahmani 1; Danny Fogg 1

Conversions: Zeki Harston 1; Jimmy Jackson-Patel 1;

Nailsea and Backwell - 29th September:

For their first league game of the season Yatton hosted a resurgent Nailsea & Backwell (N&B) team and both teams put on a terrific display of entertaining rugby for the large number of supporters who cheered them on. 

During their opening game last week against North Petherton, Yatton struggled from the start with the physicality, strength and breakdown speed of the opposition. Today was a very different story as from the very start Yatton went hard and fast at the breakdown, significantly improved their scrummage technique and defended like trojans with some fantastic dominant tackling and counter-rucking. The other noticeable difference was the way in which the team supported each other so that there were often several options available when on the attack. All in all, it was a very different whole team performance that was a pleasure to watch. 

Yatton opened their account five minutes in when, having driven N&B deep into their own half a short pop pass to charging No. 8 Seb Tarrent saw him power over the line. The game then went in both directions as a number of breaks by both teams were stopped short before N&B then took the game back to their hosts with some slick handling that kept Yatton going backwards. The speed of the play meant that Yatton found themselves off-side on several occasions and after having conceded a number of penalties N&B were then able to slot a penalty to claw three points back. Yatton had the best of the play from the re-start and a number of powerful runs and drives from likes of prop Jack McClellan were eventually rewarded when a break down the blindside released second row Fraser Lewis to go over in the corner and score. The kick-off saw flyhalf Jimmy Jackson-Patel catch the ball and then tear through the N&B defence back to their twenty-two and a quick ruck released the ball to scrum-half Zeki Harston to finish it off and score under the posts. With the final play of the game Yatton were attacked again. A blindside break was stopped just short and when N&B infringed a quickly taken penalty by McClellan saw him barge through the defenders and at the break it was Yatton 26 N&B 3

Into the second half and both teams contested hard for the ball across all areas of the pitch. N&B had some lovely three-quarter handling that threatened Yatton on a number of occasions but every time the Yatton defence held firm and there was no way through. The first score came off of lovely break through a gap by Harston who nearly went the distance but when he was stopped short a super off-load to supporting centre Sam Tyas saw him finish the job. The next try came off a well worked wide pass to shift the point of attack that unleashed a powerful charge from prop Phil Clarke. When he was stopped just short another well timed off-load followed, this time to supporting scrum half Jack Carter who stepped through the remaining defenders to score. A few minutes later and some really positive attacking rugby with some great handling released Harston through a gap to score his second before the final play of the game and a loose ball ripped out of a maul saw Harston take a fantastic line straight through almost everyone to add a third for his hattrick. Final score Yatton 52 N&B 3

Tries: Zeki Harston 3; Jack Carter 1; Fraser Lewis 1; Jack McClellan 1; Seb Tarrent 1; Sam Tyas 1

Conversions: Jimmy Jackson-Patel 6

Taunton - 6th October:

Having secured a tremendous victory last week, Yatton travelled to Taunton in high hopes to face a team cut to a bare fifteen players due to college commitments. Unfortunately, those hopes were misplaced as Taunton put on a powerful and well-coordinated team performance that saw them leave their guests trailing in their wake.

From the opening exchanges Yatton found themselves on the back foot, run through in the tackle and driven backwards in the contact across all areas of the pitch. An early Taunton lineout deep in the Yatton half was successfully defended but quick hands and strong carrying saw the hosts successfully across the line, scoring their first try with little more than two minutes gone. The second try was a failure to react fast enough to a penalty allowing a quick tap and go that was crashed over the line and the third was off of some poor tackling as the Taunton scrum half ghosted through the defenders from around thirty metres out. A fourth came three minutes later as Yatton were turned over at the scrum and the Taunton scrum half sniped through a gap and so in less than a quarter of an hour Yatton found themselves four scores down. As the rain became torrential so the pressure increased with another three scores until finally Yatton took the ball back to their hosts. Quick ball, good hands and running at the defence to commit the tacklers unleashed winger Mo Sayce who had the speed and power to claw one back so at the break it was Taunton 43 Yatton 7

Into the second half and despite the near biblical conditions Yatton’s tempo increased significantly along with their speed and commitment at the breakdown. Suddenly they were challenging for the ball where they had been driven off and making a number of dominant tackles that allowed them to go forwards. Against the run of play Taunton scored early but after that it was a two-way battle as Yatton scrapped and fought much harder as they took the game back to Taunton. A couple of super breaks were unfortunate not to yield a score for example when hooker come centre Dan Goldberg released a fantastic pass as he was flattened in a tackle but unfortunately Yatton were stopped just short. Equally a tremendous piece of individual skill by scrum half John Hancock saw him regather his own chip before off-loading out of the tackle to supporting centre Sam Tyas but again the attack was cut short by some frantic Taunton defending. A try late on by Taunton was the final score of the game but the last few minutes saw Yatton’s defence holding firm against a number of attacks and when the final whistle blew it was Yatton who were on the attack taking the game back to Taunton. Final score Taunton 55 Yatton 7

Given the results of the first three weeks the over-riding lesson for Yatton has to be the importance of being switched on and up for it right from the very start. That was clearly the difference between the games to date and attitude will be a significant factor when they take on Gordano at home next weekend

Tries: Mo Sayce 1

Conversions: Jimmy Jackson-Patel 1

Gordano - 13th October:

Yatton were looking to make amends for last week’s performance as they hosted a strong, well organised and quick Gordano team and for large parts of the game they gave as good as they got as they displayed much greater intensity desire in all areas of their play. Where they fell short, especially in the first half was the passive nature of their defensive line as they let their guests run the full distance of any gap between them and the make a few more yards more in the contact. The other area of frustration was the loose passing out of the contact when, having made all the hard yards they gifted the ball to a very grateful opposition. That said there was a lot to celebrate in their performance with strong carries, a significantly improved scrum and a much-improved attitude and passion in their play.

Yatton dropped the opening kick-off and found themselves under significant pressure as Gordano looked to crash through with a number of hard, straight attacking phases but Yatton’s defence held firm and they recovered well to clear their lines and settle the nerves. A few minutes later though, with Yatton being driven back beyond the gain line in the contact, Gordano found a way through and opened their account. To be fair Yatton had some great play from the restart with forwards and backs working well together and when good ball from a quick ruck was moved wide Yatton looked to be really threatening. Unfortunately, a missed pass was really well read by the Gordano centre and with nobody home he sprinted through to score. Yatton went straight back at their guests and were well rewarded for their efforts two minutes later when, having been knocking on the line for several phases of play, prop Jack Maclellan finally bulldozed his way through for a try. The next two scores were both by Gordano which were often the result of a couple of frequent Yatton errors. These were firstly in defence where all too often Yatton allowed the ball carrier to make far too many yards even when initially held in the tackle and secondly around the decision making about when to pass. This led to players either trying to off-load a really difficult pass under a lot of pressure or not looking and passing into space and Gordano were really quick to react to both situations and make the most of it. At the break it was Yatton 5 Gordano 26

Into the second half and within two minutes Yatton put together their best try of the season to date. A quickly taken penalty deep in their own half saw them recycle, carry hard into contact and recycle again as they drove Gordano down the pitch. Then a lovely break down the blind, great support for a number of passes out of the contact and a fabulous line by centre Charlie Paul saw him finish the move and score near the posts. From here Yatton looked to have the bit firmly between their teeth and the next five minutes were really hard fought by both teams until a second interception gifted Gordano another score. Still Yatton battled on and for over a quarter of an hour attack and counter-attack by both teams made for a great spectacle of rugby. It was whilst Yatton were on the attack deep in the Gordano half that a lost ball enabled them to break out and when Yatton ran out of defenders Gordano were able to add one more try. The last few minutes were almost all Yatton though as they refused to lie down and a number of strong carries eventually saw second row Isaac Dahmani drive through the defenders and reach over the line to score one more for the home side. Yatton went again from the restart and had opportunity as their dominant scrum turned the ball over against the head and released the Yatton backs. Unfortunately, Gordano’s scramble defence was just about able to cover and when the final whistle blew it was Yatton 19 Gordano 38

There was some really tremendous play from the whole Yatton team throughout the match which bodes really well for the rest of the season. Greater protection of the ball in the contact, a bit more accuracy with some of the passing and a more aggressive defensive line will mean that on their day,this team will be a handful for any opposition The team’s joint players of the match were flanker Bob Bessant and flanker/winger Tyler King

Tries: Isaac Dahmani 1; Jack MacLellan 1; Charlie Paul 1

Conversions: Jimmy Jackson-Patel 2

Frome - 27th October:

On a gloriously sunny October afternoon, Yatton hosted a really well organised and effective from Colts team to a terrific game of rugby that entertained from start to finish. Yatton’s defensive work was so much better than during their last game with much more aggression and line speed particularly by the likes of centre Charlie Paul, fly-half Jimmy Jackson-Patel, fullback Billy Taylor and flankers Jamie Kinman and Ivor Malone. The scrum also continued to improve and when the throw hit its mark there was some great work off of the line-out. The ongoing frustration was the handling which once again led to some wild passes that all too often gifted the ball back to the opposition and undid all the great work to secure it and take it forward. That said, the grit and determination shown by the whole team did them all credit and it was terrific to watch them battle hard to the end.

Frome started with some strong, direct running from the kick-off but Yatton’s defence held firm and although under pressure there was no way through for their guests in the first few minutes. Such was their effectiveness that after a couple of penalties were held out Frome opted to kick at goal at their next one and open their account. Ten minutes of really good rugby followed with Yatton giving as good as they got in large measure but when a pass went loose back near their line Frome were able to secure it and score their opening try. Yatton took the play back to their guests and were awarded a number of penalties of their own but having opted to play they were then unable to secure the lineout possession and the opportunities were lost. A few minutes later and another penalty increased the visitor’s lead before another well contested ten minutes of play saw both teams attack and counter-attack. Unfortunately, all too often the Yatton attack just lacked the flow and consistency of Frome and so with just a couple of minutes left in the half they added one more try to make it Yatton 0 Frome 18

Into the second half, up the slope and into the sun it would have been easy for Yatton to have buckled. Instead, six minutes in, a kick chase by Frome rifled straight into the arms of Centre Kieran Thomas who had the turn of pace to go the distance from well inside his own half and score under the posts. The next quarter of an hour saw three tries by Frome, often as a result of Yatton errors as they did all the hard work only to mis-call, mis-time or mis-direct the pass but despite this Yatton kept at it and finally were rewarded once more for their efforts. It began as a Frome player was stripped of the ball releasing the Yatton tighthead prop on a surging run through the Frome defence. A lovely pop out of contact found supporting flanker Bob Bessant and when he was tackled, a quick ruck and quick hands to players running onto the ball eventually released winger Mo Sayce to score a really great team try. Yatton then dug in for the next ten minutes and looked to have kept Frome out despite their attacking endeavours but when the last two minutes of play resumed following a delay due to injury a lapse in concentration allowed Frome to finish with a score to make it Yatton 14 Frome 44

Yatton had their chances throughout the game to make it a much closer scoreline. There was a loads hard graft by forwards such as No. 8 Fraser Lewis and some powerful surging runs including those of 2 nd row Isaac Dahmani but unfortunately all too often all that effort came to nothing as the ball was lost and the opposition were let off the hook. That said, the hunger and desire to play right to the end was fantastic and there was a lot to be really proud of.

Tries: Mo Sayce 1; Kieran Thomas 1

Conversions: Jimmy Jackson-Patel 2

Taunton - 3rd November:

Yatton hosted another strong, well organised Taunton team and having conceded four tries in the opening quarter of an hour when they last met Yatton’s first priority was to start well. A couple of early tries by their guests showed just how tough that was going to be but to be fair the manner of Yatton’s play and their levels of determination were vastly improved and the final scoreline probably flattered Taunton.

The opening kick-off by Yatton was well contested and Yatton applied some good early pressure in the tackle and at the breakdown. Unfortunately, as was often the case when the ball moved away from the close contact Yatton allowed Taunton to run at them rather than closing the space down. Given the strength of the Taunton runners and the quality of their handling this proved to be costly throughout the afternoon. Having gone two scores down, Yatton had an attacking lineout near the Taunton twenty-two and some great handling moved the ball at pace out wide across the pitch to winger Mo Sayce. He had some work left to do but had both the strength and the speed to score in the corner and when Jimmy Jackson-Patel nailed the conversion from right out near the touchline it looked like Yatton were on a roll. Unfortunately, that was their only score of the half though it certainly wasn’t for any lack of effort. The Yatton scrum which had really struggled when they last played Taunton held up really well and a lot of the breakdown work was really effective. Where they struggled was repeating their defensive efforts over a number of phases which meant when Taunton recycled the ball, they were able to make ground and find the gaps. Three tries followe from Taunton and at the break it was Yatton 7 Taunton 31

Into the second half and now with an ever-growing number of players out of position due to injuries Yatton would have been forgiven for rolling over but that was never going to be the case. Time and again they took the game to their visitors and although they never quite got the final pass away there was some great rugby played and some sterling performances by a number of players. Flyhalf Jimmy Jackson-Patel, centres Sam Tyas and Charlie Paul and, until he came off, fullback Tyler King all made a huge number of great tackles. Hooker Dan Goldberg and No. 8 Fraser Lewis worked tirelessly throughout even when they both ended up as centres/wingers as did flankers Flynn Cootes, Ivor Malone and second row Calum Driver. Taunton notched up another three tries throughout the half but without the combined efforts of Yatton it would have been many more so there was a great deal to be proud of and the final score was Yatton 7 Taunton 52

Tries: Mo Sayce 1

Conversions: Jimmy Jackson-Patel 1

North Petherton - 10th November:

Having lost quite heavily away to North Petherton at the start of the season, Yatton were keen to show how far they had come since then as they hosted a strong North Petherton side and put on their best performance of the year to date.

The opening minutes of the half saw Yatton give away their now seemingly customary early score but to be fair they immediately put it behind them and went on the attack. There was some lose passes here and there but overall Yatton’s play was far more aggressive from that moment on and the momentum they generated as they took the play to their guests allowed them to show much more of what they were capable of. In fact, a number of the loose passes were because they were playing such an attacking game, it was great to watch and there didn’t seem to be any panic when they had to recover the ball. Their defence, especially of their own goal line was much more effective as well as time and again throughout the game they held the big North Petherton strike runners out. There was a lot of dominant tackling and there were a number of players such as second row Danny Fogg, flanker Flynn Cootes, fullback Charlie Vickery and winger Matt Lane who were having their best game of the season. Yatton’s first try was off the back of a good lineout that saw the ball moved wide quickly to where No. 8 Freddie Mundell was waiting. A strong run by him followed by a great inside pass released centre Sam Tyas who then stepped and weaved his way through the North Petherton defence before scoring near the posts. The next two tries were both from Mundell who was having his best day so far in a Yatton shirt as he powered through and round any number of defenders to score. The first was off an attacking Yatton line when he gathered a loose ball to turn and break through the defence and the second was a pickup from the base of the scrum just inside the Yatton half from where he had the speed and strength to go the distance. The final try of the period was by the visitors with literally the last play of the half with Yatton’s defence having dealt with wave after wave of North Petherton attack until they just finally found enough of a gap to get through. At the break it was Yatton 21 North Petherton 12

Into the second half and despite now playing up the slope Yatton seemed to get stronger and stronger. The opening few minutes took some vigorous defending from Yatton but when North Petherton kicked to chase from a defending lineout Vickery returned it with interest and some great handling led to a sublime show and go from centre Charlie Wyatt who then released Tyas up the wing to score his second. For the best part of twenty minutes both sides then went at each other with attack and counter-attack in equal measure. Yatton were really looking to move the ball and would often get it wide with a great display of running rugby that was highly entertaining. Often the final pass wasn’t quite on the money or they would pass it into a void and lose the momentum but on the whole, it was brilliant stuff made all the better by the fact that they moved straight past any errors and onto the next phase of the game. Their scrum had a great afternoon, especially in the second half and although a couple of rucks were turned over due to a lack of numbers Yatton really fronted up across the board to a powerful visiting team. Two more scores by Yatton in the last ten minutes sealed the victory. The first was off of another loose ball thrown back from the lineout that found Mundell in the centre again and he ran round the defence from about thirty metres out to score in the corner. The final score came from a North Petherton missed penalty kick to touch from deep in their own half. Yatton ran it straight back at them and a lovely off-load out of the tackle by prop Jack Maclellan found Mundell once more who wasn’t to be stopped as with the closing play of the game he beat the remaining defenders to score under the post to make the final score Yatton 38 North Petherton 12

A big thankyou goes out to Tom ‘Fellini’ Clarke who, on his season’s debut, also stepped up to play for North Petherton when they went down to fourteen men due to injury

Tries: Freddie Mundell 4; Sam Tyas 2

Conversions: Zeki Haston 3; Jimmy Jackson-Patel 1

Burnham - 17th November:

Yatton travelled to Burnham to face a depleted opposition but in the spirit of rugby leant them four players from the start, gave them their no. 8 Freddie Mundell when Burnham lost theirs to injury and then went down to fourteen players by giving them their scrum half Jack Carter for similar reasons in the last quarter. All of this allowed a highly entertaining game of rugby to take place with almost all of the players involved able to play a full game as well as play a match that was both tremendous in spirit and great fun to watch.

Yatton had their best start of the season when not only did they keep the opposition out in the first few minutes they scored a cracking try of their own. Quick recycled ball found it’s way to Mundell who set down a marker by crashing his way through the defenders and going three-quarters of the pitch to score. Five minutes later and it was Carter who scored next following some lovely movement of the ball that released him out wide before Mundell crashed through again and popped the ball to supporting flanker Bob Bessant for his first try of the season. Mundell then added two more, the first for Yatton before changing shirts and then scoring one for Burnham to get them on the board. A stolen line-out ball was driven forward by hooker Tom Clarke and then a quick ruck ball was popped up to Yatton prop Clarke Kent who was at full speed and thundered through the defence. At the break it was Burnham 5 Yatton 33

Into the second half and swapped the loan players around, Yatton were soon back on the attack. Second row Seb Tarrant powered his way over off the back of a dominant scrum before scoring a few minutes later. With Yatton attacking deep in the Burnham half, an attempted intercept by Burnham saw the ball go to ground and Tarrant was able to scoop it up and go over the line for his second. The next ten minutes of rugby were a great battle as both sides went back and forth. Yatton’s defensive work and shape was excellent as they kept the pressure up on their hosts and  generating a number of spilled balls and turnovers. Eventually this pressure yielded another score as great handling from the three-quarters saw the ball moved to centre Sam Tyas who carved through the defence to score. The final try of the game followed a few minutes later. A kick ahead out of their own half was collected by fly-half Jimmy Jackson-Patel who scorched round the outside and the round under the posts to score. At the final whistle it was Burnham 5 Yatton 57

Yatton’s work at the breakdown was significantly improved this week as time and again they were able to clear the rucks and provide good, clean ball. The scrum performed well against some big opposition forwards and the movement of the ball by the backs was excellent. All in all, it was a great team performance.

A huge thank you goes out to all the Yatton players who stepped up to play for the opposition including Seb Tarrant, Harry Fox-Britton, Flynn Cootes, Matt Hill, Ivor Malone, Isaac Dahmani, Fraser Lewis and Bob Bessant.

Tries: Freddie Mundell 2 (3); Seb Tarrant 2; Bob Bessant 1; Jack Carter 1; Clarke Kent 1; Jimmy

Jackson-Patel 1; Sam Tyas 1

Conversions: Zeki Haston 3; Jimmy Jackson-Patel 2; Clarke Kent 1