IPSWICH Rugby Club’s Under-13s have ended a fantastic season in perfect fashion – by winning the prestigious South Coast Festival of Rugby held in Torquay.

The victorious squad overcame a difficult first day to transform themselves into a cohesive and focused unit seeing off the challenge of 16 other teams from all four corners of the country.

Already Suffolk Cup and Suffolk 7s champions, Ipswich started slowly in the group stages, losing to Kent-based Old Colfeians, beating Marlborough but only scraping through to the quarter-finals courtesy of try-difference – thanks to two last-ditch tries in their final game against Leighton Buzzard.

But they came back for the knockout stages revitalised. In arguably the game of the tournament against a strong and fast Hereford side in the last eight, the youngsters heroically fought back to win 10-5.

With their confidence rising, Ipswich then went on to beat Taunton 10–0 in the semi final to set up a final against an unbeaten Bromley side.

But like Hereford and Taunton before them, Bromley had no answer to the perfectly executed tactics of the Suffolk side.

With Bromley’s strong, fast backs, the last game Ipswich wanted to play was an open, expansive one. And it worked a treat with Ipswich roaring on to a 15-0 victory, vociferously supported from the stands by the Under-11s team and the travelling parents and friends.

Coach Dan Emery said: “Even more than winning, Ipswich can be proud of the sportsmanship they showed in victory and their disciplined, hard-working teamwork that more fancied teams could not counter.”