Every player rose to the challenge against a strong Derby team that excelled at keeping the play moving and at releasing their speedy players down either wing.

 Of the two games played, Melbourne won the first comfortably and then, having fallen behind in the second, fought back well, the whole team working hard to contain a Derby side growing in confidence. Jamie Rudd brought the scores level, touching down after some good team build-up play, before gathering a loose Derby pass, back in the Melbourne half, and tearing through of the opposition's defence to score a well-deserved winner.

 Difficult to pick out individuals from such a strong team display, but for Melbourne Matthew Bruce stood out, his defence work particularly visible, including one try-saving tag after a long run to pick out the Derby ball-carrier; Thomas Watson and Sam Willis also put in typically solid performances, covering the whole pitch and, without needing to be spectacular, each getting involved and making an impact when needed - a valuable instinct for any rugby player.

 Other try-scorers were Ethan Berlusconi, Olly Hilton, Thomas Lloyd-Jones and Rhys Evans, the latter notable for, having had two tries disallowed for carrying the ball in only one hand, correcting his mistake in order to score brilliantly.

 And one other incident worthy of note: Rebecca Beech, starting as captain, offered the kick off to Derby (before organising her defensive line for the first exchanges); sportsmanship is alive and well with the Under 7s!

 Back to training on Sunday, before a chance to continue putting all the new skills into action in two home games.