Jonathan was the fastest and most skilful player in his school’s tag rugby team, the Green Flyers. No matter who they played, they always won. His team had never lost a match—not once all season! They trained hard, played with great teamwork, and had fun, but Jonathan sometimes wondered: Was it just luck? Or was there something special about the Flyers?
One rainy afternoon after training, Coach Morgan called Jonathan over. He was an old player himself, with a booming voice and a twinkle in his eye.
“Jonathan,” he said, “you and the Flyers have a perfect record. But tell me—what would happen if you faced a team that had never lost either?”
Jonathan frowned. “Another team like us? But we’ve beaten everyone!”
Coach Morgan chuckled. “Not The Invincibles. No one has ever beaten them either.”
Jonathan had never heard of The Invincibles before. “Are they real?” he asked.
“Oh, they’re real,” said the coach. “And next Saturday, you’ll play them in a special match. It’ll be the game of the season—two teams, both unbeaten, but only one can stay that way.”
The Invincibles Arrive
When the big day came, Jonathan felt a little nervous for the first time. The Green Flyers ran onto the pitch, ready for anything. But when The Invincibles arrived, the Flyers all stopped and stared.
They weren’t a normal team. Their kits were dark blue, their socks pulled up high, and every single player had a calm, confident look. They didn’t chatter nervously or bounce around like other teams. They just stood there, watching.
As the referee blew the whistle, the game began, and Jonathan quickly realised something strange—The Invincibles always seemed to be one step ahead.
If Jonathan ran left, they were already there.
If he tried to pass, they had predicted it.
Every time the Flyers got close to scoring, The Invincibles knew what was coming.
By half-time, neither team had scored a try. It was the toughest match Jonathan had ever played.
Uncovering the Secret
At the break, Jonathan gulped some water and looked over at The Invincibles. They weren’t tired. They weren’t frustrated. They stood together, as if they already knew they would win.
That’s when Jonathan noticed something. Their captain, a tall girl called Lara, was whispering something to her team. And then he saw it—they were watching everything before it happened.
“They’re not faster,” he realised. “They’re not stronger. They just read the game better than us!”
Jonathan turned to his teammates. “Listen up! They’re not unbeatable. They’re just great at spotting what’s about to happen. So let’s change the way we play! No more predictable passes, no more obvious runs. Let’s trick them!”
The Flyers nodded. This was the challenge they had been waiting for.
The Greatest Match Ever Played
When the second half started, Jonathan didn’t sprint down the wing like usual. Instead, he jogged, making The Invincibles second-guess where he was going. He faked a pass, then spun in the opposite direction.
The Flyers changed their whole style. They zig-zagged, they stopped and started, they passed in unexpected directions.
For the first time ever, The Invincibles looked surprised.
Then, with just one minute left, Jonathan spotted a gap. He ran—not straight, not left, not right, but in a completely new way. He darted, dodged, and dived through, flying over the try line just as the final whistle blew!
The crowd erupted. The Flyers had done it!
Winning the Right Way
After the match, Lara from The Invincibles walked over and shook Jonathan’s hand. “That was the best game we’ve ever played,” she said. “You didn’t just win. You got better.”
Jonathan grinned. “So did we both win, in a way?”
Lara smiled. “Maybe.”
Coach Morgan put his hand on Jonathan’s shoulder. “Now that was real rugby,” he said. “Not luck. Not magic. Just skill, teamwork, and a bit of clever thinking.”
As Jonathan walked off the pitch with his team, he realised something important. Winning all the time wasn’t the best part. The best part was playing the game—and learning how to be even better next time.
Verbal Alchemy 