September 2022 - Page 2 of 2 - Canterbury Rugby Club

NATIONAL LEAGUE 2 EAST	View League Table
PRE-SEASON
Date	Opposition	Venue	Score
17-Aug-24	Esher	H	26 - 45
24-Aug-24	Harpenden	A	7 - 52
30-Aug-24	Blackheath	H	12 - 41
NATIONAL EAST LEAGUE 2
Date	Opposition	Venue	Score
07-Sep-24	Colchester	H	53 - 13
14-Sep-24	Sevenoaks	A
21-Sep-24	Worthing	H
28-Sep-24	Guernsey	A
05-Oct-24	Havant	H
12-Oct-24	Westcombe Park	H
19-Oct-24	Tonbridge Juddians	A
26-Oct-24	Barnes	H
09-Nov-24	Old Albanian	A
16-Nov-24	Bury St Edmunds	H
23-Nov-24	Henley	A
07-Dec-24	Oxford Harlequins	H
14-Dec-24	Dorking	A
21-Dec-24	Sevenoaks	H
11-Jan-25	Worthing	A
18-Jan-25	Guernsey	H
25-Jan-25	Havant	A
08-Feb-25	Westcombe Park	A
15-Feb-25	Tonbridge Juddians	H
01-Mar-25	Barnes	A
08-Mar-25	Old Albanian	H
15-Mar-25	Bury St Edmunds	A
22-Mar-15	Henley	H
05-Apr-25	Oxford Harlequins	A
12-Apr-25	Dorking	H
26-Apr-25	Colchester	A

WOMEN'S NC 1 SOUTH EAST (SOUTH)	View League Table
PRE-SEASON
Date	Opposition	Venue	Score
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP SOUTH EAST 2
Date	Opposition	Venue	Score
15-Sep-24	Horsham Women	A
22-Sep-24	Medway ladies	H
13-Oct-24	Dartford Valley Ladies	A
20-Oct-24	Heathfield & W Ladies	A
10-Nov-24	Jersey RFC Women	H
24-Nov-24	Pulborough Women	A
15-Dec-24	Tonbridge Juddian Ladies	H
05-Jan-24	Medway ladies	A
19-Jan-24	Dartford Valley Ladies	H
09-Feb-25	Heathfield & W Ladies	H
23-Feb-25	Jersey RFC Women	A
09-Mar-25	Pulborough Women	H
23-Mar-25	Tonbridge Juddian Ladies	A
06-Apr-24	Horsham Women	H

COUNTIES 1 KENT	View League Table
PRE-SEASON
Date	Opposition	Venue	Score
24-Aug-24	Deal and Betteshanger Lions	A	MATCH CANCELLED
31-Aug-24	Gravesend 1st	H	0 - 10
COUNTIES 1 KENT
Date	Opposition	Venue	Score
07-Sep-24	Crowborough	A	15 - 21
14-Sep-24	Sevenoaks II	H
20-Sep-24	Ashford	H
28-Sep-24	Charlton Park	H
12-Oct-24	Park House	A
19-Oct-24	Deal & Betteshanger	H
26-Oct-24	Bromley	A
09-Nov-24	Beccehamian	H
16-Nov-24	Dover	A
23-Nov-24	Cranbrook	A
07-Dec-24	Heathfield & Waldron	H
14-Dec-24	Sevenoaks II	A
21-Dec-24	Ashford	A
04-Jan-25	Charlton Park	A
11-Jan-25	Park House	H
18-Jan-25	Deal & Betteshanger	A
01-Feb-25	Bromley	H
15-Feb-25	Beccehamian	A
01-Mar-25	Dover	H
08-Mar-25	Cranbrook	H
22-Mar-25	Heathfield & Waldron	A
05-Apr-25	Crowborough	H

COUNTIES 4 KENT	View League Table
PRE-SEASON
Date	Opposition	Venue	Score
31-Aug-24	Gravesend 2	H	5 - 3
COUNTIES 4 KENT
Date	Opposition	Venue	Score
07-Sep-24	Medway III	H	60 - 12
14-Sep-24	Sheppey	A
21-Sep-24	Rye	H
28-Sep-24	Dartfordians II	A
12-Oct-24	Old Colfeians II	H
19-Oct-24	Foots Cray	A
26-Oct-24	Kings College Hospital	H
09-Nov-24	Bromley II	A
16-Nov-24	Cliffe Crusaders	H
23-Nov-24	Old Williamsonians	H
07-Dec-24	Faversham	A
14-Dec-24	Sheppey	H
21-Dec-24	Rye	A
04-Jan-25	Dartfordians II	H
11-Jan-25	Old Colfeians II	A
18-Jan-25	Foots Cray	H
01-Feb-25	Kings College Hospital	A
15-Feb-25	Bromley II	H
01-Mar-25	Cliffe Crusaders	A
08-Mar-25	Old Williamsonians	A
22-Mar-25	Faversham	H
5-AprIl-25	Medway III	A

KENT RURAL B
Date	Opposition	Venue	Score
14-Sep-24	SHEPPEY 2NDS	H
21-Sep-24	LEIGH 1ST	A
28-Sep-24	GRAVESEND 3RDS	H
05-Oct-24	DEAL 2NDS	A
12-Oct-24	VIGO 2	A
19-Oct-24	MAIDSTONE 2	H
26-Oct-24	THANET 3	A
09-Nov-24	SITTINGBOURNE 2	H
23-Nov-24	DOVER 3	H
30-Nov-24	LEIGH	H
14-Dec-24	SHEPPEY 2	A
04-Jan-25	GRAVESEND 3	A
11-Jan-25	VIGO 2	H
18-Jan-25	MAIDSTONE 2	A
25-Jan-25	ASHFORD BARBARIANS	H
01-Feb-25	THANET 3	H
15-Feb-25	SITTINGBOURNE 2	A
08-Mar-25	DOVER 3	A
22-Mar-25	ASHFORD BARBARIANS	A
05-Apr-25	DEAL 2	H

KENT RURAL C
Date	Opposition	Venue	Score
14-Sep-24	NEW ASH GREEN 2	H
21-Sep-24	DEAL 3	A
05-Oct-24	FAVERSHAM 2	A
12-Oct-24	FOLKESTONE 3	A
19-Oct-24	GRAVESEND 4	A
09-Nov-24	OLD GRAVESENDIANS 2	H
16-Nov-24	GILLINGHAM 2	A
23-Nov-24	LORDSWOOD 2	H
30-Nov-24	DEAL 3	H
07-Dec-24	WHITSTABLE 2	A
14-Dec-24	NEW ASH GREEN 2	A
11-Jan-25	FOLKESTONE 3	H
25-Jan-25	GRAVESEND 4	H
15-Feb-25	OLD GRAVESENDIANS 2	A
01-Mar-25	GILLINGHAM 2	H
08-Mar-25	LORDSWOOD 2	A
29-Mar-25	WHITSTABLE 2	H
05-Apr-25	FAVERSHAM 2	H

Canterbury Lose Physical Battle

Posted on 11th September 2022 | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY 35 TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS 44

by David Haigh

An epic derby battle ended in huge disappointment for Canterbury who saw a 23 point lead wrestled from their grasp as Juddians turned up the power in the second half. After seeing his battered troops just fail to hold the line Head Coach Matt Corker said: ” I could not fault the effort the boys put in but towards the end we were struggling physically and that was the difference.” An absorbing National 2 East game produced twelve tries and Canterbury, after conceding an early score to Josh Groocock, rattled in four in the first half hour. With fly half Charlie Kingsman converting the lot they seemed irresistible. Aiden Moss made all the running for Ben Cooper’s opener and when an under pressure Juddians lost Rob Louw to a yellow card they were punished with two scores in three minutes. Tom Best joined a driving maul to touch down and in the 25th minute his switch of play and good handling paved the way for Will Waddington. There was more come as the fragile visitors were carved open again and Guy Hilton had the simplest of run ins. As a platform for victory this was as good as it gets, but before half time the cracks appeared and the momentum swung, almost imperceptibly, to the visitors. With former Canterbury man Harvey Young always a danger they had passed up earlier chances but now hit back with tries from forwards Luke Boon and Charlie Munnelly. With a couple of conversions from Tom White Canterbury’s lead was down to eleven. A lucky break early in the second half, when KIngsman’s sliced drop goal attempt fell into the path of Moss, ended with Frank Morgan trotting under the posts but from then on Juddians were a controlling force. Now it was their turn to dominate possession, build the phases, win penalties and and suck the life out of Canterbury. Tries from Matteo Petrozzi, Duncan Tout and Young brought them within a point of a fading and injury prone team. The telling blow came four minutes from the end as wing Bryan Hotston was sent across the line and White converted. To add to Canterbury’s many frustrations, White’s late penalty goal denied them a second bonus point.

Canterbury: A.Moss, G.Hilton, W.Waddington, T.Best, F.Morgan, C.Kingsman, B.Cooper, B.Young, N.Morris, D.Herriott, D.Irvine, J.Stephens, H.Andrews, A.Evans, C.Murray.

Replacements: A.Cooper, E.Lusher, F.W Edwards, H.Sansbury, W.Calder

Match photos

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

Match Preview

Posted on 9th September 2022 | by Denys Andrianjafy

CANTERBURY V TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS

We go into the second round of National 2 East with a full blown Kent derby against a Tonbridge Juddians side smarting from a home defeat last week. We could not have wished for anything better than this fixture for the first home game of the new league season. The Canterbury side shows changes from the squad that made such a good start at North Waltham with injuries ruling out fly half Frank Reynolds (hamstring strain) and lock Jesse De Vries who took a knock to the head and stands down for a minimum two weeks under concussion protocols

Tyler Oliver and Tom Williams are still recovering from injuries sustained in pre-season games, In the starting line-up for the first time are back row players Cameron Murray and Harry Andrews while another newcomer, Harry Sansbury who has joined us from Westcombe Park, is in the squad together with Freddie Edwards.

Head Coach Matt Corker says:. “It feels great to be returning home after a long trip on the road last week at North Walsham. After a slow start, we came out after half time and showed how we want to play, and what we are capable of. In a 20-minute period we scored 26 points, and although we did concede a few tries late on, we were proud of the way we turned the game in our favour and earned 5 points in the process.

“I am looking forward to welcoming our rugby neighbours, Tonbridge Juddians to The Marine Travel Ground on Saturday. They return to our league after a season in National 1 and will be full of ambition to return at the soonest opportunity. They will have learnt a lot from their experiences in the league above and I am expecting the match to be a physical encounter, just like all the previous games between these two proud clubs.”

Canterbury; A.Moss, G.Hilton, W.Waddington, T.Best, F.Morgan, C. Kingsman, B.Cooper, B.Young, N.Morris, D.Herriott, D.Irvine, J.Stephens (captain), H.Andrews, A.Evans, C.Murray;

Replacements: A.Cooper ,E.Lusher, H.Sansbury, F.Edwards, W.Calder

CANTERBURY TALES

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

The National 2 East season got off to an intriguing start last week with defeats for Tonbridge Juddians and Worthing. With both clubs tipped to be strong title challengers those results, Judds losing at home to Rochford Hundred and Worthing away at Barnes, were a surprise. One game does, not, of course, define a whole season but it does suggest that this league is not going to be a walkover for any side. Worthing’s website put their defeat down to the absence of all their dual registered Harlequins players, none whom were available. Not a great advert for team building you might think Our own policy is now very much focused on producing young players through the club’s systems and surely that is the right way to go. One benefit of the revamped league set up was reduced travel. North Walsham away knocks that theory slightly on the head. The long trek to Norfolk last week was just like the bad old/good old days of National 2 South with the Summer festival of road works in full swing. Still, to play and win in front of a crowd of over 1000 made it worthwhile.

CHAMPION HILTONS

Last Saturday proved to be a good day for the Hilton brothers, Will and Guy. While Guy was strutting his stuff on the wing at North Walsham Will was playing a major role in St Lawrence and Highland Court cricket club’s successful title-winning promotion bid to reach the Kent League’s Premier division. Will, the team’s leading run scorer this season, added another half century to his total. For Guy, scoring our sixth try at North Walsham, it was a double celebration. As joint captain of St Lawrence & Highland Court second team he was able to dash back and join in the fun as his side also won promotion to the Second Team Premier division. For Will, it’s time now to ditch the whites and pull on the black and amber.

OFF TO A FLYER

Posted on 4th September 2022 | by David Haigh

NORTH WALSHAM 22 CANTERBURY 38

by David Haigh

A flying start to the new season for Canterbury with a six try performance that earned them a maximum five league points. A burst of 26 points in the first 20 minutes of the second half swung the game decisively their way and despite a late surge from newly promoted North Walsham they never looked in danger of being caught. It was an eye-catching transformation for a city side who were behind at the break and failed to shake the long journey to Norfolk out of leaden legs and minds. They were also faced with a home side keen to make an impression in front of a record crowd and who exploited weak tackling to take a seventh minute lead with a try for prop Frank Scott, converted by sharp fly half Matt Hodgson. Tom Best pulled one back after Canterbury forced a five metre scrum but they were dull and lacking any go forward. Hodgson’s penalty pushed Walsham into a deserved five point lead by half time. After forty minutes of flat and dispiriting rugby Canterbury’s change of mood caught everyone by surprise, not least the home side’s defence. It took only one minute of the second half for Aiden Moss to open a gap and Best to grab his second try. Frank Reynolds converted and Canterbury were on the march. The ball carriers were suddenly eating up vital yards, everyone was on the front foot and when a catch and drive opportunity came Nathan Morris finished off. The back division, now enjoying quicker service, joined in the rampage and came up with tries for Charlie Kingsman and Ben Cooper, and with conversions by Reynolds and Best Canterbury coasted into a 31-10 lead. For Walsham the last quarter was a catch-up situation as they searched for a losing bonus point. They fought hard but found it beyond them despite a touch down by Will Hodgson, converted by brother Matt, and a last gasp score from Ethan Sikorski. Those tries were sandwiched by Canterbury’s sixth when a fumbled kick set up the chance for Guy Hilton to stroll over and Best to put the seal on a day that, in the end, turned out very well.

Canterbury: C.Kingsman, G. Hilton, W.Waddington, T.Best, F.Morgan, F.Reynolds, B.Cooper, E.Lusher, N.Morris, D.Herriott, D.Irvine, J.De Vries, A.Evans, H.Furneaux, J.Stephens. Replacements: A.Cooper, B.Young, C.Murray, A.Moss, W.Calder

Training our rugby future

Posted on 2nd September 2022 | by Denys Andrianjafy

We had over 50 children join us at Merton Lane on Tuesday and Wednesday (30th – 31st August) on what was a brilliant camp for all. 1st XV players; Cam Murray, Jesse De Vries, Tommy Williams, Jamie Stephens, and Nathan Morris were joined by Canterbury Women’s 1st XV player Freddie who led 3 groups of enthusiastic young players. The players focused on the key principles of; attack, defence, and transition whilst creating a mnemonic to represent the values they feel underpin rugby union.

The winning mnemonic of Rugby was fostered as the camp’s mottos. Respect, Understanding, Guidance, Belief, and “Yellow and black” (to represent CRFC).

On the last day, we had a “World’s Strongest Group” challenge where each participant; ran a bronco, competed in body weight exercises, threw the rugby ball as far as they could, and took part in tyre flipping/carrying challenges. Wales came out victorious with Scotland close runners up.

The final event of the camp was the Rugby Festival where all players from Y6-Y10 were evenly split into groups and competed in a mini World Cup. Cam Murray kept up the Scottish tradition of coaching his country to the wooden spoon with 0 victories and 3 defeats. Wales came out with the Grand Slam completing a clean sweep and led valiantly by coach Freddie.

Our award ceremony saw 4 good eggs awarded.
Theo U8s
Lily U12s
Harry U12s
Henry U13s

Campers of the week were;
Dylan (Primary school age)
Luke (Secondary school age)

MATCH PREVIEW: NORTH WALSHAM

Posted on 2nd September 2022 | by David Haigh

It is sixteen years since Canterbury were last at North Walsham, Saturday’s opponents in the opening round of the National 2 East season. On that day, in 2006, it was our introduction to rugby at National level while Walsham were established members of the old National 3 structure. Now the situation is reversed with the Norfolk side being promoted last season after several years playing at lower levels. In that first match we lost by ten points and Head Coach Matt Corker is expecting another tough encounter with the home side keen to make an early impression after their successful promotion campaign. He says: “Ten weeks of preseason flies by and even though it has not all gone our way, we have had lots of opportunities to learn, and the group has grown so much over the summer. The players decided that the way that we “gel” is important to us, and they have backed this up by welcoming all our new players into the pack. This has been great to witness, and I love watching characters emerge especially last season’s graduating colts who are experiencing adult rugby for the first time.

“Injuries are unfortunately part of the game and there are a few faces missing for Saturday, but I am a strong believer that this offers an opportunity for someone else to show what they are capable of. We are traveling to North Walsham with a strong squad, and I fully expect them to come all guns blazing. We know from first-hand what it is like being promoted and they will be very keen to have a strong start and we are expecting a physical contest.”

Those injuries have given chances to scrum half Will Calder and flanker Harvey Furneaux, two young and home grown players who have bright futures. There are league debuts also for newcomers Nathan Morris and Cameron Murray. Kick-off is 3pm.

CANTERBURY TALES

Fresh Challenges

So, a new season gets under way and this time the threat of Covid does not hang over it so heavily. With the revamped National 2 league structure in place it feels like a fresh start for everyone. The benefits of splitting the league into three regional divisions could not have come at a better time with fuel and energy costs soaring. There will be less travel and, hopefully, fewer large bills to absorb. Healthy competition remains as,unlike the Premiership, promotion and relegation will keep all the clubs honest. The top club in the three divisions, West, North and East, will be promoted and at the other end of the tables, the bottom two will go down. Our own league looks strong with clubs like relegated Blackheath and Tonbridge Juddians looking for return to National One. All clubs will start with an advantage over Westcliff who have been deducted five points, the price of failure to play their fixture at Worthing last season. Newcomers Sevenoaks have also been under investigation, for different reasons, but there has as yet been no news of any decision by the rugby authorities

Friday Night Bonus

One of the many positives of a busy pre-season programme in August has been the popularity of Friday night rugby. The attendance for the Bishop’s Stortford game was good but was dwarfed by the turnout for the visit of Westcombe Park There were over 400 at The Marine Travel Ground and on the same evening another a healthy crowd at the Simon Langton where the Pilgrims met Thanet Wanderers. It was a real Canterbury ‘old boys’ night where there were familiar faces both on and off the pitch. ‘Combe had our former wing Kieran Thompson in their starting line up while Thanet featured front row men Jimmy Green and Neil Wakefield. Kieran’s time in the Canterbury shirt was blighted by a series of injuries so it was good to see hm fit and well. In the ‘Combe dugout were two former members of our coaching team, Darren Molloy and Dave Marshall, This will be a season where we renew acquaintance with several local clubs because of the new league structures and that, too, was reflected in the size of the crowds..