Month: December 2023

Giles Hilton

Christmas message from our Club Chair

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

The Club heads into a well deserved Christmas break with its head held high.

The first half of the season has been punishing. More matches than ever. More players across the whole club than ever. More volunteers than ever. And more rain than ever!

It is an absolute testament to all those involved that we are in this position….long may it continue The support the Club is shown on and off the field is frankly amazing and without our incredible community partners, led from the front by our Principal Partner Marine Travel none of this would be possible We’ve had some incredible moments in the first half of the season We have a full diary for the second half coming up so please get involved further For all opportunities please contact myself on chair@cantrugby.co.uk or via our Club and Events Manager Kirsty kirsty@cantrugby.co.uk

Remember you are all part of The Rugby Club of Year 2023….enjoy that knowledge!!!

A very Happy Christmas to you all and please let’s make sure we look after those less fortunate.

Here’s to 2024!

Very best
Giles

Match-report-pilgrims-v-Thanet-Wnaderers

Friday Night Feast

Posted on | by David Haigh

Canterbury Pilgrims 60 Thanet Wanderers 24

by John Mitchell

A large crowd at this Friday night game, played in excellent conditions, were treated to a fast, open contest which yielded fourteen tries. Ten of them were scored by the unbeaten Pilgrims as they extended their winning run in Counties 1 Kent to twelve games with wing Adrian Geddes claiming a hat trick. It all started when Sonny Trew-Neville went on a 60 yards run and some swift recycling saw Dan Huntley cross for his first try for his new club. Pilgrims were up, running and off loading to great effect and by the half hour mark were 22 points in front. There was a lovey solo try from scum half Presley Farrance and Geddes had been sent across the line twice. Bottom of the table Thanet, relying mostly on forward power, fought back with an unconverted try after Roland Odunwu was sin binned and although Sonny Trew-Neville split the visitors defence again to register a bonus point fourth touch down the visitors produced their own brilliant solo moment to reach the break only seventeen points in arrears. Pilgrims started the second half on the front foot and tries from Luke Webber and Max Halliday took the game away from Thanet. They did suggest a brief come back with a converted try but when a great combined move gave Geddes his hat trick it removed any lingering doubts. Canterbury’s biggest concern was a serious injury to fly half Tom McMann who slotted four conversions and set up skipper Alex Evans for the ninth try with a grubber kick and a kind bounce before he was forced off. A yellow card for Geddes and a penalty try gave Thanet a deserved bonus point before Halliday rounded off the evening with a try converted by Gus Lister. Pilgrims next game is a visit to Cranbrook on January 6th.

Pilgrims: G .Lister, H.Valldares, S.Trew-Neville, J.Richardson, A.Geddes, T.McMann, P.Farrance, A.Malik, B.Dunkerley, D.Huntley, W.Hunt, L.Webber, R.Odunwu, T.Mackenzie A.Evans. Replacements: J.Everatt, D.Gill, M.Halliday.

Jamie S V TJs

Make It A Double

Posted on | by David Haigh

TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS 24 CANTERBURY 28

by David Haigh

This game had all the terrific stuff you would expect of a local derby as Canterbury edged to a victory which brought them a double over their Kent rivals. Only a supreme defensive effort in the final minute denied Juddians a winning score and the city side were able to celebrate a move into the top six places in National 2 East. The gap between these teams was wafer thin but two tries and a Frank Reynolds penalty goal in the last quarter gave Canterbury a crucial eight point lead that proved just enough to see them home. They started the match on the front foot and were ten points to the good as continuous pressure and admirable patience brought a try for prop Will McColl, with Reynolds adding the conversion and then a penalty goal. By half time, however, they were two points behind as they fell into bad habits, leaked penalties and Juddians made the most of it. A collapsed maul earned them a penalty try and Sam Rogers’ yellow card left the city side short handed in defence when the TJ’s backs worked an overlap for wing Luke Beaumont’s unconverted touchdown. After the break Reynolds second penalty goal pushed Canterbury briefly back in front but it lasted only three minutes as the home side’s powerful catch and drive was completed by hooker Will Colling. It was in the final twenty minutes that Canterbury established that vital spell of control. When wing Brad Law went charging for the line he was tackled just short but Reynolds was on hand to pick up and score. The momentum was there and when a catch and drive opportunity came hooker Eoin O’Donoghue made the touchdown. Reynolds converted and with five minutes on the clock the fly half landed his third penalty goal and it might have seemed enough. But that sparked a huge response from Juddians and as Canterbury wobbled, Elliot Luke powered over, Sam Evans converted and replacement scrum half Alex Davies was yellow carded. The home side went for the kill and were five metres away from glory when O’Donoghue brilliantly turned over ball and the big travelling support stopped chewing its collective fingernails.

Canterbury: W.Waddington, B.Law, G.Jones, T.Best, A.Moss, F.Reynolds, T.Williams (rel A.Davies), C.Macmillan (repl E.Lusher), E.O’Donoghue, W.McColl (repl D.Herriott), S.Kerry, J.De Vries (rep D.Irvine) J.Stephenson, S.Rogers (repl J.Dengate) T. Oliver.

View match photos

v Tonbridge Judds - 16 Dec 2023

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton
Match Preview v TJs

Lessons From Alex Sanderson

Posted on | by David Haigh

TOBRIDGE JUDDIANs V CANTERBURY

Recently I shared a clip with the team of Alex Sanderson talking after Sale’s defeat at Quins. Going into the game Sale were six wins from seven and top of the premiership. That evening they lost by 30 points. He sums up rugby well for me; he says that if you aren’t right in the top two inches, if you’re off by only a small amount you are miles off it on the scoreboard. That was also the tale of our Saturday. Against a very motivated 4th in the league, we didn’t match their intensity for 50 minutes and conceded seven tries. At home that is unacceptable regardless of how good an opposition team is and in front of our home supporters it wasn’t good enough. Our late rally, scoring four unanswered tries of our own, shows what we are capable of but by that point we had left ourselves too much to do.

This weekend’s fixture needs very little introduction, as most derbies don’t, and the lesson from Henley has to be that we need to turn up ready to work for each other, and the club, from the first minute to the last, that’s the only way you can earn a win in this league. The players know what is required; our week has been spent preparing for the first whistle tomorrow.

The Pilgrims reached the halfway point of their season with their convincing victory over Bromley. With eleven wins out of eleven, and only one point short of maximum. Their introduction to Counties 1 has been impressive to say the least. Who doesn’t love a Friday night game and Thanet visit the Marine travel ground this evening looking to break the Pilgrims unbeaten run. Two Christmas crackers in one weekend, what a way to finish the year.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

Gus MacConachie

Gus MacConachie

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

We are sad to report the death of Gus MacConnachie, who played lock for the Pilgrims and 1st XV in the early 1970s. Our condolences to Pam and the family. Barry Mellish played with him:

“I moved to Canterbury in October 1971, working for the NHS. I started playing for the Club almost immediately. I met Gus at the Kent & Canterbury in late 72/early 73 and introduced him to the club. He soon was a regular player for the 1st XV/Pilgrims, although as a pharmacist, he had to work some Saturdays. He was only with the club for a couple of seasons before moving to Scotland late 74 early 75. He immediately became a VP and followed the club’s fortunes closely. He was last in Canterbury when Gus and I came down to the dinner April 2016”

Gus MacConachie

Friday Night Lights

Pilgrims Friday Night Derby

Posted on | by David Haigh

Floodlit rugby is on the Friday night pre-Christmas menu this week (December 15th) when Pilgrims serve up a tasty East Kent derby against Thanet Wanderers 1st. The Counties 1 Kent clash kicks off at 7.45pm and is a great appetizer for those supporters planning to travel to the first team game at Tonbridge Juddians on Saturday. The Pilgrims are flying high at the top of the league and are playing great entertaining rugby. Admission to the match is free. The bars are open and food is available.

Match report v Bromley

Hat Trick For Max

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY PILGRIMS 36 BROMLEY 10

by John Mitchell

Wing Max Campbell marked his return from injury by registering a first half hat trick of tries as Pilgrims extended their unbeaten run in Counties 1 Kent to eleven games. With a total of 54 points out of a possible 55 they lead the table by nine points, ahead of Dartfordians. Pilgrims made a flying start, taking the lead within three minutes as Tom McMann’s kick took a lucky deflection off a Bromley player, Gus Lister raced on to the ball and sent Campbell away for a try converted by McMann. The visitors missed a chance to get on the scoreboard with a failed penalty kick and by half time were seventeen points in arrears. Pilgrims second try was a great team effort, with the ball moved across the whole park before Campbell’s pace did the rest. His third, with 17 minutes gone, was a fine solo effort and when Bromley built their own pressure Canterbury’s defence was up to the job. The second half bonus point try came from continued pressure before Jake Dengate forced himself over and McMann converted in difficult, windy conditions. Bromley would not lie down and were proving difficult to beat until Gus Lister broke away at pace and exchanged passes with Campbell before putting the game to bed with a fifth try which McMann converted. Dave Irvine then received a yellow card for a high tackle, Bromley were down a player through injury and the game had gone to uncontested scrums as a sticky pitch took its toll on the action. Bromley scored an unconverted try before Pilgrims launched a rolling maul and Brandon Dunkerley went over for their sixth try. The visitors ended with another unconverted touchdown in a game in which scrum half Presley Farrance won the supporters Player award for yet another controlled performance.

Pilgrims: G.Lister, M.Campbell, J.Richardson, S.Trew-Neville, A.Geddes, T.McMann, P.Farrance, D.Huntley, B.Dunkerley, J.Everatt, H.Andrews, D.Irvine, J.Dengate, H.Furneaux, A.Evans. Replacements: T.Mackenzie, D.Gill, H.Valdares

Next game v Thanet this Friday evening, kick-off 7.45pm

Match report v Henley Hawks

First Half Collapse

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY 33 HENLEY HAWKS 43

by David Haigh

Canterbury Head Coach Matt Corker said that this National 2 East game against fourth placed Henley would be a test of how far his side have progressed this season. At the end of the first half with the Hawks in a commanding 31-7 lead and Canterbury’s four match winning streak collapsing he was left with plenty to think about. It was only in the last twenty minutes that the city club produced the effective rugby their coach is looking for as they ran in four tries to rescue a losing bonus point. What went before was a tale of repeated errors which were punished ruthlessly as Canterbury lost the ball in contact, struggled at the set pieces and handed Hawks all the space they needed. The visitors scored five tries in the first half, the opener coming from hooker Istok Totic, and although there was a similar catch and drive reply from Nathan Morris, converted by Frank Reynolds, Canterbury offered little else. They could not contain Henley’s direct running and slick off-loading which brought excellent tries for Zack Taylor, Adam Hakimian, Sam Lunnon and George Wood. Three conversions by Max Titchener completed what was threatening to become a rout. Those fears looked well founded as Canterbury conceded two further tries in the opening twelve minutes of the second half when Totic claimed his second touchdown and scrum half Leo Webb darted through a gap. Titchener’s conversion made it 43-7. Faced with embarrassment, the city side at last found the energy, control and sharpness in attack to force themselves back into the contest. It started with Eoin O’Donoghue’s mauled score in the 59th minute and a second came quickly as Tom Best put in a typical finish. O’Donoghue’s second won the bonus point before Shay Kerry got over the line in the final play. Reynolds boosted the scoreline with three conversions but that late surge could hardly disguise the fact that Canterbury in this game were only a half decent side.

Canterbury: W.Waddngton, G.Jones (repl B.Law), F.Morgan, T.Best, A.Moss, F.Reynolds, T.Williams (repl B.Cooper), C.Macmillan (repl E.Lusher), N.Morris, W.McColl (repl D.Herriott), S.Kerry, J.De Vries (repl S.Rogers), J.Stephens, E.O’Donoghue, T.Oliver.

View match photos

v Henley - 9 Dec 2023

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton
Match report v Vigo

Under the cosh from the off

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

Zingari 0 – Vigo 2nds 56

The Zingari suffered their worst defeat of the season against a strong Vigo second side. Canterbury was under the cosh from the outset against a well drilled heavy experienced pack. Their direct running sucked in the city defence creating opportunities outside for them to run in two converted try’s in the first ten minutes. There was no let up as the half continued, Vigo adding two more to give them a healthy halftime lead.

The second half started the same way canterbury conceding two more converted trys with the Vigo place kicker seeming to be able to slot the conversions from any angle seemed to seal the Zingari fate. Despite the early pressure you could expected the Zingari to implode. Instead despite conceding two more try’s before the finale whistle showed remarkable resistance. Many of the players out of their normal positions instead collapsing made the opposition work hard for every meter in a show of defiance earning respect in a hard fought contest.