Author: David Haigh

LONDON WELSH 22 CANTERBURY 21

by David Haigh

A late Welsh try settled a close but fitful game in which Canterbury never recaptured the high standards they achieved in their previous outing. It is said that the devil is in the detail and that was manifested by the city club’s lack of accuracy at key moments. Forward passes, small handling errors and failure to turn attacking positions into points let them down and, arguably, denied them a couple of important scores. Having taken the lead nine minutes before the end they had the opportunity to close out the game, but could not resist Welsh’s strong finish. Canterbury made the first breach when Jimmy Walker cleaned up untidy lineout possession to burrow over for a try converted by Frank Reynolds. By half time, however, it was Welsh, exploiting he slope cannily to set up position, who were eight points to the good. A driving maul brought a try for flanker Tom Williams and a flat pass, fired by fly half Matt Hodgson, sent wing Iwan Humphreys across for the second. Obstinate Canterbury defence resisted more heavy pressure before the break so Hodgson, who converted his side’s first score, settled for a penalty goal. Memories of the city side’s stunning second half effort two weeks ago were quickly revived when a fine driving maul was capped by a Ryley Thomas try and Reynolds’ conversion a minute after the break. But dawns can often prove false and it was not until deep into the final quarter that the city side found a way to edge ahead. Accuracy was missing, line breaks by Tyler Oliver and Frank Morgan went unrewarded and it wasn’t until until the 71st minute that another score came. Welsh were pinned in a corner, made a mess of their own lineout throw and Charlie McGovern pounced for the try. Reynolds was on target again, but the home side now grabbed the initiative. Two minutes from the end a penalty handed them a last catch and drive opportunity and Harry Breeze crashed over. Victory was down to a Hodgson conversion and he made no mistake.

Canterbury: K.Heatherley, F.Morgan, H.Sloan, W.Waddington, L.Talbot, F.Reynolds, P.Farrance, L.Young. J.Dengate, O.Frostick, C.McGovern, J.Stephens, J.Walker, M.Campbell, J.De Vries, D.Huntley, C.Oliver

CANTERBURY 51 OUNDLE 33

by David Haigh

A Canterbury side that looked almost down and out staged a magnificent second half revival to fight their way to this comprehensive victory. Trailing 28-7 at the break, the city side’s total domination of the next 40 minutes stunned title chasing Oundle with six tries and a lesson in discipline and game management. The visitors, who had overwhelmed National 2 East leaders Old Albanians the previous week, had every right to feel they had done another good job with four first half tries and a bonus point secured. A defensive lapse handed them an early lead through wing Rian Hamilton’s try and a Ben Young conversion. That attracted a swift reply when Frank Reynolds neat grubber kick saw Aiden Moss win the race for the touch down and Reynolds add the goal points, but Oundle took charge of the rest of the half. Their most efficient weapon, the driving maul, produced tries for Tevita Vaenuku and Anthony Maka and, in the closing minute, Hamilton registered his second, Canterbury being duly punished for overthrowing a lineout. The accurate Young topped up all three scores to put even greater distance between the sides. However, signs that Oundle’a confidence might have been misplaced were quickly flagged after the interval as Canterbury came out with a new mind set and made a statement with two tries in the first ten minutes. A quick lineout drill set up Tyler Oliver’s score, converted by Reynolds, and a yellow card for the visitors proved costly as the city side established themselves in attacking territory and scrum half Presley Farrance found the gap. Canterbury, curing many of the set piece problem that had plagued them in first half, kept up the pressure with another close quarter finish by Jamie Stephens, converted by Reynolds. Once again Oundle, shut down by an aggressive home defence, lost their discipline as Maka went to the sin bin for a high tackle and they paid the price as Canterbury went in front for the first time. Frank Morgan, fresh from the replacements bench, got the try. as the attack was spread wide. The badly shaken visitors hit back briefly through Matt Collins as they got a rare chance of a catch drive, but they had no more answers to a vibrant city side as Morgan bagged his second and Reynolds drove home the victory message with a penalty goal and a drop goal. In the final minute he added his fifth conversion when Tyler Oliver strolled over for Canterbury’s final try to crown a remarkable afternoon.

Canterbury: K. Heatherley, A.Moss, D.Tout, W.Waddington, L.Talbot, F.Reynolds, T.Williams, L.Young, J.Dengate, O.Frostick, C.McGovern, J.Stephens, J.Walker, R.Thomas, T.Oliver. Replacements; C.Oliver, P.Farrance, F.Morgan, J.De Vries, E.O’Donoghue

BURY ST EDMUNDS 27 CANTERBURY 10

by David Haigh

A strong pack and a sound defence gave Bury the upper hand in this clash of two top four sides. Canterbury, starved of possession as they struggled at the set pieces, played some enterprising rugby when they did get their hands on the ball, but could never convert it into the necessary points. They were not helped by the exit of centre Harry Sloan with a shoulder injury and, later, hooker Cameron Macmillan who sustained more serious damage, but the city side were always behind on the scoreboard after missed tackles let Bury grab an early lead with a try from hooker Matt Hicks, converted by Ben Penfold. They built on that with two more before Canterbury found a response in the dying minutes of the first half. Bury’s quickly taken penalty and then a smart lineout drill brought tries for Samir Kharbouch and a second for Hicks to open a seventeen point gap. That was cut when Frank Reynolds astute cross kick saw Kurt Heatherley rise high to palm the pass for an Aiden Moss try, but Reynolds’ conversion attempt from wide out hit a post. The city side started the second half brightly but their lineout problems cost them another score as an overthrown ball paved the way for Bury prop Ben Cooper to register his side’s bonus point try. Canterbury then produced their best spell in the game. moving the ball at every opportunity and stretching the home defence. They made decisive line breaks, attacked though the wide channels and seemed likely to play their way back into contention. Two yellow cards slowed a Bury side feeling the pressure, but excellent last ditch defence proved a stumbling block as Canterbury were restricted to a solitary try, scored on the overlap by Heatherley. They went very close again but Bury survived, controlled the closing stages and added a fifth try as they ran back a clearance kick and Penfold was given the easiest of run ins. The defeat sees the city side drop to fifth place in the National2 East table.
Canterbury: K.Heatherley, F.Morgan, H.Sloan, W.Waddington, L.Talbot, F.Reynolds, T.Williams, D.Huntley, C.Macmillan, O.Frostick, .McGovern, J.Stephens, J.Walker, R.Thomas, T.Oliver. Replacements,: A.Moss, J.Dengate, L.Young, P.Farrance, J.De Vries.

CANTERBURY 24 OLD ALBANIAN 27

by David Haigh

A last minute penalty goal saw league leaders Albanians snatch the win which kept their National 2 East title hopes firmly on track. At the end of a bruising and high quality game It was disappointment for a Canterbury side who first kept afloat through outstanding defence then picked up the pace so well they went ahead in the final quarter. The free flowing visitors domination of possession and territory in the first half tested the city side to the limit but their commitment and organIsation restricted Albanians to a miserly three point advantage at the break. Sam Jones kicked them into a seventh minute lead with a penalty goal but, despite their control, it took another twenty minutes before they found a try. A lineout drive and close quarter pounding ended in fly half Andy Nurse battling over the line. Jones added the conversion but two minutes later Canterbury, who at that point had barely sniffed an attack, hit back through a brilliant individual score from flanker Ryley Thomas. His powerful midfield break ended under the posts and Frank Reynolds converted. If Albanians were frustrated, they quickly made up for it at the start of he second half. A charged down kick gave them field position and the pressure was sustained to create a converted try for centre Steve Hiheta. It may have looked ominous for the city side but the mood soon changed and the momentum began to shift. Reynolds slotted a penalty goal and, for the first time, Canterbury began to pose threats which brought them two tries and a seven point lead. A penalty and drive set up the first for Cameron Macmillan and, on 66 minutes, the forwards did the spadework before Tom Williams fired the pass which sent Harry Sloan across the line. Reynolds converted both scores, taking him past the 1000 point mark in his career with the club, but the quick thinking visitors were always in the game. They caught Canterbury sleeping with a throw to the front of a lineout, Elliot McPhun touched down and Jones’ conversion brought his side level. Canterbury hung on but Jones’ accuracy killed off their hopes with that late penalty as they head into two more testing February games against leading sides.

Canterbury: K.Heatherley, F.Morgan, H.Sloan, W.Waddington, L.Talbot, F.Reynolds, P.Farrance, D.Huntley, E.O’Donoghue, O.Frostick, C.McGovern, J.Stephens, J.Walker, R.Thomas, T.Oliver. Replacements: J.De Vries, T.Williams, C.Macmillan, G.Lister, C.Oliver.

HAVANT 28 CANTERBURY 21

by David Haigh

Canterbury’s winning run came to a disappointing end at the hands of a confident Havant who have discovered their best form in recent weeks. Here, their job was made easier by a city side whose basic faults of missed tackles, poor ball retention and questionable decision making added up to one of their weakest performances. It bore no resemblance to the impressive show of the previous week, but at least they managed to come away with a losing bonus point. It was tackle failures that gave Havant the territory to build a fourteen point lead in the opening quarter of an hour; first through a catch and drive try from Sean Shepherd, then a decisive finish by wing Will Perry, both converted by Joel Knight. After those shocks, Canterbury built one or two promising attacks but ruined their chances by giving away penalties and had to work hard to keep their own line intact, in particular a brave last ditch tackle on wing Sam Trodd. Despite the pressure, the city side somehow reached the break only one score behind. In the final minute of the half the forwards established a platform, kept their discipline and scrum half Presley Farrance wriggled over and Frank Reynolds converted. It seemed Canterbury may have opened a new chapter at the start of the second half as they drew level for the first time. Hooker Eoin O’Donoghue had come off the replacements bench and immediately justified the move with a first minute, close quarter try which Reynolds converted. That brought fresh hope but It did not last long as the earlier failings surfaced again. Havant, always looking the more assured, turned over ball, set Perry free and he slipped the scoring pass to Ben Grffin. Knight converted but going into the final quarter Canterbury found some of that elusive cohesion and centre Will Waddington’s fine burst took him under the the posts, leaving Reynolds an easy goal target,. However, that was as good as it got with Havant controlling the late stages, holding possession efficiently and producing the winning try. They again asked questions of the city’s defending, made space on the right flank and Dylan Evans’ converted touchdown won the bonus point and the game.
Canterbury; K.Heatherley, A.Moss, H.Sloan, W.Waddington, L.Talbot, F.Reynolds, P.Farrance, D.Huntley, J.Dengate, O.Frostick, J.De Vries, J.Stephens, C.McGovern, R.Thomas, J.Walker. Replacements: O.Hewett, E.O’Donoghue, T.Oliver, T.Williams, C.Macmillan