This year our traditional chocolate gifts to the NHS starts again so please donate some chocolate if you are up at the club this weekend. This year we are also donating to the NHS staff at the Canterbury vaccination centre, already under stress and 100,000 vaccines since May, they got a bit of a curve ball Sunday.
Please Stay Strong, Safe and please help us to say thank you.
Please either share or spread the word.
Merry Christmas
CANTERBURY 53pts FAVERSHAM 2nds 26pts
Canterbury 5ths took on a physical Faversham side that stretched the cities defensive skills in the first half, however it was Canterbury’s Toby Allen to first go on the score sheet only to be forced onto the defensive after Faversham took the lead with one quick try followed by two more converted try’s to nudge them in front. The Zingari response almost immediate with Will Rayner and Dan Mills going over from short range with converted a try, and just before halftime Will Rayner again added one more to give the city a 5 point halftime lead.
The Second half saw Jake Upward add to the tally with a converted try before Faversham efforts were rewarded after a period of pressure on the city’s line with a short range converted try of their own. However, this was the last time Faversham were to threaten the Canterbury line as the pack began to take control, and with the backs spreading the ball wide the gaps began to open for Jake Upward and Will Ratner to add four more try’s, and with Jacob Coffin slotting 4 of the conversions sealed the Zingari win.
ESHER 26pts CANTERBURY 0pts
As the league leaders extended their winning run to seven games that decisive scoreline suggests that Esher had things pretty much their own way. But that was not the whole story of a match in which Canterbury had enough possession and territory to satisfy any side and must be kicking themselves for failing to turn it into points. Esher, on the other hand, gave them a lesson in taking their chances efficiently and with no little flair. Their Director of Rugby, former England flanker Peter Winterbottom, reckoned his side were fortunate to be fourteen points ahead at the end of a first half which Canterbury dominated for eighty percent of the time and he had a point, even if Canterbury didn’t. Injury problems meant they took the field with a reshaped pack but for all their honest work they lacked the accuracy and invention to dent a strong defence. Wherever their persistent attacks led them, at close quarters or in the wider areas, they either lost control or were penalised. When Esher finally broke out they showed how wasteful the city side had been by scoring twice in four minutes. Andy Hamilton finished off a driving maul and a Canterbury mistake in their own 22 area was punished by full back Tom Mitchell’s try. Sam Morley converted both touchdowns. There was much the same feel about the second half where Esher gave very little away and repeated the trick of claiming two tries only minutes apart. Harvey Scott’s was the best as he burst through from a set-piece move and curved outside the defence. That was in the 49th the minute and three minutes later lock Hugh Sloan crashed over, and Morley converted, to wrap up a bonus point for his side. A now over anxious Canterbury continued to probe and chase but could never discover a decisive finish or the efficiency their game badly needed.
Canterbury: A.Moss, G.Hilton (repl W.Waddington), F.Morgan (repl T.Best), K.Braithwaite, D.Cocoran, F.Reynolds, B.Cooper (repl T.Williams), B.Young (repl A.Cooper), W.McColl (repl V.Meredith), D.Herriott, R.Cadman J.De Vries, J.Stephens, T.King, T.Oliver
CANTERBURY 5th 41pts. DEAL & BETTESHANGER 3rds. 32pts
Canterbury welcomed a slightly depleted Deal & Betteshanger side, however, Canterbury was able to make up their numbers for an extremely competitive and entertaining game. The city side had to work hard against a well-drilled Lions pack, but they could not check Canterbury’s backs to the city the halftime lead. The second half saw the lions come back before the city side took control to seal the victory in what turned out to be a spirited display from both sides.
CANTERBURY 52pts WESTCLIFF 15pts
Canterbury’s mission to play free flowing rugby eventually paid handsome dividends against the league’s bottom side with centre Frankie Morgan, who scored three of his side’s eight tries, the main beneficiary. It was a welcome victory for the city club, only their fourth of the season, but for much of the first half they struggled to match their ambition with proper execution. They did ease to a 21-5 lead by half time but only after they had rid themselves of wasteful habits. Those included handing easy ball to Westcliff and failing to turn attacking flair into points. A promising opening saw an outside break from wing Guy Hilton set up Morgan’s first try and Kyan Braithwaite slot the first of his six conversions, but after that there was too much self-inflicted harm. Westcliff full back Greg Bannister, who scored all his side’s points, filched an interception try and it wasn’t until the final seven minutes of the half that Canterbury’s expansive game came together and was rewarded with further touchdowns by Braithwaite and Hilton. Westcliff’s limitations, however, were ripe for the picking and the longer the game went on the more they were exposed. The heavyweights in their pack were full of resistance and the occasional niggle but Canterbury’s all round pace and athleticism in the loose tested them to breaking point. Aiden Moss opened the second half scoring after four minutes, dented temporarily by Bannister’s second try as Westcliff took advantage of a friendly bounce and a loose ball. He then added a penalty goal to further close the gap but the city side’s all court game proved to be too much for the visitors tiring legs. Dwayne Corcoran had the easiest of overlaps as the match approached the last quarter and as Canterbury continued to move the ball at pace the gaps opened up. In the last twenty minutes Morgan, twice, and replacement Tom Williams put the finishing touches to some bold and inventive rugby.
Canterbury: A.Moss (repl F.Reynolds), G.Hilton, F.Morgan, K.Braithwaite, D.Corcoran, F.Reynolds (repl T.Best), B.Cooper (repl T.Williams), B.Young, T.King, (repl D.Herriott), D.Herriott (repl R.Conlon), S.Churchyard, J.De Vries, J.Stephens, A.Evans (repl T.Rayleigh-Strutt), T.Oliver
We are pleased to announce the November 300 Club winners –
225 Barbara Hudgell
27 DM Cowley
151 David Taplin
16 John Braithwaite
149 Mark Quinn
Whilst the world battles to control the Covid pandemic, and considering the new Omicron Variant, Canterbury Rugby Club’s priority remains the health and safety of our members, players, staff, and visitors. We are therefore looking at putting in place a range of recommended safety measures to keep the Marine Travel Ground Covid secure.
Please follow a protocol of Lateral Flow Testing (LFT) prior to training and matches and attending the club. One in three people don’t show symptoms.
If you are attending a pre-match lunch, please carry out an LFT the morning of the lunch, unless you have mitigating reasons such as having had the virus within the last 90 days.
Anyone who wishes to wear a face-covering is as ever free to do so.
Hand sanitiser will be available in clearly signposted locations across club facilities, and we would urge all at the ground to apply it regularly.
Along with social distancing and other safety guidelines, vaccinated members are crucial in helping prevent the spread of the virus. Vaccinated people are less likely to get COVID-19 with symptoms and are less likely to get serious COVID-19. We want to strongly recommend as many players and staff as possible to be vaccinated.
Help us protect our community and keep our rugby family safe.
The club is delighted to announce a new sponsorship and community partnership designed to support young players across South East England . It was launched at the club’s London City lunch where guest speaker Martin Johnson, captain of England’s World Cup winning team in 2003, was among the first to welcome the initiative. The sponsorship is provided by BRS Education, an education consultation and tuition company founded by one of the club’s former players. The founder, Benn Smith, was a product of the club’s youth side who played for the first team between 2001 – 2014. Benn is now a Headmaster and founded BRS Education to support and guide families through the education system from primary to university, and also provides tuition to children who have struggled to access education through the lock down period. BRS Education believe passionately in ‘Developing Confidence and Individual Talents’ of all children both academically and on the sports field. During this post-pandemic period, BRS Education recognises the importance that taking part in rugby can have in developing the mental wellbeing of all those who take part.
In addition to the sponsorship of Canterbury’s mini and junior sections, BRS Education will work collaboratively with the Canterbury club to form its own Junior Athlete Academy, which will provide an academic and enhanced coaching programme to develop future first team players. Alongside this, the club will be investing in community coaches to support local primary and secondary schools to further develop rugby in the community.
This new approach further demonstrates the commitment Canterbury RFC have for a ‘one club’ mentality with a vision to be at the heart of the local and wider Kent community. ‘Canterbury Rugby Club provided me with a starting point for my playing and academic career, being my local club as I studied at University, ” said Benn. “They not only provided me with the camaraderie through playing but also supported my leadership credentials both on and off the pitch, shaping my career to what it is today. I am delighted through BRS Education to be able to do my part to give back to the local community and support those young players and families as they begin their education and playing journey. My thanks go to the club and the spectators who enabled me to develop my confidence and develop my individual talents.”
Welcoming the new partnership Canterbury chairman Giles Hilton said: “This is a major boost for both rugby and education opportunities in the area and underlines our commitment to being an integral part of the community”
CLIFTON 22pts CANTERBURY 19pts
Canterbury might well have fancied their chances of pulling off a surprise victory on a ground where they have seldom tasted success after trailing by only seven points at the interval. That didn’t look likely in the early stages when, after only three minutes, Clifton’s influential Number Eight, Brad Talbot, drove over from close range and a Luke Cozens conversion gave then the ideal start. But Canterbury quickly regathered themselves, built phases, and responded with a smartly taken try from Frank Reynolds after good work from half back partner Ben Cooper. At this stage, it was Clifton who were clearly happier to play the wide channels despite the biting northerly wind, and with fly half Cozens expertly pulling the strings they always looked dangerous. They struck again after a promising run from Canterbury centre Frank Morgan and the ball was stolen. Full back Alex Forrester gathered to run from deep in his own half and put winger Finlay Sharp over. Worse was to follow as Canterbury threatened again. Another good line break from Morgan looked to have created a try scoring opportunity but when the move broke down it was Forrester who again broke upfield. After some excellent interplay winger Bentley Halpin crossed and Cozens converted. With Clifton still playing the conditions better it was to Canterbury’s credit that they stuck to their task. With half time fast approaching they got their reward. A textbook line out catch and drive saw winger Dwayne Corcoran run a lovely line and Kyan Braithwaite added the extras. Despite the best efforts of both sides the second period was to become a catalogue of missed chances and handling errors, not aided by the deteriorating conditions. The city side were forced to defend for long periods as Clifton’s forward pressure grew but all they conceded was a penalty goal which left them ten points behind. With only ten minutes to go, they were still to have their moments – a powerful break from skipper Jamie Stephens put flanker Alex Evans into space but the overlap was missed and the opportunity lost. Evans was to make amends two minutes later when driving over to score from close range. Braithwaite again converted and Canterbury went in search of the score they needed. It proved to be one task too many.
Canterbury: A.Moss, G.Hilton, F.Morgan, K.Braithwaite, D.Corcoran, F.Reynolds, B.Cooper, B.Young, T.King, D.Herriott, S.Churchyard, J.Stephens, A.Evans, S.Rogers, T.Oliver.
Replacements: A.Coope, R.Cadman, T.Best, T.Williams, W.McColl,
by Andy Rogers
CANTERBURY 22pts REDRUTH 26pts
League leaders Redruth kept up their winning ways but not before they had been pushed all the way by a Canterbury side who earned a deserved bonus point with the last play of a rousing game. The obstacles the city had to overcome before the match would have daunted most sides, but they threw themselves into the battle with spirit and enterprise. Covid and injury troubles, with two of the squad failing fitness tests in the warm up, could have derailed them. Instead, an all-action contest might have gone either way until the Redruth pack found a measure of control in the final quarter. Canterbury made the early running, attacking the wide channels, looking for the telling offload, and keeping Redruth’s defence busy. They were unlucky to come away with only a ninth-minute try from Frank Morgan after prop Billy Young made a decisive line break. An unkind bounce and a last-minute interception frustrated them and the visiting forwards sent out a warning as hooker Richard Brown was driven over for a try converted by Fraser Honey. There was more trouble as the city side failed to claim the restart and Redruth used possession smartly to set up a second score. Conor Gilbert made the touchdowh and Honey converted. Canterbury, however, refused to lie down, trusted in their attacking strategy and hit back when Aiden Moss twisted away from the defenders. The try was converted by Kyan Braithwaite but still left his side two points adrift at halftime. It was his penalty goal that pushed Canterbury back in front eight minutes into the second half and the action, not all of it tidy, never slackened. The telling scores came as the Redruth scrummagers forced penalties, found field position and showed why they have become difficult to beat. Tries from scrum half Jack Oulton and replacement forward Richard Kevern, plus Honey’s conversion, gave them breathing space and they resisted a late Canterbury surge until the final minute. The city side, for whom Braithwaite and wing Dwanye Corcoran were outstanding, hammered away at the line, Honey was shown a yellow card and
Braithwaite found a gap for the try and conversion that won the bonus point.
Canterbury: A.Moss, G.Hilton, F.Morgan, K.Braithwaite, F.Reynolds, B.Cooper (repl T.Williams), B.Young (repl A.Wake-Smith), T.King, A.Cooper, S.Churchyard (repl J.De Vries), J.Stephens, A.Evans, S.Rogers, T.Oliver
