Category: 1st XV

CANTERBURY 11 BURY ST EDMUNDS 28

By David Haigh

This was Canterbury’s third consecutive loss and after an uninspiring performance they could easily be drawn into the National 2 East relegation battle. The four sides beneath them all have a game in hand and on this poor showing the city side will find it hard to come up with the victory that could make them safe. A lack of finishing firepower once again contributed to their downfall as they failed to turn first half dominance into a meaningful lead. They were ahead by four points at the break but discipline and accuracy deserted them in the second half and Bury strolled home, adding three further tries to their first half opener. That came after Canterbury had exerted all the early pressure but had nothing to show for it. In the fIfteenth minute Bury’s half break made space for wing Mike Stanway and full back Charlie Reed, who never missed from the tee all afternoon, converted the try. Canterbury, despite repeated errors, found a reply with a catch and drive score by Nathan Morris but the only other points came from the boot of Frank Reynolds with two penalty goals, one on the stroke of half time. All that waste was put into perspective when the visitors took the lead just three minutes into the second half. A needless penalty for offside gave them territory, fly half Ben Penfold hoisted a cross kick, Stanway snatched the try and Canterbury were rarely in the game after that. They made life even harder for themselves when Will Waddington and Morris got yellow cards and the nearest they came to another score was a failed penalty shot. Even as the rugby on offer lapsed into the ‘forgettable’ category Bury were never seriously inconvenienced by a side lacking ideas and energy. Reed and their captain Matt Bursey scored the tries which earned them a bonus point win.

Canterbury; C.Kingsman, G.Hilton (rel T.Halliday), W.Waddington, L.Hollidge, F.Morgan, F.Reynolds, B.Cooper (repl T.Williams) C.Macmillan (repl B.Young), N.Morrris, E.Lusher (repl D.Herriott), D.Irvine, J.Stephens, H.Furneaux (repl S.Rogers), C.Murray, T.Oliver

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Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

CANTERBURY 15 BARNES 38

by David Haigh

This was a frustrating Canterbury performance as they gave Barnes a head start and then were too inaccurate to sustain a threatened second half revival. Conceding four tries before the break to one of the league’s in-form sides left them struggling for credibility and although they lifted the tempo of their game in the third quarter too many basic errors killed off the challenge. The visitors went ahead after only three minutes as their backs exposed the Canterbury defence all too easily for Jordan Souter’s try. A Frank Reynolds penalty goal pegged that back but it took a confident Barnes only a minute to fashion a second try scored by wing Paul O’Dell. A penalty gave the visitors the territory for a third score, this time a close quarter finish as lock James Bloxham crashed over and Simon Keller’s second conversion pushed the lead to a comfortable sixteen points. Canterbury did settle more at this stage and while they threatened little in attack the deficit looked manageable if they could hold on to half time. Those hopes were dashed when Dave Irvine went to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on and the penalty conceded put Barnes where they wanted be. Hooker Alex March drove over, Keller converted and the bonus point was in the visitors pocket. How important that score became was highlighted when Canterbury engaged a higher gear after the break. They played with pace and ambition, which paved the way for a good try by Guy Hilton, and going into the last twenty minutes forward pressure made another inroad with an Irvine try and a Reynolds conversion. But all that effort was undermined by dropped passes and possession turned over in contact. Barnes re-asserted control in the late stages with tries for Cameron Leigh and Chris Stegman and a Keller conversion, while Canterbury’s woes were compounded by Sam Sterling’s red card for an illegal tip tackle

Canterbury: C.Kingsman, G.Hilton, S.Sterling, L.Hollidge (repl T.Halliday), F.Morgan, F.Reynolds, B.Cooper (repl T.Williams), B.Young, N.Morris (repl C.Macmillan), E.Lusher (repl D.Herriott), D.Irvine, J.Stephens, H.Furneaux, C.Murray (repl S.Rogers) T.Oliver

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Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

ROCHFORD HUNDRED 28 CANTERBURY 26

by David Haigh

Going into this game Canterbury Head Coach Matt Corker warned that relegation threatened Rochford would fight like wounded animals after their mauling by Barnes the previous week. Fight they did and so effectively that they edged a tight contest which brought Canterbury two bonus points but disappointment that they could not maintain their recent improved form. Despite starting positively and leading at the break they were too casual and inaccurate to put away some decent first half chances and those failures came to bite them. Harvey Furneaux’s seventh minute try, converted by Frank Reynolds, made Rochford look vulnerable but they soon put that idea to rest. Fly half Tauren Henwood stepped neatly through midfield with a quick reply but it was the city side who held the attacking edge. The forwards did the work again for a Billy Young try, which left Reynolds an easy kick, but that was all they could find. On the stroke of halftime Chris Dudman’s penalty goal sliced the Canterbury lead to six points and they were soon under pressure from a fired up home side after the restart. It earned Rochford territory and penalties and two from the boot of Dudman brought the scores level. Going into the last quarter a disjointed Canterbury, who did not look after the ball, fell behind to a converted try by Rory Gray but then found some momentum of their own. It brought a close quarters try for Dave Irvine, topped up by Reynolds, but missed tackles handed centre Sam Cappaert the hosts a third touchdown with eight minutes left. Dudman’s successful kick left the city side needing a converted score to salvage a draw and they gave the ball width to send Ben Cooper over for a bonus point try. Reynolds was faced with a difficult conversion, which he narrowly missed, and Rochford’s second half battling performance was rewarded.

Canterbury: W.Waddington, G.Hilton (rel C.Kingsman), S.Sterling, L.Hollidge, F.Morgan, F.Reynolds, B.Cooper (repl T.Williams), B.Young (repl C.Macmillan), N.Morris (repl E.O’Donoghue), D.Herriott (repl E.Lusher), D.Irvine, J.Stephens, H.Furneaux, C.Murray, T.Oliver.

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Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

CANTERBURY 33 SEVENOAKS 30

by David Haigh


 From the comfort of a fifteen point second half lead Canterbury ended up clinging on for this important National 2 East victory. With both sides hovering on the fringes of the relegation battle there was plenty at stake and Sevenoaks’ domination of the final 20 minutes marked them out as likely winners.   Instead, they were restricted to a second bonus point, earned with a try in the last minute, thanks to Canterbury’s massive defensive effort and astute changes from the bench at a time when the city club were hit with two yellow cards and a sending off.  As the Duke of Wellington said after that long ago skirmish at Waterloo, “it was the nearest run thing you ever saw.”   Surviving the late siege was not the only challenge Canterbury had to overcome as the sharp and focused visitors made a flying start and were twelve points ahead after only eight minutes. Tries from Henry Galligan and Jonny Short, plus a Ben Adams conversion, were  helped by suspect tackling. When  Canterbury came alive, however, they were just as effective in finding holes and won a four try bonus point by half time. A midfield break by scrum half Ben Cooper made the first incision before Lewis Hollidge’s opening try. Continuing pressure saw Oaks leaking penalties and when Frank Reynolds spotted space on the right his cross kick bounced into Cameron Murray’s path.  Oaks pulled back three points with an Adams penalty goal but they could not stop a driving maul which ended in Eoin O’Donoghue touching down.  Jamie Stephens rounded off close quarter work from a clever pop pass to register the fourth and with three conversions from Reynolds, who passed the 100 point mark for the season, the earlier damage was repaired.  When Cooper ran in the opening try of the second half, after good attacking work in mid-field, and Reynolds topped it up the city side looked firmly in the driving seat.  But the lively visitors soon reminded them that if you don’t fasten the safety belt you are unwise and they took control of possession and territory. Adams kicked his second penalty goal then converted Short’s second try on 60 minutes and Canterbury now had a dog fight on their hands. Losing Danny Herriott and Stephens to the sin bin and Tom Best to a red card, put their discipline under scrutiny but their defiance and commitment left Sevenoaks no more time after Galligan’s last ditch score.

Canterbury: W.Waddington, G.Hilton (repl T.Best),S.Sterling, L.Hollidge, F.Morgan, F.Reynolds, B.Cooper (repl T.Williams), .B. Young, N.Morris (repl E.O’Donoghue), D.Herriott (repl C. Macmillan), D.Irvine, J.Stephens, H.Furneaux, C.Murray, T.Oliver (repl A.Evans).

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Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS 29  CANTERBURY 31

by David Haigh

Canterbury snatched victory with a try in the final minute of this terrific Kent derby. It was a pulsating end to a game that swung first the city club’s way and then, in a  fiercely contested second half, to a
resurgent Juddians. After overhauling Canterbury’s  fourteen point half time lead the home side thought they had won it through Tom White’s 79th minute penalty goal.  But one minute can be a long time in rugby and a committed Canterbury hurled themselves back into attack, kept the ball alive skillfully and fly half Frank Reynolds squeezed over by the corner flag.  To add to the tension there was a consultation between the referee and his assistant before the score was justly awarded.   After the capitulation at Dorking the previous week there was a new steel about Canterbury’s approach and the return of long term absentees like Tristan King, Sam Sterling and, from the replacements bench bench, Charlie Kingsman, gave Matt Corker’s squad a more balanced look. They fell behind to an early try from TJs centre Duncan Tout but hit back with three of their own and gave nothing away in defence before the
break. A dominant lineout and clever turnovers served them well. Cameron Murray finished off a precise handling move for the first score, hooker Nathan Morris completed a catch and drive and, in the last minute of the half, skipper Jamie Stephens crashed through despite Canterbury losing Sterling to the sin bin. The first 20 minutes of the second half put the city side through their sternest test.  They defended brilliantly but lost Jesse Dr Vries to a yellow card and by the hour mark it was all square as the TJs backs produced tries for Bryan Hotston and Howard Packman, both converted by White. Having come through the fire Canterbury’s composure paid off as they worked a fourth, bonus point touch down for front row man Eoin O’Donoghue and Reynolds made his third successful conversion.  That seven point advantage was quickly wiped by the home side as Josh Van Buuren powered over the line and White brought the sides level again. When the experienced fly half nervelessly landed that late penalty goal it seemed like job done but Canterbury still had  last clear message; never write us off.

Canterbury: W.Waddington, G.Hilton, S.Sterling, L.Hollidge (repl C.Kingsman), F.Morgan, F.Reynolds, B.Cooper (repl T.Williams), B.Young, N.Morris (repl E.O’Donoghue), D.Herriott (repl C.Macmillan), D.Irvine (repl N.Morris),  J.De Vries, T.King (repl H.Furneaux), C.Murray, J.Stephens