Category: 1st XV

Proud Of Our Progress

Posted on | by David Haigh

It’s great to be able to wish you a happy new year. We went into the break on a high after a great win away at Tonbridge, finishing the block in style. It went down to the wire as we were defending our own try line in the final minutes and the players gave everything for us to walk away with the points. When I look back at the block of games following the break for the World Cup final, we registered 5 wins from 6 with some really important victories. This is something that we are really proud of and as we look to this next block of games we must challenge the teams above us in the league table. This is the only way that we will be able to crack the top end and we now have the chance push on. That is easier said than done and we travel on Saturday to Bury to face an in-form side who are strong at home. We know the size of the task and are really looking forward to the opportunity against a team who are fourth in the league.

The Pilgrims are also on the road, away to Cranbrook. Teams will be well aware now of the threat that the Pilgrims pose and winning will become more of a challenge. They are more than up for the battle and it will be another exciting contest.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

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.

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v Tonbridge Judds - 16 Dec 2023

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton
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.

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v Henley - 9 Dec 2023

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton
Game Called Off

First Team Game Called Off

Posted on | by David Haigh

The first team match at Bury St Edmunds has been called off after the pitch was declared unfit. A Friday afternoon inspection confirmed that the pitch is frozen and the forecast overnight and Saturday morning is for more frost. The game will be rescheduled for the New year,

Match preview v Bury St Edmunds

Pleasing the Middle Man

Posted on | by David Haigh

BURY ST EDMUNDS V CANTERBURY

After another five points on Saturday, we are up to 6th in the league table as well as chalking up our fourth win in a row. It has been a long time since we have achieved this and it has been hard earned by the lads on the pitch. That isn’t the whole story though. From a really commanding position, with a 19 point lead after scoring early in the second half we finished defending a five point lead, with a top draw turnover from Jamie Stephens to close out the win. From my perspective the root of the problem in the last 35 minutes was our relationship with the man in the middle. 11 penalties, our normal average for a whole game, and two yellow cards put us under pressure and even after some strong defence sets, we were pulled back due to infringements. One of my favourite coaches I played under always said that the referee was the most important person on the pitch, and we have spoken this week about how to avoid our most common penalties and how to work back from a rocky period. It is important to not gloss over the great tries that we scored, most built on speed and accuracy and the change in our defence. After our reflection at the end of last season this was the main area needing improvement and the players have turned it into a strength. This week sees a test of our credentials at Bury St Edmunds who sit one place above us in the league table and are always formidable opposition on their own ground. Back in our starting line-up after recovering from injury is lock Shay Kerry but we lose flanker Cam Murray who, sadly, has suffered a family bereavement. The only question mark is over the weather as there have been heavy frosts in Suffolk this week. We hope to have an early decision on the fitness of the Bury pitch.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

v Old Albanians

Victory The Hard Way

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY 32 OLD ALBANIAN 27

by David Haigh

It has been some time since Canterbury enjoyed the luxury of a four match winning run but this latest success was not achieved without serious alarms. When Frank Morgan’s try three minutes into the second half opened up a nineteen point lead they appeared to be cruising at a safe height. By the final whistle, however, the city side were clinging on to their seat belts after a revived Albanians sent them into a nosedive. They survived, despite two yellow cards and a heavy penalty count, to take a full five points and stay sixth in the National 2 East table. The visitors were first on the scoreboard as wing Hugo Watson nipped through a large hole for a try converted by Sam Jones. When Canterbury got themselves together they levelled matters with Number Eight Tyler Oliver’s burst off the back of a scrum setting up a try for Eoin O’Donoghue and converted by Frank Reynolds as he compensated for an earlier penalty miss which hit a post. They fell behind again to a Jones penalty goal but that was the last time Albanians held the lead as Canterbury took command of the first half and exploited a yellow card for Albanian lock Ashley Illston with two converted tries. An athletic run from Jesse De Vries won vital territory before flanker Cam Murray burrowed over and as the city side continued to apply pressure Tom Best stepped neatly through for the third try. At 24-10 most sides would have been happy and even more delighted to get the bonus point touchdown so soon after the break. It was a good score, too, from Morgan as he powered down the left flank and although Reynolds was off target the chill November wind was blowing Canterbury’s way. Albanians, however, refused to be left out in the cold. As the city side frequently incurred the referees displeasure and surrendered territory the visitors found fresh energy and resolve and scored two tries in the space of six minutes through forwards Kemp Price and Ben Alexander, both topped up by Jones. With O’Donoghue and Oliver both serving time in the sin bin Canterbury had to find ways to hold on. A welcome Reynolds penalty goal edged them eight points ahead but when Jones replied late on and Albanians surged forward in a final assault there was tension all over the pitch. A rare penalty award to Canterbury in the last seconds finally brought them huge relief.

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

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v Old Albanian - 25 Nov 2023

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton
V Old Albanian

Feeling The Energy

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY V OLD ALBANIAN

Our focus all last week was to make sure that we prepared ourselves mentally to travel to Guernsey to perform at our best. We have been continually growing our understanding of what our best performances are built on, and the way we played last Saturday showed how far we have come. It starts with our physicality in the first two minutes, from all 15 players, and from that foundation we can build the rest of our game. Frank Reynolds deserves a mention for a 24 point haul which has put him as the highest points scorer in the league. This is a fitting reward for his contribution over the first ten games.

We are not the finished article but the increased energy the players have brought over the last three weeks has shown what this group is capable of. There are no weak teams in this league and if we step off the gas we are going to be disappointed, and that is not something we want to go back to. As we return home to the Marine Travel Ground after two long trips on the road, we are looking forward to showing our amazing supporters how much it means for us to be back.

The unstoppable Pilgrims did the business again beating second place Crowborough by a 30 point margin opening a nine point gap over second place Dartfordians. The team has a well earned break this weekend before they launch into the final three games before Christmas as they look to continue their perfect start to the season.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

Frank R v Guernsey

Frank Pulls The Strings

Posted on | by David Haigh

GUERNSEY 10 CANTERBURY 34

by Andy Rogers

It’s often said there is no such thing as a free lunch and so it turned out on this trip to Guernsey which is always a massive challenge, made harder still by the wind and rain battering the island on Saturday. Facing the worst of the conditions in the first period Canterbury played controlled rugby against bullish opposition with the back row and influential No 8 Tyler Oliver always in the thick of things. So it was against the run of play when after 20 minutes Canterbury were penalised for offside at the breakdown and from the resulting line out Guernsey second row Lewis Hillier was driven over.
That early momentum seemed to be drifting away further when Cameron Murray was singled out for ten minutes in the sin bin after some mild argy bargy with the Guernsey forwards. However, these setbacks appeared to galvanize a Canterbury side who continued to play the conditions with control, astute kicking and no little skill.
On thirty minutes and down to 14 players they drew level. It was the unlikely figure of fly half Frank Reynolds who emerged from the bottom of a driving maul to claim the touch down. When he converted his own score it was the start of a virtuoso performance from the Number Ten who went on to net two tries, two penalties and four conversions for a personal haul of 24 points. Reynolds then added a penalty goal before half time leaving Canterbury with a slender five point lead but still with a serious second half job to do.
With Reynolds pulling the strings it turned out to be a lead they would not surrender, but any suggestion that this was a one man performance would be way off the mark.
With fifteen second half minutes played prop Cam Macmillan drove over for the side’s second try and five minutes later lock Dave Irvine was rewarded for an afternoons hard graft by adding another to take the score to 27-5
Guernsey were not finished though. Spurred on by a noisy crowd they continued to take the game to the visitors and with 10 minutes remaining their tricky fly half Owen Thomas broke the cover to put centre Ciaran McGann over for a try which went unconverted.
It proved to be much too little too late for the home side leaving the final word to man of the match Reynolds. Playing with confidence, Canterbury went looking for a bonus point try. Wingers Alfie Orris and Garry Jones both went close after some lovely interplay with Will Waddington before forward pressure saw replacement scrum half Ben Cooper gather a loose ball to set up Reynolds who dummied and outpaced the cover to race under the posts.
A fitting end to a fine individual performance but, more importantly, an impressive display from a Canterbury squad who played the difficult conditions with a level of skill and control which augurs well for the testing run of league games to come.

Canterbury: W.Waddington, G.Jones, F.Morgan, T.Best, A.Orris, F.Reynolds, T.Williams, C.Macmillan, N.Morris, W.McColl, D.Irvine, S.Kerry, J.Stephens, C.Murray, T.Oliver. Replacements: E.O.Donoghue, E,Lusher, B.Cooper, A.Moss, S.Rogers

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v Guernsey - 18 Nov 2023

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton
Vs Guernsey

CHANNEL ISLAND CHALLENGE

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

GUERNSEY V CANTERBURY

Fifty points on the road, and five added to our league tally is exactly what we wanted from last Saturday. Long journeys and performing at your best is a mental challenge that we are beginning to get to grips with. This will be tested again on Saturday as we get on a plane to play Guernsey. There are still things we are working hard to improve, as there always will be, but I can really see growth in our understanding of what are the foundations of our best performance. The old cliché of the top two inches wins you games rings true for us at this point in our journey, and the players know the importance of mental preparation leading up to kick off. And can the Pilgrims keep up their fine unbeaten record in their home game with Crowborough? We are going for our third week of double wins as a squad and we know that we are going to have to be at our best on all fronts to keep on a roll.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

Match report v North Walsham

Walsham Hit For Six

Posted on | by David Haigh

NORTH WALSHAM VIKINGS 10 CANTERBURY 54

by David Haigh

Six second half tries swept North Walsham aside as Canterbury’s domination of possession and territory took its toll on the league’s basement club. The first half ended with the city side, despite having massive overall control, just six points in front but after the break they shook the journey to Norfolk out of their system and brought fresh, match winning energy and purpose to their work. The bulk of Canterbury’s first half points came from the boot of fly half Frank Reynolds who kicked three penalty goals and converted a 26th minute catch and drive try from Tyler Oliver. A young and out muscled Walsham side nevertheless put in a great defensive shift and when a rare attacking chance came they took it. An intercepted pass and slick handling sent wing Tawanda Kendemawa clear for a try, converted by Ross Magnus, who added a penalty goal in the final minute of the half. However, any hopes of a first league victory the Vikings may have entertained were rapidly destroyed as Canterbury raised the intensity from start of the second half and never let go. The hosts were targeted by a superior pack that served up as stream of possession from the set pieces and now turned it into points with four close range tries. Lock Shay Kerry got the first four minutes after the restart but it was in the final quarter that the tries flowed. With the ball carriers making constant inroads Jamie Stephens, twice, and Will McColl made the touchdowns. Late in the day the attack was spread wider and overlaps created scores for wings Alfie Orris and, finally, Garry Jones. Four more conversions from Reynolds made sure the fifty mark was passed as Canterbury took maximum points to consolidate their seventh place in the National 2 East table.

CANTERBURY: W.Waddington, G.Jones, F.Morgan, T.Best, A,Moss, F.Reynolds, T.Williams, C.Macmillan, N.Morris, D.Herriott, D.Irvine, S.Kerry, J.Stephens, C.Murray, T.Oliver. Replacements: E.O.Donoghue, W.McColl, A.Orris, B.Cooper, S.Rogers

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v North Walsham - 11 Nov 2023

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton