Category: 1st XV

Bury St Edmunds 33 Canterbury 14

by Andy Rogers

This was another frustrating performance from the City side. If the game was only played between the respective 22 metre areas you could argue Canterbury were more than a match for their hosts. But when it came to converting pressure and territory into points there was only one side in it.
Bury, orchestrated by their influential fly half Ben Penfold and the powerful running from their threequarters, always threatened when in possession.
Buoyed by their recent good run Canterbury started brightly but it was Bury who opened the scoring when after an interception and quickly taken tap penalty flanker Mat Bursey drove over in the corner.
Things got worse when Canterbury slept at another quick penalty and Bury No8 Ruaraidh Williams completed the job.
Trailing by twelve points this only told part of the story. Canterbury were playing some attractive rugby, always competitive and clearly having the edge in the scrums, this despite the early loss to injury of tight head Will McColl. Twice Canterbury were held up over the line from attacking lineouts.
So it was no surprise when it finally took a trademark Nathan Morris catch and drive, converted by Frank Reynolds, that brought them back in the game.
Optimism was to be short lived though, because having effectively soaked up Bury pressure a loose exit kick allowed the home side to hit back with hooker Archie Bourne going in under the posts to complete the first half scoring and open up a 19-7  lead.
The second half was much of the same. Canterbury had more than their fair share of possession but errors and poor handling at critical times would be their undoing. Whilst the scrummage continued to dominate there was still hope. Here front rowers Adam Malik and Dan Huntley, both promoted from the successful Pilgrims, were to make their first team debuts from the bench.
Just when needed however the Canterbury lineout started to badly misfire. Four promising attacking opportunities were butchered either stolen or given as not straight.
Bury would go on to show how it should be done. Absorbing Canterbury pressure and with limited possession they would go on to score two further tries.
Between these, prop Elliot Lusher touched down under the posts after good work from flanker Jake Dengate.  Reynolds’ conversion narrowed the gap to twelve points before the home side rounded things off with a final try. So Canterbury left without a point but with a point to prove in how to turn pressure into scores before next weeks testing home game against league leader Esher.

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Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

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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Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

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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Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

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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Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

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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Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton