Category: 5th XV

CANTERBURY 5^th 52pts ASHFORD 3^rd 31pts

Canterbury struggled against a heavy Ashford pack that looked like it would dominate the game despite Canterbury drawing first blood with a Will Rayner try. Ashford’s reply was swift with a try of their own from short-range and looked to dominate with another try ten minutes later. Slightly against the run of play fullback Tom Blackman who had made a devastating run from inside his own half ended up on the outside to touch down in the corner, quickly followed by Toby Allen breaking through to put the Zingari back in front before Ashford’s forwards took control with another try to level the halftime scores at 19-19.

The second half saw the city pack if not in control more assertive giving their backs attacking opportunities, first with Gareth Thomas scoring two try’s, and Will Rayner taking his second. Ashford came back hard with two try’s of their own, but it was the city who were in the driving seat first with the ball going wide for Toby Allen to finish off. Then in the dying moments Allen again was on hand to win a foot race after an Ashford mix-up in midfield to put the game beyond reach with a try under the posts.

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.

CANTERBURY 5^th 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 5^th 5pts.  Thanet 3rds. 35pts

Canterbury 5^th lost their chance to go top of the table this week against a strong well drilled Thanet 3rd team. The city side battled well in the first half although always under pressure and thanks to a Jerome Weigh try held the visitors to within a ten-point lead at half time. The Zingari did well for most of the second half keeping Thanet within range, however, Canterbury paid the price for playing catch-up giving Thanet the opportunity to open the flood gates, and to add to their woes it was later learned Matt Capper had suffered a broken collar bone.

UKC 2nd 14pts Canterbury 5th 19pts

The 5ths were severely tested by a youthful and unbeaten Kent University side before they registered their third Kent Rural League win in a row. The City forwards needed all their experience to overcome the students and provide the ammunition for the back division to strike with two tries from Will Rayner. UKC hit back with two converted scores of their own before Jerome Weigh forced his way over. That try and two conversions from Kevin Stevens saw the City side back into the lead and great defending made sure they survived the final twenty minutes.

CANTERBURY  5^th 61pts.  FOLKSTONE 3rds. 0pts

The city side never looked in any real danger in their 3^rd league match of the season. Folkestone battled well in the first half, their forwards restricting the amount of quality ball Canterbury could scavenge, and even managed to cross the city line at one point only to have the try disallowed. This however was not enough, first Jerome Weigh opened the account for the city, followed by Toby Allen and Joe Rumsey touching down after some penetrating midfield breaks, and with Kevin Stevens adding all the conversions gave Canterbury a comfortable lead at halftime.

The second half saw the city forwards begin to take control producing some quick ball that was spread wide producing holes in the Folkstone defence with ruthless efficiency. The tries soon began to mount with Richard Collins and Will Rayner both breaking through scoring with two tries each. This was followed by Rob Paul and James Limmer getting on the score sheet, and Jacob Coffin adding three out of four conversions sealed the match for the home side.

AYLESFORD 3rds 38pts – CANTERBURY 5ths 34 pts

The Zingari were away to a strong Aylesford side who tested the city side from the outset, drawing the first blood after a missed midfield tackle in the first 15 minutes. Canterbury who had been under pressure hit back 5 minutes later with Jez Weigh burrowing over for a try converted by Kevin Stevens to establish their credentials. The pace of the game didn’t let up with Aylesford making a quick reply with a converted try after another missed midfield tackle while Canterbury’s Will Rayner outstripped the opposition for a try out wide. Again Aylesford hit back with an unconverted try, but as halftime approached the city stayed in touch. first with Will Rayner for his second try of the afternoon and then with Sam Roud breaking through to touch down before converting his own try to edge Canterbury a 24-19 halftime lead.

The second half saw Canterbury have to make some serious changes, hit by a succession of injuries and the subs bench empty players were rearranged, but despite this Canterbury managed to extend the lead with Toby Allan using his speed to score out wide. However, the strain began to tell while they battled unfamiliar positions Aylesford turned up the pressure, with two tries and a conversion before Canterbury gifted them another converted try after a defensive mix up. Despite this, the city side fought back managing to blunt Aylesford attacks for the last fifteen minutes and sneaked one back with a Jez Weigh second try of the afternoon to take Canterbury within four points for a very respectable score.

CANTERBURY 5^ths 10  LORDSWOOD 10

04.09.21

The Zingari welcomed Lordswood to the Marine Travel Ground in this pre-league friendly. Both sides were desperate to play their first game in eighteen months, this was obvious in the opening exchanges with both sides making mistakes before the games settled into a pattern.

Lordswood having a slight advantage in the pack while the Canterbury backs looked the more dangerous on the outside. This proved to be the case when Canterbury scored first with a try out wide, but not to be outdone Lordswood leveled the score with a try of their own before halftime. The second half was much the same except both sides now looked more fluent producing some excellent rugby with the same results as the first half, with the city side taking advantage of an overlap to go back in front.

The two teams looked well matched, but Lordswood managed to use their pack to drive over to equalise for an honourable final result.