Category: Match Preview

MATCH PREVIEW: HENLEY HAWKS

Saturday was our first victory against Bury in the last three seasons and the team had to dig deep, literally uphill and into the wind, to earn the win. Games hinge on key moments and our ability to win these, doing the right thing at the right times, proved to be the difference. Frank Reynolds had another great day off the tee, and when the Bury kicker was having a very different afternoon our fly half’s contribution was also crucial. We could have put ourselves under less pressure had we given away fewer penalties, especially in the open exchanges. This weekend we have the same referee and need to learn those lessons quickly.
Henley continue to have another good season currently sitting in 5th, one place ahead of their 6th place this time last year. With two games to go they will also be looking to finish strongly in their last home fixture of the season. We have had some great games at Dry Leas over the years, and with the sun expected to be out the stage is set for another. Our focus is on bringing the performance we know we are capable of.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

MATCH PREVIEW: BURY ST EDMUNDS

The final block is upon is and we still have a great deal to play for. Sitting 7th in National 2 East, we know that there are potentially four teams within three points of us. When the final whistle goes on the 27th April if we want to feel proud of our progress this season the results in these next three games are very important. That’s why they call it the business end of the season.
We had the opportunity to go unbeaten in our last block of three games but fell at the final hurdle. Away at Old Albanians our defensive performance was below standard and the last two weeks we have been working on the things that bring our defence to life. I’m looking forward to seeing how the team builds on this progress tomorrow; we have shown what we can do in training but must transfer this to match day.
The other game at the Marine Travel Ground is happening straight after the final whistle of the 1st XV, when our Under 18 colts will take on Bury in Saturday’s double header. It’s a great opportunity to see the Canterbury 1st XV of the future.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

MATCH PREVIEW: OLD ALBANIAN
The big difference this season from the previous one is our ability to back up results and the momentum that allows us to build. The season that we were promoted by March we were a juggernaut rolling downhill and even on days where results shouldn’t have gone our way, we found a way to win. The best teams have an air of inevitability and this is a quality we have shown at different stages of the season, but is a tag that we want to wear constantly. For us to mix it with the top of the league we know losses have to be few and far between, to date Esher have only lost three times this season, and tomorrow we face Old Albanians who have been strong in this league for a long time. The last block of three games we were winless, this three game block we have the opportunity to win three from three but it will take a full 80 minute performance for us to achieve this.

The Pilgrims did it! The crowning glory for a fantastic season culminated in them winning the league at home on Saturday with two games to go. The pride in the players faces at the final whistle is a memory that I will cherish. They deserve all the credit for the commitment they have shown, and for me this was built on the results that they have churned out even when facing large personnel changes. Jon Foster, John Mitchell and Justin Loveridge have set the tone and created a team where lads develop as players and as men. Many players have progressed to represent the 1st XV and everyone who has pulled on a Pilgrims shirt this season has had a great rugby experience. Back to back league titles, what a year.o

Matt Corker, Head Coach

The swing in the level of our performance between the first and second half against Westcombe Park is something that we have had to process. The week off gave us the opportunity to put the game under the microscope and the senior players lead our review. We were well below what we expect of ourselves, and the disappointment was made acutely more painful as it was a fixture that we all wanted to show the best version of ourselves. The local rivalry means a lot to the players, coaches and the club as a whole and the error strewn second half is not the team we want to be.

The last two weeks training has been focused, and work on our ability to maintain possession and our execution at the lineout has quickly started to change our outcomes. This Saturday will be the real test of this and we are fully aware that North Walsham’s league position is not a reflection of the rugby they are playing. Everything is pointing to the sun being out at The Marine Travel ground and I am expecting a battle between two attacking minded teams.

The Pilgrims have another chance to play against Crowborough after last Saturday’s cancellation. Howfield Manor hosted the team last week for a nutritious pre-match breakfast only for the news the game was off to come in as the bus was arriving at Howfield. There was disappointment, but not enough to spoil the lads breakfast! So this week it is a case of Take 2, as the Pilgrims look to maintain their unbeaten run.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

WEEKEND PREVIEW

We needed a reaction from the players after the Dorking game and our performance against Barnes was much improved. Our adjustment to the recent refocus on the new tackle height laws was exactly what we have been working on, only conceding one high tackle penalty. The challenge for us is to continue to dominate collisions at the lower height. Last season this was more straight forward as we coached a big impact from the second tackler. This is an area that referees are now concentrating on, even more so than the beginning of the season, and it has become difficult to have the same impact below the sternum as the second man. We have been working on strategies to be dominant in defence and this weekend is an opportunity to show how far we have progressed in this area.

The main story of the day last Saturday was the number of turnovers we conceded immediately after strong line breaks. This happened on eight occasions, the majority of the time after making considerable metres. It killed our ability to apply pressure through possession and the score board. To be at the top of this league you have to be clinical and we paid the price for our inaccuracy. The positive side of this coin is that we are creating so many good attacking opportunities and our work on is clear.

This weekend is the last of this three game block before a week off and it’s a big derby in the calendar away at Westcombe Park. Both Teams will be focused on finishing strongly and as we get into the business end of the season it’s all to play for.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

CANTERBURY v BARNES

One year later and although the margin was slightly smaller, we came away from Dorking with a very familiar taste in our mouth. Losing to good teams is something that we have to process and learning these lessons is how we will grow as a team. This opportunity is lost when we don’t produce anything near the plan, or we don’t meet the minimum level of physicality that is necessary to win in this league. The frustration is that when we do get to these levels we are match for anyone, but talk is cheap and we only measure ourselves by what we put on tape each Saturday.
Our focus for this week is clear; with another strong opposition visiting the Marine Travel Ground on Saturday we are concentrating on what we need to individually contribute to the team performance for us to win. Five per cent off mentally and you are miles off on the scoreboard; if that is the lesson that we learn from Dorking the disappointment won’t be in vain. We will only know when we see what we put on tape this weekend.
The Pilgrims came through their hardest fought win of the season at third place Dartfordians. The depth of the squad is being tested, as it is this time of the year, and the team battled through to finish on top, scoring over fifty points. With five games to go, only a couple of wins will secure the Pilgrims the league title in their first season at this level. The team know they will not come easy as they try and achieve something very special.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

DORKING v CANTERBURY

Sometimes it’s just about getting the job done. Last time out against Worthing, taking an early lead through a penalty was a solid start but we followed it up by conceding two scores. We still have gains to make in defence. Our reviews still leave us with the feeling that we can go up a level in this area, but the new laws have brought a shift in the game at our level. The same weekend we played Worthing, 11 of the league’s 14 teams scored 24 points or more, 9 over 30. This trend is definitely higher than we saw last season but our focus is on how fast we can move when defending. The quicker we set, the sooner we can get off the line to pressure the opposition. This is something that we will continue to work on as we aim to set high standards for ourselves.

The real story of the day though was the manner in which the players regained control of the game, even if we left it a little later than my blood pressure prefers. The belief and execution in the closing minutes to increase the pressure to an inevitable crescendo, marked the day with the result that we wanted. Good teams have the ability to get the job done and sometimes that means winning ugly. This is something that we haven’t achieved recently and coming out on the right side of a close encounter is still a strong positive from my perspective.

If we learnt anything when we played against Dorking last season, we know when we turn up at their ground, we need to be ready. Last year we were not and we conceded over 50 points, including five tries within thirty minutes. Despite their result last weekend, Dorking sit third for good reason and for us to come away with a win we know we will have to be at our best.

The Pilgrims march on and came out on the right side of their own close encounter last Saturday at Dover. The lead changed hands throughout the game and the Pilgrims finished on top to walk away with a 31-43 win. This week see’s them travel to third place Dartfordians for what will be an important result for both teams.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

CANTEBURY V WORTHING RAIDERS

After two tough games to start the year, fifty points on the road at Wimbledon last week was the perfect remedy. Among the eight tries we scored were some of the best of the season, with one being shortlisted for National league try of the week. A long term project has been to increase the speed that we attack with. When we get this right it has become a powerful weapon and you can see from the similes on the players faces how much they enjoy it. Wimbledon have averaged nearly four tries per game this season so, regardless of their league position, they know how to test the opposition. On review, we still need to move forward the efficiency of our defence as conceding six tries will not leave us as the winning side very often. The understanding in this area is getting better week on week but we still need to focus on the speed we are able to set our defence. The quicker we’re set, the quicker we can get off the line.
This weekend brings up a landmark for one of the club’s longest serving players. Tom Best makes his 300th appearance in the game against Worthing, something that is very rare and spans a 14 year career with the 1st XV. It is impossible to get anywhere near this many appearances without a serious and sustained level of commitment and the club continues to benefit from Tom’s competitiveness and experience. Here’s to the next 300! He will be working hard to help us complete a double over Worthing and the squad shows only one change. Shay Kerry returns to the second row in place of Jesse De Vries who, sadly, is absent because of a family bereavement.
The Pilgrims, like a lot of the country, had a week off last weekend due to a frozen pitch. They return to action against Deal and Betteshanger under Friday night lights. The Pilgrims Friday night games have been great occasions and there’s always an extra level of excitement. I have no doubt it will be another ripper and definitely one not to miss.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

WIMBLEDON v CANTERBURY

My closing words to the players in our huddle after Saturday’s game were “Be proud but don’t be happy” and as we unpicked the game through the week these feel like a good reflection. Before the game my two challenges to the players were to throw the first (metaphorical!) punch, for us to strike first and to make our community, the amazing people that support us, proud. Without a doubt the players did both. Our first try came after just nine minutes and is arguably the best of the season so far. We followed it up with two more well executed scores. Conceding just before half time reduced our lead to two and even thought the second half contained some good rugby from us, we had too many errors in possession which stunted our attack. This combined with letting in six tries meant that we came up two points short. Very proud of the performance, but still not happy with the result.

This weekend brings a trip up to Wimbledon, and for those of you that don’t remember the home leg, we conceded five tries and lost by three. We were very disappointed with our performance that day and Wimbledon very much deserved the victory. This weekend is about us giving a much better account of ourselves and continuing to play our best rugby.

The Pilgrims battled their way to another convincing win against Heathfield and Waldron to prepare themselves for this week’s Counties 1 Kent 1st vs 2nd game away to Dartfordians. It has been a game in the calendar that I know they have been looking forward to and will be a great test to their unbeaten run.

Matt Corker, Head Coach