Category: Match Preview

Tonbridge Juddians v Canterbury

This was the game that should have been the pre-Christmas ‘derby’ but the weather intervened. After last week’s low key performance, there are changes to the squad. Injury and work commitments rule out Tyler Oliver and Tom Best but there is a return for centre Sam Sterling who has recovered from the bug that has affected a number of the senior squad.    Long term injury absentee Charlie Kingsman makes the replacements bench, ironically against the same opposition when he sustained serious thumb damage.

Head Coach Matt Corker writes: “One of the reasons I love rugby is because regardless of how complicated we make it, in essence, it is a simple game. Last week we did not match Dorking physically so we conceded 50 points. The game is great at giving you simple feedback. We are a proud team, representing a proud club and we know we have a responsibility to do the shirt justice every time we have the privilege of putting it on. During the Covid season, we produced a statement of why we play at Canterbury RFC, and the reason that we all collectively come to Canterbury is because we are “Creating an Environment to be proud of”. I believe this to be true and if we want to be an environment to be proud of we need to show how much it means to us to be a part of that.

“The shining light from the weekend was the Pilgrims win against Sevenoaks. A great performance in an entertaining game takes them to the top of the league for the first time this season. They have a good run of games ahead with some big clashes on the horizon as we enter the business end of the season.”

Dorking v Canterbury

Leading into the game last weekend we talked about creating rugby memories, and the best ones being when you win. I think the players put in a performance to be proud of and did just that. Across the team we raised the bar and the belief the lads showed to fight back from a considerable deficit is a marker of a strong team. It was also a herculean effort off the field by so many people to ensure the game was played and relocate everything necessary to the Langton 4G. Its only through the hedge but that doesn’t make it any easier!

Our challenge this week is to back up last week’s performance with an even better one against Dorking. Our focus is to keep building on our strengths and I have challenged the players to bring their own energy and focus. Dorking are also at the top end of the league, and after winning by a score in the final play of the game at Merton Lane I am looking forward to another close contest.

The Pilgrims are having a great season in their first year in Counties 2 Kent. They sit second in the league and have a top of the table clash with Sevenoaks 2’s and the Marine Travel ground this weekend. Kick off is at 3pm and if you want to see a great game of rugby, I can guarantee it will be worth a watch as two teams fight it out to be top of the pile

Matt Corker, Head Coach

CANTERBURY V WORTHING

There are changes to the squad which played at Blackheath. Prop Danny Herriott has a quad strain so is ruled  out. Cameron Macmillan moves to tight head and Eoin O’Donoghue, after a strong performance last week, starts at hooker. Tyler Oliver has recovered from his thumb injury so starts at Number 8 and it is hoped Elliot Lusher will be back among the replacements pending a late fitness test. .

 In the backs Lewis Hollidge returns in the place of Ross Gladdish and the familiar face of Sam Sterling makes his first appearance of the season on the bench.

Head Coach Matt Corer writes  “It might sound like I’m clutching at straws when talking about positives after conceding 40 points and losing, but in the huddle after Saturday’s game the players had some great learnings. To draw the second half 12-12 gave the players confidence that when we stick to the plan and use our strengths we are a match for anybody. The challenge for us is to take our performance from the second half and play like that from the first minute. The other big lesson was that from Blackheath’s four visits to our 22 in the first half they left with four converted tries; we had nearly as many chances but left empty handed. The focus this week is how we can turn those lessons into a better outcome. The players have been really committed to training and we have two strong teams selected with the Pilgrims also having an important encounter. I’m looking forward to another great weekend of rugby.”

A few forced changes this week unfortunately. Tyler Oliver has a thumb injury, no fracture but will be out for between 1-3 weeks depending how it responds. Jamie Stephens moves to Number 8 and Harvey Furneaux comes on to the bench. Part of Lewis Hollidge’s loan agreement was for him not to play against Blackheath, therefor he is unavailable. Ross Gladdish starts at 13 with Vaughn Meredith joining the replacements. Cam McMillan starts at hooker after a good performance last week. Nathan Morris moves to the bench as he is managing an ankle injury.

Last week was exactly how we wanted to start the new year. I think it’s important to acknowledge that Westcliff are on a difficult part of their journey and their players battled hard for 80 minutes. All clubs go through difficult periods, and I want to wish them all the best for the rest of the season. From my perspective, I was really pleased to see the way the players performed and how their hard work keeping fit over Christmas had paid off. Three weeks without a game is a challenge and the players managed to pick up where we left off. Another positive from the weekend was seeing Will Waddington be acknowledged for his consistently strong performances by being awarded NCA National 2 East player of the week.

This weekend poses quite a different challenge for us as we face Blackheath who are sitting at the top of the table. When they visited us at home we were humbled, conceding 57 points and our focus this week has been on giving a much better account of ourselves. We have a good understanding of what our strengths are and we know if we commit to these we are a very good team, we just have to be brave enough to show it.

Matt Corker, Head Coach

Today’s game against Henley Hawks is to go ahead following a pitch inspection on Friday. Kick-off 3pm.  The Canterbury squad will be without captain Jamie Stephens who was injured in the Guernsey match. Jamie must now undergo return to play concussion protocols and is ruled out for a minimum of two weeks. Tom Best will lead a side which sees Tom Halliday start at centre and Jake Dengate in the back row.  Newcomer Ross Gladdish is named among the replacements.

Centre Ross Gladdish makes his first team debut at Guernsey on Saturday. The former Blackheath and Westcliff player is In the starting line-up after featuring in Pilgrims victory at Park House last week.  Scrum half Tom Williams is also handed a starting place after recovering from the shoulder injury which kept him sidelined for three months.  Tom Halliday and Ben Cooper move to the bench while the pack is unchanged from the Old Albanian game.  Back row Alex Evans is recovering from illness so has been given another week to regain full fitness before he comes into consideration.

Head Coach Matt Corker says that while he is clearly not happy with the team’s current league position he believes that we are close to getting results.  ‘We have played some good rugby in recent games but we must stop giving sides an advantage through our slow starts”, he said.    “Guernsey away always offers a unique challenge in our season. We are privileged to be able to get on a plane to go and play a game of rugby and the last few games between us have been full of drama. Last season we started strongly, forging ahead 21-0 in the first half. The second half was a very different story and ill discipline opened the door for Guernsey to come back into the game and it took a penalty try in stoppage time for us to earn a draw. The game before that, a similar driving lineout in the last few minutes earnt us a dramatic win in our promotion season. We are taking a strong squad with us this weekend across the water, and I am expecting similar fireworks to our previous meetings.” The Pilgrims have a vital Counties 2 Kent league clash at home to Vigo, one of the three sides who have narrowly beaten them this season. Kick-off is 3pm

Canterbury travel to West London on Saturday to meet third placed Barnes knowing that they have very rarely come second at the host club’s ground. Last season the game at Barn Elms ended in 20-20 draw and a squad buoyed by last week’s victory over Rochford Hundred will be looking to put in a strong performance. There are two selection changes with wing Guy Hilton returning after completing mandatory concussion protocols while front row man Eoin O’Donoghue joins Guy on the replacements bench.. This will be Eoin’s first team squad debut. Kick-off is 2.30 pm. The weather forecast for Barnes is light rain so supporters should come prepared as there is very little shelter at the ground. AT The Marine Travel Ground the Pilgrims take on Sidcup 2^nd, a side currently one place above them in Counties Kent 2, kick-off 3 pm, and on Sunday the Womens’ team are at home to Kent rivals Medway Ladies with a 2.30 pm kick-off. Unfortunately, the 3^rd team’s Kent Invicta league home fixture has been cancelled as opponents Beckenham cannot raise a side.

Head Coach Matt Corker writes: “Last Saturday, turning round at half time with a lead of 10 points to nil playing up the hill, we were in an identical situation to the game against Dorking. The growth in the team over the last few weeks really shone through in the next forty minutes and there were many positives that contributed to a strong win. The way we controlled the territorial battle and applied pressure through our kicking game was one of the biggest improvements. Another hallmark of a good performance was the composer that we showed after conceding two quick tries to narrow the scoreline. The team made a plan and stuck to it, and I feel you could see the clarity of purpose that this gave us.

Barnes are eight places above us in the table and have had some good wins in the first eight games but the important thing for us to focus on is that we are only separated by 10 points. Each weekend is an opportunity for us to climb the table but to do this we know our attention must be on getting better every week.”