WE NEED TO BE READY

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