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Sat 27 Apr 2019 · National 2 South
Canterbury
RAMS 1st XV
14
31
Rams endgame produces win against 2nd placed Canterbury
Rams Info29 Apr 2019 - 16:02
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For an end of season game that had nothing resting on it, Saturday’s match was packed full of good rugby, much to the delight of both sets of supporters
Canterbury opened in lively fashion with a salvo of carries that tested Rams’ resolute defence, but it was the away side that struck first on the 4th minute when a break was finished by Joe Duffelen crossing the white-wash and dislocating his shoulder in the process. Seers converted to give his side a 7-0 lead.
The City men struck back on the 21st minute when winger Ricky Mackintosh dotted-down, only for Rams to regain the lead a few minutes later when Andy Humberstone broke through the opposition defence before feeding the ball to his centre partner, Ellis Jones, to score. Seers converted again and Rams took a 14-7 lead.
One feature of the encounter was Canterbury’s determination to play from virtually anywhere on the pitch, and it paid off on the 54th minute when scrum-half stalwart Dan Smart, having just replaced opening scrum-half Kyan Braithwaite, took-off down the blindside from a scrum deep in his own half and after swapping passes with the lively Ricky Mackintosh he slipped the ball to his wing man to complete the try of the afternoon. Young converted again to make the score 14-14.
The home crowd sensed that there was a chance to take the scalp of the league leaders and in so doing maintain their 100% home record, but it wasn’t to be. With the hill in their favour and the wind on their backs, Rams’ fly-half and fall-back, Alex Seers and Tom Humberstone, made sure most of the final quarter was played deep into Canterbury’s half, and they were rewarded with a try by Craig Nightingale on the 58th minute as the ex-Mini and Reading schoolboy finished a trademark Rams’ driving mall from a lineout, and scrum-half Miles Lloyd making a cheeky chip at full speed for Tom Humberstone himself to chase down and score, Seers converted both tries plus a final penalty kick on the 80th minute to give the Rams fly-half a 100% kicking record for the afternoon.
Rams defensive guru, Danny Batty, was full of praise for his side’s afternoon’s work “I thought the boys were very good today especially as Canterbury kept the ball for long periods. We made one small error which they [Canterbury] capitalised on in the 2nd half, but to come down here and only concede two tries against a team that’s finished 2nd in the table is a credit to the players”.
Rams Head Coach Seb Reynolds was also full of praise… “this is a really difficult place to come and get a result, so I was very pleased with the performance today and especially from the back row which is completely different to the back row that we took to Clifton, and I also think that Louis Wolf did a terrific job replacing Tom [Vooght] at 7 and taking on the captaincy for the first time. It just shows how much talent we have at the Club at the moment and that provides a good base for the future. I really hope Canterbury can finish their season with a play-off win next week. They are a strong club and it will be great to renew our battle with them in National 1 next season”.
The City men struck back on the 21st minute when winger Ricky Mackintosh dotted-down, only for Rams to regain the lead a few minutes later when Andy Humberstone broke through the opposition defence before feeding the ball to his centre partner, Ellis Jones, to score. Seers converted again and Rams took a 14-7 lead.
One feature of the encounter was Canterbury’s determination to play from virtually anywhere on the pitch, and it paid off on the 54th minute when scrum-half stalwart Dan Smart, having just replaced opening scrum-half Kyan Braithwaite, took-off down the blindside from a scrum deep in his own half and after swapping passes with the lively Ricky Mackintosh he slipped the ball to his wing man to complete the try of the afternoon. Young converted again to make the score 14-14.
The home crowd sensed that there was a chance to take the scalp of the league leaders and in so doing maintain their 100% home record, but it wasn’t to be. With the hill in their favour and the wind on their backs, Rams’ fly-half and fall-back, Alex Seers and Tom Humberstone, made sure most of the final quarter was played deep into Canterbury’s half, and they were rewarded with a try by Craig Nightingale on the 58th minute as the ex-Mini and Reading schoolboy finished a trademark Rams’ driving mall from a lineout, and scrum-half Miles Lloyd making a cheeky chip at full speed for Tom Humberstone himself to chase down and score, Seers converted both tries plus a final penalty kick on the 80th minute to give the Rams fly-half a 100% kicking record for the afternoon.
Rams defensive guru, Danny Batty, was full of praise for his side’s afternoon’s work “I thought the boys were very good today especially as Canterbury kept the ball for long periods. We made one small error which they [Canterbury] capitalised on in the 2nd half, but to come down here and only concede two tries against a team that’s finished 2nd in the table is a credit to the players”.
Rams Head Coach Seb Reynolds was also full of praise… “this is a really difficult place to come and get a result, so I was very pleased with the performance today and especially from the back row which is completely different to the back row that we took to Clifton, and I also think that Louis Wolf did a terrific job replacing Tom [Vooght] at 7 and taking on the captaincy for the first time. It just shows how much talent we have at the Club at the moment and that provides a good base for the future. I really hope Canterbury can finish their season with a play-off win next week. They are a strong club and it will be great to renew our battle with them in National 1 next season”.
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