Published: Wednesday, 19th November, 2008 12:00
Milne backs Gensians to recover
By Nigel Sutcliffe
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Redingensians 24, Clifton 40
Warren Milne
GENSIANS veteran Warren Milne believes the Old Bath Road men will be in the shake-up for South West One honours despite their second successive defeat.
He said: “We are still well in the mix. The next month or so could decide the outcome when the top sides play each other.”
The 41-year-old bricklayer, in his last year of senior rugby, admitted: “Although we missed a few tackles, our rucking and speed of recycling was good.”
An interested onlooker was Ben Malan, son of the 1960/61 Springboks skipper Avril Malan. A coach at Stellenbosch University, he is spending three weeks in England at Gensians and Reading University.
“Gensians weren’t beaten by a side that were their masters.” he said. “It was just Clifton made fewer mistakes especially in defence.”
League leaders Clifton were superbly marshalled from full-back by former England winger David Rees.
He was a try scorer in a 26-26 draw with the All Blacks when the great Jonah Lomu was his opposite number.
In a bright start to an exhilarating game of open rugby, Gensians took a sixth minute lead. After a telling break by prop James Baker, the ball was spun out and Seb Reynolds crossed for Chandler to add the extras.
But the visitors began to assert and hit back when they forced a five metre scrum and Daniel Butler scored in the corner for John Barnes to convert.
Clifton, now on top, squandered several chances before Gensians restored their lead against the run of play on 33 minutes. Jez Flynn made one of many telling breaks, Tom Clare carried on the move and a flick pass by James Lack found Chandler, who touched down and converted.
In a hectic finish to the half, the Bristol side outscored Gensians two tries to one.
Rees set up Butler for his second converted score, speedy winger Ollie Sills added another but Jevon Marsh, with a blistering 60 metre break, opened up the defence and Marsh’s brother Gavin provided the link for Reynolds to go over again.
At 19-19 it was anyone’s game but for the second week on the trot, Gensians made a mess of the second half restart, and from the ensuing scrum Rees scored for Barnes to convert.
It got worse on 45 minutes, when Clifton’s influential scrum-half Daniel Frost took a quick tap penalty to catch the home defence unaware for another seven points.
Trailing 33-19, it seemed Gensians were down and out but then they had their best spell and Flynn raced in from the Clifton 10-metre line to score, Chandler landing the conversion from way out.
Gensians continued to threaten and Peter Freeth was unlucky to knock on with the line at his mercy before three missed tackles enabled Sills to make sure for Clifton, who set a new club record of 11 successive league victories.
The Sonning men have the chance to get back to winning ways next Saturday in the EDF National Trophy. Old Patesians are the visitors and Gensians will be keen to avenge the recent 27-10 defeat down in Cheltenham.
Gary Reynolds, the Gensians director of rugby, admitted: “It’s pay back time. We’ll field our best possible side for the Cup match. Then we have to work relentlessly right through to the Christmas break.”
Redingensians: J Marsh; Abrahams, Reynolds, Freeth, Lack; Chandler, Flynn; Conlan, Clare, Baker, Milne, G Marsh, Davies, Southern, Randall. Subs: Amor, Breadmore, Webb.
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