READING RFC’s second pre-season friendly saw them go down to a 36-24 defeat to a good Winchester side which outscored them by five tries to four.

Winchester were a well-organised team that crucially came out on top at the breakdowns which made it difficult for Reading to build good phases.

Reading welcomed back a number of regulars in the backs in Rob Sweeney, Chris Greig and Alex Dorliac, but lack of availability meant there was not much scope for rotation during the game.

There was a larger roster of forwards on display with Rob Cunningham the pick in his first outing of the season.

Reading’s tries came from Greig crossing after a period of pressure, Dorliac after a good pick up by Parker, Cunningham who rounded off a good spell of attacking and Peter Czernuszka who finished a flowing three-quarter move. Sam Bowers kicked two conversions.

Winchester looked a well-drilled side with a back unit which showed flair in attack. Their defence was also rock solid and they were a serious test for the home team.

In summing up the game, Reading coach Ben Wills thought the team performed well in defence against a far tougher challenge than the week before.

He was pleased his squad is starting to convert some of the moves learned on the training paddock onto the pitch.

He pointed, however, to a lack of intensity at the breakdowns as something the players need to work on in the two weeks before the start of the league season.