Rivals set for rugby derby

Sportsdesk • Published 19 Jan 2010 09:00 0 Comments

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Peter Freeth brings down a Bournemouth player. Picture by Denis Murphy

NATIONAL Three South West rivals Reading and Redingensians go head-to-head for the second time this season at Old Bath Road on Saturday.

Hosts Gensians will be out to avenge the Green Machine's 14-13 victory at Holme Park in October as both sides look to bounce back from defeats last weekend.

Gensians have rung the changes after being shut out by Bournemouth.

The club's record try-scorer Jez Flynn comes back in at scrum half, while Matt Hulland switches from the back row to partner Owen Root in the second row.

Simon Parfitt also makes his first start at openside flanker.

Coach Alun Rise said: "We have to get our season back on track. Over the Christmas period we had no rugby and no training because of the weather.

"Not surprisingly we produced a disappointing performance at Bournemouth.

"However, on the plus side we had a good training session on Tuesday and the lads responded well."

Reading went down 38-31 at Exmouth last time out and lock Sean Kenneally is in no doubt that they are in for a tough battle on Saturday. He said: "It will be another tight game."

GENSIANS

GENSIANS never really got going in their first match of 2010 as they slumped to a forgettable 11-0 defeat against Bournemouth in a National Three South West.

The Old Bath Road side were far from their best and will need to show a vast improvement on Saturday against Reading if they want to avenge October's derby day defeat.

After Joe Matthams' third minute penalty attempt drifted wide, they had to wait until injury-time to reach the home 22 again.

The only positive from a Gensians point of view was that they defended well after gifting their opponents possession time and time again.

Coach Alun Rise admitted: "We are a far better side than we showed at Bournemouth. The basic skills were lacking and we were well off the pace.

"We failed to compete in the line-out and the contact areas were a mess."

Gensians started brightly and driving forward play set up Matthams' lone penalty effort.

From then on it was all Bournemouth. Their only first half points came from a Mike Pope penalty after 33 minutes, although they went close to a try on occasions.

Early in the second half Gensians were let off the hook, before a clever bout of inter-passing set up a match winning touchdown for winger Rory Hearson on 49 minutes.

Then with a quarter of an hour remaining, Pope sealed the game with his second penalty, before replacement Nick Dewland received the visitors' 15th yellow card this term.

GENSIANS: Allen; Clements; Reynolds; Freeth; Matthams; Swadling (Matthews 72); Raitt; Saunders (Dewland 74); Clare; Baker; Horn; S Hallett (Parfitt 55); Hulland; Stapley; Watkins.

READING

READING will be feeling far happier than local rivals Gensians ahead of Saturday's derby clash despite also tasting defeat last weekend.

The Green Machine ultimately went down 38-31 in Exmouth, but a stiring second half fightback capped by three tries earned them two bonus points after they trailed 31-7 at the break.

Coach Ben Hughes called the first half display 'the worst he had experienced at the club' but was full of praise for the attitude shown after half-time.

Reading team manager Kevin Rackley agreed and said: "After some hard words at half-time, we came out in the second-half, defended well from there on and if the match had gone another five minutes we could well have pulled the game out of the fire."

Reading actually got off to a dream start when Duncan Mollinson pounced on a loose ball to run in the opening try on three minutes.

Tom Goodhew's conversion put them 7-0 to the good, but Reading then fell asleep and allowed their opponents to dominate the remaining 37 minutes of the half.

Andrew Powell rumbled over for the hosts first try and Rich Cadywould's conversion brought the scores level on 17 minutes.

Cadywould was then called into action three more times before the break to convert two tries by number eight Dave Ewers and one by prop Murray Daniel.

This put Exmouth 24 points clear and they threatened to make it even more before Reading regrouped after the break.

Alex Dorliac crossed early in the second half to give Reading hope. And despite Dale Sleeman going over for Exmouth's fifth try, the Green Machine kept going to secure a try and losing bonus points with two tries in three minutes.

First scrum half Richard Lester burst clear from halfway and darted over near the posts and then Olly Smith dove over in the corner, with two Goodhew conversions taking the score to 38-28.

The fly half then landed a crucial penalty to bring Reading with seven points to secure the second bonus point.

READING: Dorliac; Lynch; Donnelly (Fanning); Smith; Mollinson; Goodhew; Lester; Harvey; Fisher (King); Grierson; Kenneally; Taylor; Phillips (capt); Cranton; Hughes.

ABBEY

ABBEY face a tough trip to former South West One East pacesetters Oakmedians on Saturday.

The Bournemouth side started the season like a house on fire, but have slipped down to midtable after four defeats in their last six games.

Abbey will be without Jim Dye, Henry Williams and Owen Rees, but veteran Dave Anfield is likely to come in at centre alongside skipper Tom Waterhouse.

* ABBEY third team skipper Lee Buller has sent out an open invitation to anyone who would like to join his side in training to shed a few holiday pounds.

He said: "Of course I'm hoping to recruit into the social sides, but we'd be pleased to see anyone who just wanted to see what a rugby training session is about - it's not all about knocking lumps out of each other.

"Come and find out. It's much cheaper than a gym subscription, it's free."

Sessions are Tuesdays and Thursdays, just turn up and ask for Lee.

YOUTH

GENSIANS under-15s made light work of difficult playing conditions to romp to a 35-12 win at Twickenham on Sunday.

Captain Matthew Hunt returned from injury with two tries, while Liam MacDevitt also scored a brace. Jake Wareham and Jake Holt were the other scorers.

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