Sat 28 Sep 2019
Reading 45 Reading Abbey 13
Mark Hoskins
An Abbey side lacking experience behind the scrum suffered an unexpectedly heavy defeat in the local derby at Holme Park. With both sides having lost their opening two league matches a close encounter was anticipated, but the visitors conceded seven tries and rarely looked in contention despite enjoying parity at the scrums. Abbey are now bottom of Wadworth Southern Counties North, and only they and Didcot have yet to register any league points.
Abbey were confined to their own 22 straight from the kick off, and despite good tackles from second row Gerry Sutherland and prop Jack Stevenson they were soon in trouble, conceding a penalty inside the third minute. The kick was a straightforward one, but scrum half Nick Birch’s attempt bounced wide off the left post. Abbey winger Jack Brown ran the ball clear of immediate danger and the first of many fine tackles from flanker George House halted Reading when they retrieved possession. However, a speculative run by winger Stuart Borthwick forced a gap in the visitors’ defence, and after centre George Dear had backed up well, skipper Andy Parr crossed for a fourth minute try in the right corner. Birch saw the ball topple from the tee as he attempted the conversion, and his hastily-attempted drop kick was wide of the mark.
Abbey began to settle after this setback. The first scrum was steady, and after lock Toby Staker had won a lineout, No.8 Conor Slaven and George House both made ground. Then outside half Arron Ross made a break, and with support from prop Adam Postlethwaite play reached the Reading ten metre line. Staker made further progress, and after Reading had briefly stolen possession, George House’s tackle earned his side a penalty. Malivoire struck the ball well from 30 metres and Abbey had points on the board.
Abbey full back Max Boucher called a good mark when Reading launched their next attack, and after Malivoire’s subsequent kick had failed to find touch a poor Reading pass gave the visitors the put-in at the next scrum. Abbey won good ball and centre Kieran Sweeny made a break before Malivoire sent a high kick towards the touchline. Unfortunately for Abbey, the ball was brilliantly caught on the run by Borthwick, and he set off on a diagonal run to the left. Dear supported his winger once again, and the centre’s pass released winger Chris Grieg-Jenkins who sped across the line for a good try. The wind diverted Birch’s conversion attempt at the last second, but Reading now led 10-3 after eleven minutes.
Abbey enjoyed what was probably their best spell of the game in the next ten minutes. Flanker Ed House, along with Slaven, Sweeny, Ross and Postlethwaite, combined in a passing movement which gained Abbey a penalty in the home 22. Ross kicked for the corner, and after the resulting maul Reading No.8 Rob Cunningham was yellow-carded. Abbey elected to go for a scrum, but good defence stopped the combined efforts of Slaven and Stevenson with play almost on the home line. However, Abbey were awarded another scrum, and after Malivoire ran to the blindside, Sweeny’s pass gave winger Christian Floyd a debut try in the left corner. Malivoire struck his conversion well, but the ball dipped under the bar.
A good tackle by Ed House on flanker Charlie Davies secured turnover ball for Abbey, but the pressure was soon back on the visitors. The home side won a series of clean lineout catches, and this helped to confine Abbey to their own 22. Three tackles in quick succession by George House kept Reading at bay, but after a brave catch by Boucher, Abbey were caught offside. Birch at last had some success from the kicking tee, and Reading went 13-8 up with almost half an hour played.
Soon afterwards, Chris Shaw came off the bench for his first appearance after missing the start of the season through injury. He replaced Staker and was soon in the thick of the action. Both he and skipper Matt Hart tackled well, but a long break from home prop Gavin Egan gave Grieg-Jenkins the chance to take play back into the Abbey 22. Cunningham returned from the bin at this point, but Abbey mounted a promising attack which ended with centre Sam Andrews sending a long kick into the home half. Floyd put in a good tackle on lock Rory Laing as Reading counterattacked, and then he and Postlethwaite combined to force hooker Will Proctor-Searle into touch. Half time was fast approaching, and Abbey were rather unfortunate when a kick ahead bounced off a home player’s shoulder. Dear reacted quickly and claimed the loose ball. He ran towards the right and passed to his co-centre Grant Spears, who burst through Boucher’s attempted tackle to score Reading’s third try. Birch was unable to convert, and the first half ended soon afterwards with Reading leading 18-8.
Abbey made two changes at the start of the second half, with Jake Leach coming on for Hart and Staker returning at the expense of Sutherland. The visitors started confidently, despite losing an early lineout, and good tactical kicks from Malivoire and Floyd kept play in the home half. Ross made ground from a scrum, and Slaven and Shaw supported well. However, when Ross was next in possession, his pass was intercepted by replacement prop Ed Whelan, who had only been on the field for two minutes. The former Abbey player showed incredible pace over 40 metres to claim the sort of try which hardened members of the front row union only ever dream of scoring, and Reading had their bonus point. Birch could not convert, and straight after this Abbey replaced Ed House with Tom Wilkinson.
Worse was to follow for Abbey very soon after Whelan’s try. In the 54th minute outside half Alex Murray-Smith completely wrong-footed Ross and sprinted through a huge gap in the Abbey defence. Despite a premature celebration, he concentrated sufficiently to touch down under the posts, leaving Birch with a simple conversion. The score was now 30-8 in Reading’s favour and to all intents and purposes the game was over. Birch was replaced at this point, and soon afterwards full back Alex Dorliac took over the kicking duties to land a penalty which further extended his side’s advantage.
Whelan limped out of the action having played a small but significant cameo role, and Sutherland returned to the field in place of Stevenson. A tedious phase of the game followed, during which a scrum was reset four times, but when the action eventually got under way again, the crowd was treated to the best try of the match. Grieg-Jenkins received the ball close to the halfway line, and in a superb swerving run he accelerated past three hopeful Abbey defenders on his way to the line. Dorliac converted, and Abbey now trailed by 40-8.
Reading’s lineout had been excellent throughout, and with ten minutes left they produced their best scrum of the game, forcing Abbey backwards. Hart returned to the action in place of Leach, and Shaw and Postlethwaite worked hard to retain Abbey possession. However, when Reading got the ball again a towering kick to the right corner resulted in Dorliac catching superbly before being driven over for a good try. He could not convert, and there was time in the final five minutes for a brief Abbey revival. Staker and Malivoire ran well to take play into the home 22, and after a good tackle from Brown, Reading were penalised. Malivoire kicked to touch, Staker won his cleanest ball of the afternoon, and a superb drive saw George House cross for a well-deserved consolation try. Malivoire’s conversion again dipped under the bar, and the final whistle sparked happy Reading celebrations.
Of Abbey’s three defeats so far this season, this was the most disappointing. Their backs struggled to contain the more experienced Reading threequarters, and their lineout rarely provided a solid platform. In contrast, Reading’s lineout was a model of accuracy, and their backs, with Grieg-Jenkins outstanding, always had the upper hand. Plusses for Abbey included a solid afternoon of scrummaging and a gutsy display of tackling from George House. Slaven, Postlethwaite, Sutherland and debutant Floyd all had their moments, but the overall lack of experience behind the scrum was Abbey’s undoing. They will hope for better things when they pay their first visit to Shipston-on-Stour next Saturday.
Abbey: M Boucher, J Brown, S Andrews, K Sweeny, C Floyd, A Ross, J Malivoire, A Postlethwaite, M Hart (captain, J Leach 40-71), J Stevenson (G Sutherland 62), G Sutherland (T Staker 40), T Staker (C Shaw 30), G House, E House (T Wilkinson 50), C Slaven
Reading: A Dorliac, S Borthwick, G Dear, G Spears, C Grieg-Jenkins, A Murray-Smith, N Birch (S Howell 54), G Egan (E Whelan 48-61), W Proctor-Searle, S King, R Laing, A Parr (captain, A Veale 54), F Koefman, C Davies, R Cunningham
Abbey:
Tries: Floyd, G House
Pen: Malivoire
Reading:
Tries: Grieg-Jenkins (2), Parr, Spears, Whelan, Murray-Smith, Dorliac
Con: Birch, Dorliac
Pen: Birch, Dorliac
Yellow card: Cunningham
Referee: D Evans (Somerset)
Mark Hoskins
An Abbey side lacking experience behind the scrum suffered an unexpectedly heavy defeat in the local derby at Holme Park. With both sides having lost their opening two league matches a close encounter was anticipated, but the visitors conceded seven tries and rarely looked in contention despite enjoying parity at the scrums. Abbey are now bottom of Wadworth Southern Counties North, and only they and Didcot have yet to register any league points.
Abbey were confined to their own 22 straight from the kick off, and despite good tackles from second row Gerry Sutherland and prop Jack Stevenson they were soon in trouble, conceding a penalty inside the third minute. The kick was a straightforward one, but scrum half Nick Birch’s attempt bounced wide off the left post. Abbey winger Jack Brown ran the ball clear of immediate danger and the first of many fine tackles from flanker George House halted Reading when they retrieved possession. However, a speculative run by winger Stuart Borthwick forced a gap in the visitors’ defence, and after centre George Dear had backed up well, skipper Andy Parr crossed for a fourth minute try in the right corner. Birch saw the ball topple from the tee as he attempted the conversion, and his hastily-attempted drop kick was wide of the mark.
Abbey began to settle after this setback. The first scrum was steady, and after lock Toby Staker had won a lineout, No.8 Conor Slaven and George House both made ground. Then outside half Arron Ross made a break, and with support from prop Adam Postlethwaite play reached the Reading ten metre line. Staker made further progress, and after Reading had briefly stolen possession, George House’s tackle earned his side a penalty. Malivoire struck the ball well from 30 metres and Abbey had points on the board.
Abbey full back Max Boucher called a good mark when Reading launched their next attack, and after Malivoire’s subsequent kick had failed to find touch a poor Reading pass gave the visitors the put-in at the next scrum. Abbey won good ball and centre Kieran Sweeny made a break before Malivoire sent a high kick towards the touchline. Unfortunately for Abbey, the ball was brilliantly caught on the run by Borthwick, and he set off on a diagonal run to the left. Dear supported his winger once again, and the centre’s pass released winger Chris Grieg-Jenkins who sped across the line for a good try. The wind diverted Birch’s conversion attempt at the last second, but Reading now led 10-3 after eleven minutes.
Abbey enjoyed what was probably their best spell of the game in the next ten minutes. Flanker Ed House, along with Slaven, Sweeny, Ross and Postlethwaite, combined in a passing movement which gained Abbey a penalty in the home 22. Ross kicked for the corner, and after the resulting maul Reading No.8 Rob Cunningham was yellow-carded. Abbey elected to go for a scrum, but good defence stopped the combined efforts of Slaven and Stevenson with play almost on the home line. However, Abbey were awarded another scrum, and after Malivoire ran to the blindside, Sweeny’s pass gave winger Christian Floyd a debut try in the left corner. Malivoire struck his conversion well, but the ball dipped under the bar.
A good tackle by Ed House on flanker Charlie Davies secured turnover ball for Abbey, but the pressure was soon back on the visitors. The home side won a series of clean lineout catches, and this helped to confine Abbey to their own 22. Three tackles in quick succession by George House kept Reading at bay, but after a brave catch by Boucher, Abbey were caught offside. Birch at last had some success from the kicking tee, and Reading went 13-8 up with almost half an hour played.
Soon afterwards, Chris Shaw came off the bench for his first appearance after missing the start of the season through injury. He replaced Staker and was soon in the thick of the action. Both he and skipper Matt Hart tackled well, but a long break from home prop Gavin Egan gave Grieg-Jenkins the chance to take play back into the Abbey 22. Cunningham returned from the bin at this point, but Abbey mounted a promising attack which ended with centre Sam Andrews sending a long kick into the home half. Floyd put in a good tackle on lock Rory Laing as Reading counterattacked, and then he and Postlethwaite combined to force hooker Will Proctor-Searle into touch. Half time was fast approaching, and Abbey were rather unfortunate when a kick ahead bounced off a home player’s shoulder. Dear reacted quickly and claimed the loose ball. He ran towards the right and passed to his co-centre Grant Spears, who burst through Boucher’s attempted tackle to score Reading’s third try. Birch was unable to convert, and the first half ended soon afterwards with Reading leading 18-8.
Abbey made two changes at the start of the second half, with Jake Leach coming on for Hart and Staker returning at the expense of Sutherland. The visitors started confidently, despite losing an early lineout, and good tactical kicks from Malivoire and Floyd kept play in the home half. Ross made ground from a scrum, and Slaven and Shaw supported well. However, when Ross was next in possession, his pass was intercepted by replacement prop Ed Whelan, who had only been on the field for two minutes. The former Abbey player showed incredible pace over 40 metres to claim the sort of try which hardened members of the front row union only ever dream of scoring, and Reading had their bonus point. Birch could not convert, and straight after this Abbey replaced Ed House with Tom Wilkinson.
Worse was to follow for Abbey very soon after Whelan’s try. In the 54th minute outside half Alex Murray-Smith completely wrong-footed Ross and sprinted through a huge gap in the Abbey defence. Despite a premature celebration, he concentrated sufficiently to touch down under the posts, leaving Birch with a simple conversion. The score was now 30-8 in Reading’s favour and to all intents and purposes the game was over. Birch was replaced at this point, and soon afterwards full back Alex Dorliac took over the kicking duties to land a penalty which further extended his side’s advantage.
Whelan limped out of the action having played a small but significant cameo role, and Sutherland returned to the field in place of Stevenson. A tedious phase of the game followed, during which a scrum was reset four times, but when the action eventually got under way again, the crowd was treated to the best try of the match. Grieg-Jenkins received the ball close to the halfway line, and in a superb swerving run he accelerated past three hopeful Abbey defenders on his way to the line. Dorliac converted, and Abbey now trailed by 40-8.
Reading’s lineout had been excellent throughout, and with ten minutes left they produced their best scrum of the game, forcing Abbey backwards. Hart returned to the action in place of Leach, and Shaw and Postlethwaite worked hard to retain Abbey possession. However, when Reading got the ball again a towering kick to the right corner resulted in Dorliac catching superbly before being driven over for a good try. He could not convert, and there was time in the final five minutes for a brief Abbey revival. Staker and Malivoire ran well to take play into the home 22, and after a good tackle from Brown, Reading were penalised. Malivoire kicked to touch, Staker won his cleanest ball of the afternoon, and a superb drive saw George House cross for a well-deserved consolation try. Malivoire’s conversion again dipped under the bar, and the final whistle sparked happy Reading celebrations.
Of Abbey’s three defeats so far this season, this was the most disappointing. Their backs struggled to contain the more experienced Reading threequarters, and their lineout rarely provided a solid platform. In contrast, Reading’s lineout was a model of accuracy, and their backs, with Grieg-Jenkins outstanding, always had the upper hand. Plusses for Abbey included a solid afternoon of scrummaging and a gutsy display of tackling from George House. Slaven, Postlethwaite, Sutherland and debutant Floyd all had their moments, but the overall lack of experience behind the scrum was Abbey’s undoing. They will hope for better things when they pay their first visit to Shipston-on-Stour next Saturday.
Abbey: M Boucher, J Brown, S Andrews, K Sweeny, C Floyd, A Ross, J Malivoire, A Postlethwaite, M Hart (captain, J Leach 40-71), J Stevenson (G Sutherland 62), G Sutherland (T Staker 40), T Staker (C Shaw 30), G House, E House (T Wilkinson 50), C Slaven
Reading: A Dorliac, S Borthwick, G Dear, G Spears, C Grieg-Jenkins, A Murray-Smith, N Birch (S Howell 54), G Egan (E Whelan 48-61), W Proctor-Searle, S King, R Laing, A Parr (captain, A Veale 54), F Koefman, C Davies, R Cunningham
Abbey:
Tries: Floyd, G House
Pen: Malivoire
Reading:
Tries: Grieg-Jenkins (2), Parr, Spears, Whelan, Murray-Smith, Dorliac
Con: Birch, Dorliac
Pen: Birch, Dorliac
Yellow card: Cunningham
Referee: D Evans (Somerset)
