A Game Not To Be Remembered

The mid-table ambitions are long gone.
It’s now, officially and most definitely, a relegation struggle for the Raiders as Jordan Reynolds continues to stare at a phenomenally long injury list. Bring on 2019 and a change of fortune.

After this latest loss Raiders remain 14th in National Two South and the only consolation is that both London Irish Wild Geese and The Bees up in the Midlands also continue to have a losing streak.
Titans were 34-7 ahead by half-time on a very wet and windy day when Raiders were not at their best.
There was nothing festive about the Taunton Titans on the pitch and they could not have begun more briskly as within two minutes of kick off they were on the scoreboard with a try by Nick Mason bursting through a wobbly defence. The try was converted by Sam Brown.

This set the tone for the afternoon.

With a further try from Mason and others by Nash, Struminski, Toots and Teague, the Raiders could only counter with a converted try from George Shannon in the opening half.

Raiders were then up against the bitter wind and driving rain throughout the second period with the Titans in no mood to slow down and four more tries were added through Nash, Struminski and two by Sam Brown who converted five.

For Raiders, captain Lewis Hillier added our second try after half-time, which again Shannon kicked successfully.
But there was a determination evident in this ruthless performance by the Titans – ‘mouth-wateringly effective’ - in the words of the home side’s official post-match reflections.
Douglas Horrocks stood out for Raiders at No. 8 and he was well supported by his fellow back-rowers Shannon and Matt Creber.

But we are clearly up against it, which is hardly surprising given the extent of the injuries. It seems to be the norm at this level that clubs are being propped up by a Championship or Premiership side when in a similar crisis - something Reynolds but be quietly envious of.

However, Reynolds is more worried about the way the side seem to be struggling to get up for away games and another is coming up this weekend at Worthing Raiders.
‘This was another away trip we really haven’t got up for.
‘I don’t think we were motivated enough.
‘In the wet conditions we had there, there is no way a team should be scoring 60 points and we didn’t show our true selves.
‘We are doing it for the home games and it is something we need to sort out.’

In other news, Malcolm Barnes undergoes surgery in Southampton on Thursday for the four fractures in the cheekbone he incurred against Henley Hawks.
Naturally, we wish ‘Barno’ the best of luck and hope to see him back on the island soon.