News & EventsLatest NewsCalendar
Revenge for Raiders

Revenge for Raiders

Alexandra Wallace18 Jan 2017 - 18:00
Share via
FacebookTwitter
https://www.grfc.gg/news/reven

Raiders 39 - 32 Shelford

A FOURTH straight win and one that felt just so good given the manner of the defeat in the reverse fixture. It sees Raiders move up to fifth place in the National Three London and South East table with now real hope of staying there.

The win seemed all but done and dusted by the half time break when Raiders led 36-13, this after Shelford's ill-discipline cost them two players to yellows and a bucketful of points when they were off the pitch.

Luke Sayer fully justified his recall to the starting XV with a typically enigmatic two-try display and in a bonus point success, the other scores came courtesy of Sam Steventon, Nick Merrien and Luke Jones.

Owen Thomas, enjoying another superb all-around game, kicked four conversions and two penalties. The overall performance may not have been of the level of Westcombe Park the week previously, but it was another terrific effort by the lads who after a lacklustre opening went on to play some exhilarating rugby.

Indeed, head coach Jordan Reynolds was critical of the side’s early defending and felt the team had taken their foot off the pedal after the break, ‘we sat back in the second half, but we will take the win and that puts us into fifth,’ he said later.

The home side had started badly and before they knew it they had found themselves trailing 8-0. But once into their stride Raiders suddenly looked highly dangerous with the ball in hand and when Owen Thomas’ long pass missed out the midfield pair and found Sam Whitehead, coming in off his left wing, Luke Sayer and Kenny Hellier stymied the last man out on the right for Sayer to score an unconverted try.

They took the lead moments later when Sam Steventon barged his way to the line from close range with Thomas adding the extras to put Raiders 12-8 to the good. The decisive period of the match came when their hooker Daniel Reilly was shown a yellow card for a high tackle and barely a minute later he was joined in the sin bin by a colleague for a blatant offside offence.

Guernsey made the most of their two-man advantage as they piled on 21 points.
Sayer scored his second with ease and then Merrien finished off after fly-half Thomas weaved his way through before offloading to his lock.

Raiders’ fifth and final try just before the interval fell to Luke Jones, who had a brilliant game and applied the finishing touch to a wonderful team move.

From a Raiders’ fan point of view, the second half was a let down with just Thomas’ penalty to show for their efforts, while Shelford hit back strongly and finished the game with five tries of their own, but the result was never in doubt.

Team:
Steveton, Ceillam, L. Batiste, Merrien, M. Thomas, Martin, Mercadal, Hill, Nixon, O. Thomas, Brown, Jones, Hellier, Whitehead, Sayer.

Further reading