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Wednesday, 3rd December 2008

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RUGBY: Henley win at Worthing with last-minute try



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Published Date: 28 September 2008
WORTHING RAIDERS director of rugby Ian Davies was furious on Saturday when his side lost to a last-minute Henley try.
He said: "We threw away a golden opportunity for a win. We should have closed the game out, but kept playing harem-scarem rugby, when we should have been playing league-winning rugby. Especially as wins aren't easy to come by in this league.

"But, even after their try, we were camped in their 22 for the six minutes injury-time. And messed up a two-on-one situation when there was a miss-communication between Ben Coulson and Charlie McGowan.

"Our next three games are all potential winnable ones now, starting at Chinnor on Saturday.

"They got promoted last year, but were in National 3 a couple of years ago so have a bit of experience.

"Losing like we did on Saturday makes this game even more important."

Raiders are making changes for Saturday's match. Tom Wells and Danny Peach will drop down to the 2nd XV. Coulson will play outside-half, Andy Rogers scrum-half, captain Jody Levett will move from the second row to back row, and Will Harris comes back into the team at wing.

Exchanges of the "our kicker is better than yours" variety gave Worthing an early lead with left-wing Ben Coulson scoring penalties from near halfway, while his counterpart from Henley was more wayward, reports Mike Rice.

However, the visitors started to pile on the pressure, and Raiders did begin to give away penalties. After a couple of missed attempts, Henley's No 10 Tommy Turner found his range and the score stood at 6-3.

For a game to go from the first 10 minutes to the last minute at the same score either indicates that it was nail-biting, hair-tearing, a tension-ridder affair or that it was bland and boring. Unfortunately it was the latter.

Much of the pressure in the first half came from Raiders, but none of it seemed to pay off. Even when they won the lineout ball it was not cleanly, and any progress forward was slow.

Against the run of play, Henley won a penalty in front of Raiders' posts, but the kick was inexplicably missed. Their kicker was having a nightmare time at set-pieces but was better in open play.

As tempers began to fray and fists threatened to fly with the narrow scoreline, half-time intervened.

The second half started just as physically with Paul Cox yellow carded, and it seemed for a while that the referee was not really on top of the game.

Worthing were twice saved from going behind by good tackling by winger Jack Maslen racing back to clear the danger, and by Coulson, who in turn was unable to land a penalty from very wide.

Having survived an attack which broke down with a forward pass, Raiders' nemesis came with a oh-so-late converted try by Henley's centre Neil Baggett.

Worthing spent injury-time desperately seeking a try to restore their lead.

Coulson came close, but a foot in touch, and the pack's inability to profit from winning a scrum left the hosts trailing by those four points at the final whistle.

WORTHING: Power; Maslen, Kaye, Marshall, Coulson; Wells, Peach; Marler, Pointing, Burns, Levett, McGowan, Maidment, Jones, Cox. Subs: Sargeant, Storer, Harris (Kaye, Pointing, Burns 70), Bennett, Nielsen. Points, pens: Coulson 2.

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Email the Herald: steve.bailey@worthingherald.co.uk

The full article contains 623 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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  • Last Updated: 02 October 2008 9:05 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Worthing
 
 

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