Wimbledon 7 - 15 Effingham

Current plan - training at home this coming weekend, but I will confirm start time as soon as I know for sure (there may be a 10k run on). So I don't need availability at this stage BUT please come down to training; it is vital we get the whole squad familiar with lineout calls, backs moves etc.

Wimbledon 7 - 15 Effingham

Firstly, we had 6 players making their debut for Wimbledon today - well done all of you and hopefully this is the first of many. Those were Matt Rice, Arun Charles, Rory Merz, Joe Woodward, Chris Robinson and Finn O'Malley. We should also pass on our thanks to those U18 players who stepped up to fill gaps in our squad, and I would like to say how great it was to see so many injured players still come down to support the team (at least 4 of you).

Effingham are currently fielding both D1 and D2 sides, and represented some tough opposition to get our season started. A horrendous catalogue of injuries meant we had several players out of position, but despite that we were able to hold them until the very last move of the first half. A storming performance from Archie saved us on more than one occasion, and in the forwards Ellis was not only carrying strongly but made a fantastic rip on our own line to save a try. Chris Robinson particularly impressed on his debut.

Going in 5-0 down, we went to sleep at the start of the 2nd half and found ourselves 10-0 down after a couple of minutes. From then on however we gradually came back into the game, though the Effingham pack continued to dominate scrums and lineouts. In the loose however our forwards were driving forward well, with George Batchelor taking some big hits, Angus Bonner making good ground and new player Finn O'Malley showing great all-round strength. After some sustained pressure Charlie McKibben was able to break through half a dozen tackles to score one of his trademark tries.

The scratch back line was gaining familiarity with each other and putting together some moves, with Sam Codling particularly prominent. We were however up against it having lost our SH to a sending-off, and Effingham were able to score again shortly before the end.

Points to take away for the future: obviously we need to get a more settled pack together, but we are sure that will happen once several players come back from injury. Lack of familiarity with the lineout calls took its toll; this really underlines the importance of everyone coming down to training sessions. We were largely out-rucked by Effingham, and we will continue to focus on this aspect of the game. Our back line play tended to revert to very predictable patterns under pressure, and we want to see some of the "Ghost" and "A/B/C" plays coming in during the matches.

All in all a good, tough first game of the season. See you all on Sunday.

Regards,
Martin