Sat 29 Nov 2025
The Chairman reports:
The 1st XV is beset by injury and non-availability. And our thoughts are with the families of Meki and Knoxy who are bereaved and mourning.
Thus, a trip to Lydney was always going to be a challenge. Helped in some way by the postponement of the 2nd XV game, it was nonetheless an under-strength squad that boarded the coach in a damp and rainy Marlborough.
On arrival at Lydney, however, the sun was shining, and the boys went out to warm up in bright and dry conditions. Lydney boasts a very smart ground, with stands and floodlights and so generates a good rugby atmosphere – conditions that all the men were keen to play in.
But from the off it was hard work and our lack of strength in depth and a significant weight and power difference between the two scrums meant that Lydney had the upper hand and would be able to keep the pressure on all afternoon. Their first score came after just a few minutes, our scrum going backwards and their clever fly-half bossing his forwards and backs in good style to make the most of our discomfort. On fifteen minutes, they scored again, and our forwards perhaps started to wonder how they would stand up to such a powerful Lydney scrum.
But the men of Marlborough are not the kind to give up and back they came, forcing their way up-field only to have what felt like a try judged to have been held up over the line. But the spirt was there and, from the resulting drop-out, our newly-signed full-back, Shane Van Wyk, took the ball and ran head-on into the opposition. Fighting his way through two tackles, he then chipped a fabulous little kick over the top and caught the ball cleanly in plenty of space and ran the 25 metres or so to the line to score! What a way to make your Club debut! Always dependable from the tee, Bradley Whatley stepped up and added the extras and, after just over twenty minutes, it was 14-7 and we felt like we could keep pace with Lydney…
Alas, it was not to be. Within five minutes, Lydney were back on the board again, having stripped us of possession in midfield and served us back a chip ahead… 21-7 the score. And two minutes later, another Lydney try coming from a penalty kick taken by us that didn’t find touch and, before we could reorganise a defensive line, the Lydney backs made short work of us.
Our scrum-half was then judged to have ‘played the opposition 9’ at the breakdown and went to the bin on a yellow card. Being a man down would not help in the slightest and so it was that Lydney scored again just before the break.
Half-time score: Lydney RFC 35-7 Marlborough Rugby
Coming out for the second half, Lydney were determined to make the most of the extra man advantage and scored quickly to rub salt in the wound. Their kicker was extremely good and was able to slot the conversions from out wide. Although the fact that their tries were scored on the edges shows that we were pushing them as hard as we could under the circumstances. Our scrum was under real pressure by now and Lydney kept driving, scoring tries on 50, 56, and 60 minutes to make it 59-7 with a quarter to go…
Actually, at this point, our scrum seemed suddenly to come together and we were able to hold and even nudge them back. Our ball was cleaner and a fraction quicker and we looked just that little bit more coherent. But we couldn’t get over the gain line in enough numbers or with enough explosive energy to push them back and couldn’t get on the scoreboard, despite some really decent runs by the centres and loose forwards. Everyone was tired by now!
Lydney scored two more before the referee brought things to a close and captain, Chris Diamond, got everybody into a team huddle in the centre of the pitch.
Final score: Lydney RFC 73-7 Marlborough Rugby
The Chairman’s view is that, even though the scoreboard tells the story of a very difficult afternoon, there is nothing to be ashamed of about this performance. Individually, the men played to the best of their abilities. Extra effort was clearly on show – special mention for: Bradley Whatley and his indomitable father, Adam, who both put in solid shifts; Chris Diamond, whose Captain’s armband must have seemed especially heavy; James Harden and Dom Rokomaqisa in the back row; Jacob Te Rangi and Nic Boynton who stood up manfully against some absolute lumps in the Lydney front row; Vili Vunipola who did his best under pressure; and Shane Van Wyk whose flash of brilliance early on augers well for the future…
So, a tough old day for the boys. The Chairman congratulates them all for keeping their chins up and never letting the situation overwhelm them. This is the spirit of the game – standing up to adversity and knowing that, as a team, we are stronger together.
