CANTERBURY 29 WIMBLEDON 32
by David Haigh
Having come from behind to establish a winning position Canterbury saw this game slip away in the late stages as wing Tom Pozniak grabbed Wimbledon’s fifth try. It was the ultimate disappointment for a city side that struggled to find any cohesion, paid heavily for lapses in defence and had a poor day all round. For a team that totally dominated the scrummages there can be few excuses. Although they improved after a dire first half their failure to put the game to bed after overturning a ten point deficit leaves them facing many questions. The signs that all was not well came in a forgettable first forty minutes. Despite having most of the possession and territory a disjointed Canterbury found themselves a point down at the break. Nathan Morris’s catch and drive try, converted by Frank Reynolds, was cancelled by one from Wimbledon’s Marik Touilzak and an Ed Morgan penalty goal. On the resumption there was a greater focus from Canterbury and sound handling produced an early try for Cameron Murray. Reynolds converted, then added a penalty goal, and there were opportunities to build on a nine point lead. But the city side’s defensive frailties let them down badly as clever work and decisive running from the visitors produced three tries. Fly half Morgan sold a sweet dummy for the first and it was followed by two more in the space of a minute. Wing Tom Bracegirdle’s great solo run left everyone in his trail and from the restart the tackles again disappeared as Lewis Bloor finished off an unchallenged break. Two conversions meant Canterbury had all the work to do. A yellow card, one of three handed to Wimbledon, saw the city side take full advantage with a converted Pierce Holland try before a serious injury to the visitors prop Sam Gratton brought a lengthy delay. When play restarted Canterbury seemed to have redeemed themselves when Sam Rogers’ try put them two points in front but kicking away possession proved fatal as Wimbledon won good territory and worked the overlap for Pozniak. There was still time for Canterbury to salvage a win but two botched attacking lineouts later they were left with only a couple of bonus points and the feeling that this sort of form could lead to another season of struggle.
Canterbury: A.Moss, F.Morgan, G.Jones, T.Best, J.Weaver, F.Reynolds, T.Williams, W.McColl, N.Morris, D.Herriott, D.Irvine, J.Stephens, S.Rogers, C.Murray, T.Oliver. Replacements: E.O’Donoghue, P.Holland, H.Furneaux, B.Cooper, L.Hollidge.
