Marlborough 14 – 26 Royal Wootton Bassett
On Saturday, Marlborough welcomed Royal Wootton Bassett 1st XV to the Common for the first time since 2019. Despite high hopes for a Marlborough victory, it wasn’t meant to be. The sidelines buzzed with excitement, with crowds two or three deep in some areas. Supporters, both old and new, from both teams gathered to witness this much-anticipated clash.
The club extends its heartfelt thanks to RBC Brewin Dolphin (Marlborough) for sponsoring the match and supporting the day’s events. The club was also honoured to have a number of veterans, current service personnel, and their families attend lunch. Over the past few months, the Royal British Legion, in partnership with Earthline, has been hosting monthly breakfasts and get-togethers at the Royal Oak. However, due to the anticipated clash, they chose to hold this month’s event at the club.
Marlborough had a rough start, conceding three quick penalties within three minutes in their own 22, which led to a yellow card for Sione Tamale and a converted try for the visitors. The rest of the first half saw Marlborough give away a total of 12 penalties, and Sione Tamale then received another yellow card after 25 minutes, which led to a red. The game was becoming a difficult watch for the home supporters, but Marlborough stuck it out and prevented Bassett from putting any more points on the scoreboard before the halftime whistle.
Half-Time: Marlborough 0 – 7 Royal Wootton Bassett
As has become the norm this season, the forwards and backs split into their respective groups with their coaches to discuss improvements from their first-half performance. They then reconvene as a squad for Elisi and Sitiveni to provide further guidance.
The second half began more promisingly for Marlborough, with Halani Hakalo flying out of the blocks and diving over from close range in between the posts just two minutes after the restart and Will Grant converting. However, the visitors quickly responded with an unconverted interception try, followed by another converted try due to weak midfield defense. Despite numerous penalties and being down to 14 men, Marlborough remained in the fight. Inside centre Keveni Tuaimei’api made a powerful run from midfield to score, with Will Grant converting. Bassett’s final try of the game came from a line-out following yet another Marlborough penalty at 71 minutes, and it was converted.well. Both Kieran Brown and Sefanaia Volau came off the bench for the injured players and were very solid in their performances. Fly-Half Sione Matakaiongo (Jay) at only 18 years old showed that he has a great future ahead of him. ‘Man of the Match’ John Brown was outstanding with his ball-carrying and in defence.
Final Score: Marlborough 14 – 26 Royal Wootton Bassett
Although the result was disappointing, it could have been far worse. Bassett would have scored significantly more points against a lesser team. This match highlighted Marlborough’s resilience, especially when playing a man down. After the match, Sitiveni’s words were clear: the boys needed to “remember this feeling of losing at home and how it felt to let your rugby family and supporters down.” These were tough words to hear, but the team understood and was determined to right the wrongs from this game.
On a much brighter note, the seconds dominated their game against Swindon College Old Boys, securing a 64-0 victory. They continue to uphold their perfect winning streak.
Both teams have a break next weekend. The following weekend, the 1st XV will travel to Launceston for their first-ever encounter with this team, while the 2nd XV will host Calne on the Common in another local derby. Both games are scheduled to kick off at the slightly earlier time of 2:30 pm. Hopefully, both teams will secure victories.
Alzheimer’s Support Art Group present tables to Pewsey Arts Society
