Newbury 20 – 31 Marlborough
On Saturday, we saw Marlborough on the road again, this time travelling for a re-arranged fixture, from December last year against another of their local rivals, the Newbury Blues. We knew this was going to be a hard-fought game in front of their loyal legion of supporters. It was another gloomy day, but the hearts of the Marlborough supporters were full of hope.
It was a special week as the squad were looking to record a first in the club’s history: a win away at Newbury. The talk from the coaches in the past week had been largely focused around maintaining our discipline and not giving the opposition any easy chances to put us under pressure. The Marlborough squad understood they had now moved into the ‘business end’ of the season, with every game having the feeling of a final for the opposition and needing to be won.
This fixture also gave the Marlborough team an opportunity to exorcise some demons, with much of the squad taking part in the same fixture last season and losing agonisingly by a single point in the dying minutes of what felt like an extended second half. The boys knew that without at least matching the same levels of grit and determination shown in that game, they would again come up short.
It was clear from the outset that despite the outcome of the previous game at Marlborough, earlier in the season, this Newbury team was well up for the encounter. And it was Newbury who scored the first points, a penalty kick nine minutes into the game that gave them the lead.
It continued to be an end-to-end first fifteen minutes, with both teams eager to assert their dominance in the game, when Marlborough won a penalty at the breakdown. Will Grant kicked the ball forward, inside the Newbury 22, and the forwards got to work. After some good carries in the tight areas, Solomone Aniseko (Seko) broke through a tackle to cross the whitewash for Marlborough’s first try of the game. Will Grant converted the try.
Possession and field position continued to be traded between the two teams, with Newbury taking the next set of points. Another penalty was kicked to bring the score to 6-7.
Marlborough had a period of sustained pressure in the Newbury half and could have scored had it not been for a few handling errors at the end of some well-structured play. It was Newbury who would score again after a lineout on the halfway line The ball was chipped over the top, and a good chase led to a penalty against Marlborough for holding on in the ruck. The penalty was taken quickly, Newbury bundled the ball over the line, and the conversion was successfully kicked. Newbury 13-7 Marlborough, twenty-nine minutes in.
This turned into a period of the game that the Marlborough supporters know only too well, as after an infringement at the back of the scrum, Will Grant saw yellow, and Marlborough were down to fourteen men. However, as has been the case so far this season, this seemed to galvanise the players, who showed some fantastic defence in midfield and used this as a platform for their attack. Jack Lynd (who was back playing at his destructive best this season) drove Marlborough into the opposition 22, where the pack then edged their way towards the line, before the ball found its way to Will Reeve, who evaded a tackle to cross the line. Reeve then kicked the extras to put Marlborough a point ahead at halftime.
Half-Time: Newbury 13 – 14 Marlborough
Halftime brought a change on the wing for Marlborough, with Ben Fulton coming off the bench to replace Callum Hunt, just as a precaution after a knock to the knee. It also brought on some words of encouragement from the Marlborough coaches; our defence had, so far, been solid, and in attack, we looked like we could cause Newbury some headaches. The key message was once again to maintain discipline.
The second half started brightly for Marlborough, who within minutes of the whistle were back up to the Newbury line, and after some dominant phases, crashed over the line, but unfortunately the ball was held up. This set the tone nicely as the Marlborough pack began to gain some dominance at the set piece. Pressure from the scrum led to a fumble from the Newbury scrumhalf. The ball was snaffled up by Siaosi Feaomefiui (Toti), who offloaded to Jack Lynd to carry once again. It was then passed out to Akariva Seruvatu (Aka), who beat his opposite number and finished well in the corner. Will Grant nailed the conversion.
Marlborough took advantage of the situation by bringing on replacements in the front row in Simon Pilkington (for Ash Horner) and the back row in Kieran Brown (for Toti). Both had put in a solid shift. The next twenty minutes went to Newbury, who were now throwing everything they had at the game. They remained camped inside the Marlborough half, and it was only some fantastic defensive work from every man in black and amber that ensured Newbury didn’t cross the line again until the sixty fifth minute. Another yellow for Marlborough went to Adam Neal in the lead up to the try, as the referee took a dislike to the way he came through a Newbury maul. Newbury chose the lineout option from the penalty and were over two phases later. The game was now well and truly in the balance: Newbury 20-21 Marlborough.
Marlborough needed a reaction to break the momentum that Newbury had built, and this came almost immediately, much to the relief of the travelling crowd. Will Grant kicked deep from the kick-off, and a good chase forced Newbury to kick the ball out, giving Marlborough a lineout just inside the Newbury half. Another carry from Number 8 Jack Lynd got Marlborough going before it was given to the backs, who relished the opportunity to play with the ball in hand. Three well-timed passes fixed the defence in front of them, and the ball landed in Aka’s hands, who ran in to score his second try of the game. On the sixty seventh minute, the scoreboard showed Newbury 20-Marlborough 26.
This seemed to turn the tide of the game completely; Marlborough had their tails up and were looking to land the knockout blow. A kick over the top from Will Reeve and a great chase from a number in black and amber caused Newbury to take the ball over their own line. The Marlborough pack showcased their scrum dominance yet again, even with a man still in the bin, to win a penalty five metres out. They chose to tap the ball, where, after an initial false start from Lemeki Moala (Meki), some good tight carries led to Simon Pilkington crashing over the line. Marlborough had some breathing room, the players believed this was theirs for the taking, and the supporters could finally relax—well, a little bit.
Both teams continued to trade blows for the final eight minutes, with Marlborough receiving their third yellow card of the game, this time for Seko, on the seventyfifth minute. Luckily, this didn’t impact the game, as no more points were scored. The final whistle blew, and the Marlborough players celebrated achieving their first ever win on this Newbury ground, some achievement considering the histories of both teams.
The man of the match went to Joe Pittams, who showed an outstanding work rate in defence, shutting down the Newbury attack time after time, with the ball rarely making it outside him to the opposition winger. His handling and carrying abilities also didn’t go unnoticed.
This was a fantastic game of rugby where every player in a Marlborough shirt showed the heart and determination needed to win these tight encounters. To win a game like this while playing with fourteen men for thirty minutes shows the character that the squad has.
Also, a huge thank you to the supporters who made the journey to Newbury to witness this momentous win. Next week we have a home fixture against another top-five side in Tottonians—another big game for sure.
Final Score: Newbury 20 – 31 Marlborough
Early Years Practitioners (Qualified Level 3) – Little Saints Nursery (Pewsey)
