Marlborough 41 – 30 Brighton
Marlborough hosted Brighton RFC on the Common on Saturday in their first home game of the season in the Regional 1 South Central division. The weather conditions were not ideal for rugby, due to the heatwave, but both teams performed well and were aided by frequent water breaks.
Again, there was a lot of expectation and uncertainty since Brighton had a good win the week before, so their tails were already up. The Marlborough faithful’s allegiances may have been slightly strained on the Common as the 2nd XV kicked off at 2:00 pm, followed by the 1st XV at 3:00 pm. There were a few new faces on the sidelines, waiting to see what Marlborough might achieve which was great to see.
The whistle blew, and Brighton was off to a flying start, scoring a converted try within the first two minutes of the game. Was this going to be an indication of things to come for the rest of the game for the Marlborough faithful?
Within three minutes, Marlborough responded with a converted try by Ash Horner off a driving maul set up by an attacking lineout. For this game, Vili Hakalo was on kicking duties.
Brighton scored again after a penalty was awarded following a high tackle and yellow card for second-row player Jamie Pittams.
Marlborough’s attitude was very different in this game compared to that of last week; there was more self-belief that this game was Marlborough’s to win.
On the 15-minute mark, Marlborough played a series of phases in which the outside centre, Joe Pittams, made two tackle-breaking runs before passing on the ball to James Farrell (standing in as a fallback) to dot the ball down in the corner. Unfortunately, Vili was unable to convert this one.
Marlborough were playing up the slope, and they were starting to get into their stride. After 21 minutes, Charlie Ladds (no. 8) touched down a push-over try from a five-metre scrum, which again went unconverted. Just before halftime, the visitors responded promptly with an unconverted try of their own. Assisted in part by a lapse in Marlborough’s defence.
Half-time: Marlborough 17 – Brighton 15.
The half-time talk was a very calm and constructive affair by the coaches, with a few observations highlighted that needed attention in the second half.
There was a much more positive start for Marlborough in the second half, with a superb run from Solomone Aniseko (Seko), who offloaded in the tackle to fellow front row player Lemeki Moala (Meki). He gained several metres, setting up a ruck for Viliame Waqanidrola (Qila) to pick up and dive over the line, which was kindly converted by Vili Hakalo.
The next try was scored by Vili Hakalo himself, who had found his dancing feet, quick stepping through the Brighton defence and scoring under the posts, which he duly converted.
Brighton was still very much in the fight, scoring an unconverted try from a driving maul with 57 minutes gone. But Marlborough struck back immediately with a penalty kick, again by Vili. Still, Brighton fired back with another unconverted try from a driving maul with 10 minutes left to play. They were not going to lie down and roll over.
Viliame Waqanidrola went on to score his second try of the day with a brilliant interception, which was kindly converted by Vili.
Brighton scored an unconverted try in the final play of the game after Marlborough conceded a series of penalties, with Marlborough tenaciously attempting to prevent Brighton from scoring again.
Final Score: Marlborough 41 – Brighton 30
This was a better day in the office for Marlborough; improvements had been made from the previous week, and they were confident in their own abilities. T hey showed they could maintain their home winning streak, as they have not lost a game on the Common since January 8, 2022, when Marlborough lost 6-18 to the Newbury Blues. Also, after two games, Vili Hakalo is currently the top point scorer in the league with 16 points.
The coaches had a difficult time picking who to award “Man of the Match.” As usual, the incredible front row of Ash Horner, Lemeki Moala, Solomone Aniseko, and Save Tuimatanisaqa was in contention. Bradley Whatley, the youngster, is circling, eager to take a position.
The back five improved from last week, and Hugo Robathan, the replacement scrum half, deserves a great deal of credit for filling in for the injured Will Grant. Viliame Waqanidrola scored two tries, and Joe Pittams was frequently dangerous with the ball hand. Then there was James Farrell, who played superbly out of position at fullback. The final decision was made, and blindside flanker Adam Neal (sponsored by T H Whites, Marlborough) was awarded the accolade.
Lviv – Sunday – A day of rest? No, more peeling fruit and veg
