Thamesians RFC

Thamesians started 2012 with a bang on Saturday with a 50 point win over Old Tottonians.

The build up to the game at the last 2 training sessions suggested that T’s were focused on the job at hand and were determined to start the year on the right foot.

And start on the right foot they did..... (click for the full article)

Well Happy New Year to one and all!
And what a great year it’s going to be! The 1st XV are already top of the league (I know, I know, using rugby sporty speak such as 1st XV and so early on in the missive of Bon Homie - Oops darn it!- there I go ruining it- I know I've already lost some of you with that last bit).
The Spartans (2nd XV in rugby sporty speak) are going strong too and proving to be a great addition to our playing portfolio (OMG am I on a roll or what?).
OK well done boys, blah blah blah.V proud of you and all that jazz. Crumbs anyone would think we are some kind of rugby club??

And now for the science bit ...So what can I impart to you regarding all the social happy clappy stuff? (click read more below)

The Spartans finished the year (not season Kev) with an 11 try win over Hampstead. The Spartans raced into an early 33-0 lead as they took advantage of some poor Hampstead defence. However the team decided that if the opposition wouldn’t tackle then neither would they, and 33-0 soon became 33-22. Rory completed an unlikely, but well deserved, hat-trick on the stroke of half time which gave the Spartans a bit more breathing space as they entered half time with a 40-22 lead.

Strong words were issued at half time regarding the defence, and the Spartans entered the second half with a determination to perform better than they had in last 20 or so minutes of the first half. While Hampstead managed to get a couple of early second half tries, the Spartans finally rediscovered how to tackle and closed out the game by scoring five unanswered tries.

The defence (or lack of) was the major talking point but the Spartans showed plenty of skill in the backline as well as power up front, and familiarity is starting to spread between the players. While there is still plenty to work on, the team has come on a long way and will be confident ahead of the big league matches in the New Year.

Tries: Rory (3), Paddy (2), Jonesy, Levi, Arlind, Jason (2), Mossy
Conversions: Ryan (8)
Man-of-the-Match: Rory

Thamesians finished their last game before the Christmas break in style with a 14-0 win over local rivals Feltham RFC.

Jono Chandler opened the scoring early on with a blistering run that broke 7 tackles and ended up under the posts for an easy Cookie conversion. An arduous and physical game ensued until the backs broke at pace from the base of a ruck, deep in the opposition half, that resulted in Mark Terry running in an impressive try.

Special mention must go to the Thamesians pack who dominated for 80 minutes, and an ever impressive James Roberts who led from the front in the second half.

In summary Thamesians have ended 2011 on a high and eagerly anticipate building on our successes for the second half of the season.

Well the winning run had to end sometime, but there was no disgrace with the manner of defeat against a strong and determined London Irish side. A hugely competitive game ebbed and flowed for the full 80 minutes, but in the end, the old truism about whoever scored first would have the ascendency proved correct.

The game remained scoreless for the best part of 65 minutes, with Spartans showing some spirited defence in the first quarter of the game to keep Irish out, including two try saving tackles on the line. If the first 20 minutes were about Irish’s attacking talent, the next 20 saw Spartans cut loose themselves with James Turner, Andy Jones and Ben Southerst all showing strong running skills to cut through the Irish defence. Unfortunately, a few handling errors and some difficulties with the Spartans lineout stalled momentum and meant that elusive first try remained out of reach at the break.

Both teams made changes at half time and it seemed that Irish came out of the blocks quicker, with the bit between their teeth. They soon started to turn the screw at scrum time and the Spartans pack came under immense pressure for the next 40 minutes. Despite some spirited defence, it was only a matter of time before the first score came and it did when Irish worked the ball wide and exploited a three-man overlap to put the first points on the board. Unfortunately, a few injury-led changes to the Spartans backline meant a reshuffle of personnel, which disrupted the momentum of the team and as a result a further two Irish tries followed to give the score line some gloss. At the final whistle, all agreed that the match was played in the right competitive spirit (despite some strong banter from the touchline… Dendy!) and that both teams left everything out on the field.

It was exactly the sort of fixture for Spartans to test how far we’ve come since September and while there are still some tweaks to be made, we’ve proved we can play and compete with the stronger teams in this region. Both teams agreed to a rematch next year, so we look forward to hosting London Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.

The match started with both teams ready and hungry for a win. Hatfield beat Thamesians last year at Marble Hill, the thought of the lost last season still lingering in the back of some people’s minds. The matched kicked off with Hatfield kicking to the home side, the Thamesians forwards took the ball just inside their own 22m line and went straight on the attack by taking the first two balls into contact making a good attacking platform for the backs to start their attack. Within minutes the backs did what they do by taking the ball up and around the 7th phase Thamesians had found their way into their opponents half. (click read more below for full article)