Tonbridge / Judds 43 vs TWRUFC 1st XV 22

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Match Report

Thanet Wanderers suffered their first defeat of the season away at Tonbridge Juddians II in what was a far closer contest than the final score suggests. The 43–22 result slightly flatters the home side, with Thanet pushing hard for much of the match and showing real determination throughout.

Thanet were backed by fantastic travelling support for the long trip to Judds. That journey was made even longer by a walk past several better pitches to reach a less-than-ideal playing surface half a mile from the clubhouse.

There were three changes to the Thanet starting XV: Browning came in at prop, Clement started at hooker, and Hickmott made his first appearance of the season at flanker. Letts was also a surprise inclusion, having become available thanks to the EU.

First Half: Strong Response

Thanet kicked off, but it was Judds who made the brighter start, using their speedy backline to stretch play wide at every opportunity. After some slick handling, their powerful prop crashed over for a converted try, giving them an early 7–0 lead.

Thanet responded immediately. After several well-worked phases involving both forwards and backs, a driving maul was set up, and Cannon powered over for his eighth try of the season. The conversion went wide, but Thanet were on the board at 7–5.

Judds hit back quickly, with their fullback making a dangerous break before the forwards finished the move with another converted try to extend their lead to 14–5.

Thanet weren’t rattled. Some impressive interplay between backs and forwards – including a highlight-reel offload from Herbert – opened up space for Thompson to score in the corner. Walton nailed the touchline conversion to bring the score to 14–12.

Thanet continued to pile on the pressure and were rewarded when Herbert hit a hard line off a short ball to crash over for another try. The conversion looked good, but a disagreement between the touch judges led to it being ruled out, leaving Thanet 14–17 up at halftime after an excellent comeback.

Second Half: Game Slips Away Late

Judds came out strong after the break, scoring two quick converted tries through their backs to regain control at 28–17.

A controversial penalty against Thanet for holding on – just as it looked like they had turned the ball over – led to a successful Judds penalty kick, stretching the lead to 31–17.

Thanet weren’t done. Sustained pressure in the Judds half led to a brilliant individual effort from Walton, who broke the line from a ruck, chipped over the last man, and won the foot race to touch down. The conversion was missed, but at 31–22 with 10 minutes to play, it was game on.

However, a speculative pass in attack was intercepted, and Judds capitalised with a sweeping counterattack for another converted try, making it 38–22.

Thanet kept fighting, pinning Judds in their 22, but a well-executed move from a scrum allowed Judds to cross once more. Surprisingly, their usually reliable fullback missed the conversion, bringing the final score to 43–22.

Final Thoughts

For 70 minutes, Thanet matched a very strong Judds side, playing some impressive rugby with solid set-piece work and effective interplay between backs and forwards. They scored four tries to secure a bonus point, but a few missed chances and small errors proved costly in the closing stages.

Despite the result, Thanet remain top of the league by a single point, though they have played one more game than second-placed Tonbridge Juddians II. 

Tries:

Conversions:

Penalties: None

Drop Goals: None