Guernsey Raiders 12, Macclesfield 26
FORGET the result, the signs were promising at Footes Lane.
Facing opposition from the National Two level that Raiders will be playing at for the first time in the Guernsey Rugby Club’s history next month, the home side more than held their own in the first half when they had arguably their strongest available XV on the pitch and established a 12-0 lead.
After the turnaround against a Macclesfield side who had a match-day squad of only 17 meaning that they maintained continuity throughout, Raiders rung wholesale changes and it was pleasing to see so many local academy products get game time, although ultimately it meant defeat after 80 minutes.
That mattered not for Raiders coach Jordan Reynolds.
‘The first 40 is what we aimed for – you could probably see that with the selections in the pack – and we had that dominance up front and across the park, which we are happy with,’ he said.
‘It’s the first pre-season game, so we wanted to give the guys as much of a rest as possible.
‘Second half, I was pretty surprised. You are talking about a lot of level 10 players from the [St Jacques] Vikings who are coming through, had never played National Three, but I think they held them really well for long periods. It’s encouraging to see signs like that. It was probably not the greatest display of rugby from either side, but it’s that physicality that we are looking for and I think we got that today.’
More in Monday's Guernsey Press.
