Guernsey Press

Big ovation for plucky Raiders

RAIDERS walked off to a great ovation with their heads held high despite falling to promotion-chasing Tonbridge Juddians on Saturday.

Published
Nick Merrien and Matt Thomas reach out to stop a Tonbridge Juddians raid. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 23906402)

The visitors, who had ended National Two South leaders Rams’ long unbeaten run a week earlier, got off to a flier with three tries in the opening quarter of the game and threatened to inflict a hammering on Guernsey, but the hosts responded impressively and the final 35-17 scoreline included a converted breakaway try for TJs from the last play of the game.

‘We weren’t that bothered about the scoreline at half-time, I just said to the boys that “we have to focus on what we want to do in the second half – how do we want to project to the island where we want to be next season?”,’ said Raiders coach Jordan Reynolds.

‘And I thought we played really well in that second half, I thought we got on top of them and we fixed little defensive parts up.

‘You’ve got to remember that’s a very young side out there, we’ve got a lot of youth out there playing and the benefit we are getting in you saw in that second half we can be proud of.

‘I don’t think that final [TJs] try was justified in the scheme of what the scoreline reflects, but the second half was a lot better, the first was where we got let down a little bit, which was a shame, and I think we had opportunities in that first half – we missed two crucial ones 5m out, but we didn’t seem to miss them in the second half and I think that’s the difference in the game.

‘If you give us another 14 points, then that’s a helluva game there.’

  • Match report in Monday's Guernsey Press.