Maids ‘left four or five tries out there’
Maids overwhelm Wootton Bassett at Braywick Park
It’s a testament to how well Maidenhead RFC are playing at present that they came off the field after Saturday’s 48-10 win over Royal Wootton Bassett feeling slightly underwhelmed.
Maids had run in eight eyecatching tries in as one-sided a clash as you’re likely to get in Regional 1 South Central, but afterwards, director of rugby, Myke Parrott, said they felt they left ‘four or five tries out there’.
Having worked incredibly hard on their fitness, strength and conditioning over the past 18 months, Maids have started the season like a freight train, smashing up all comers and sending London Welsh, Bracknell, and Royal Wootton Bassett clattering to the side of the tracks.
Next up for the Maids juggernaut is Banbury away on Saturday (September 24), a side who lost 46-25 at home to Bracknell on Saturday.
They certainly have the look of promotion contenders, having added astutely to their squad over the summer, but Parrott says it’s a little early to be talking of them in those terms just yet. There are plenty more tests of Maids’ mettle to come and Parrott believes they’ll have a better indication of their aspirations this season after 10 games.
On Saturday, six of their eight tries came from free-flowing backline moves, one of which was scored from a scrum close to their own try line. They’re playing exciting, attacking, adventurous rugby and so far, it’s been a joy to watch.
Reflecting on Saturday’s performance, Parrott said: “It’s a great sign that we scored 48 points, and the boys came in afterwards
disappointed that they didn’t score more. I think they know they left four or five tries out there. It was quite lacklustre in the second half with the finishing, and that’s a great position to be in.
“The boys are confident and all the hard work we’ve been putting in the last 18 months is bearing fruit. That’s all the fitness work we do. Our lads know that pretty much anyone they play, we’ll be fitter than. We’ve got more pace than anyone else and we back ourselves with the ball. It’s a good place to be.”
He added: “They’ve not just been given a license to play that way, they’re encouraged to do it. Our fourth try on Saturday came from a scrum on our own line. I went on the pitch and told them to back themselves, and they did, and they scored. This is the brand of rugby we want to play. We’ve got so much pace and so many weapons now, we can do that. At times the pace in our backline is really frightening and it’s really exciting. Hopefully the crowds continue to swell and enjoy the rugby we’re putting on.”
Of their three bonus point victories to date, Parrott was most impressed by their 29-14 away win at Bracknell a couple of weekends ago; and he feels they’ll need to show the same discipline and determination to come away from Banbury with the points on Saturday.
“Bracknell have won their other two games, so they’ve shown they’re one of the better sides in this league,” he said. “They pumped Banbury on Saturday, at Banbury. For us to go there and get a bonus-point win is really impressive, even though again we weren’t overly impressed with the performance.”
He added: “To be fair to Bracknell, they played really well at Banbury and scored five unanswered tries in the first 20 minutes. They tore them apart and they played the way we want to play, fast, attacking rugby and Banbury couldn’t cope with that. I’m sure they’ve watched the highlights of our games so far and will try and adapt accordingly, and I’m sure we’ll have to be tactically adept, but yeah, it’s going to be a big challenge and they’ll be determined to do a number on us.”