Director of rugby sorry for ‘dark day’ at Braywick Park
Myke Parrott immediately expressed his sorrow following Maidenhead’s humbling defeat to Wimbledon at Braywick Park, and admitted it was a ‘dark day’ for the club – one that he believes he was accountable for.
Wimbledon scored 11 tries in their 15-67 victory on Saturday to remain on top of the Regional 1 South Central while David MobbsSmith’s men find themselves sliding down the league after a largely positive start to the season.
Following successive wins against London Welsh, Bracknell, Royal Wootton Bassett, and Banbury, Maids claimed pole position at the end of September. Three losses on the spin after their triumph at Bodicote Park, however, have placed them fifth.
“We are facing bigger and bigger packs each week and, ultimately, my job is to recruit players to deal with that,” said director of rugby Parrott after the Dons defeat.
“We managed to get in some great new additions to the backline but, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get in as many bigger players as I would have liked up front. I think it’s important I recognise that.
“If we want to improve, be better, get winning again, then all of us need to take responsibility and that’s what I am going to do. I take responsibility for this result, I take it on the chin.
“There is lots for me to think about now.
“We didn’t get it spot on tactically, of course. We showed in parts what we could do but they were really, really clinical. Wimbledon had one of those days where they were pretty irresistible.
“We weren’t at the races and with such a chasm between the two sides, they punished us.
That’s the result of a scoreline like today unfortunately.
“We gave away the ball too cheaply, especially early doors, and we know that when you give these boys an early score, they will just play from anywhere.
“What we wanted to do is keep the scores close and hopefully it would have forced them to play a little bit more reserved but that went out the window after 10 minutes.”
Parrott added: “My message to the players, which I will reiterate to you, is that the buck stops with me. I am the boss, and I am not going to hammer the boys or my coaches for today’s defeat.
“We did say this is a line in the sand and we need to reflect in the week. It is a dark day at Braywick and we will remember it in years to come, let’s not beat around the bush.
“Hopefully, in two years, five years, or 10 years, we will come up against these lads again at home and we will do a job on them because that’s what happens in rugby.”
Maidenhead go head-to-head with Brighton next, an outfit which have also endured a bit of a losing streak. They were beaten by Camberley on Saturday and their last victory came against Havant on September 17.