Hugo left ‘totally gutted’ by defeat
Chinnor come out on top in clash of the pace setters
Hugo Jafari admitted he was ‘totally gutted’ after Marlow RFC succumbed to their first defeat of the season but added he and his side will take inspiration from their encounter with Chinnor 3rds at Riverwoods.
On Saturday, the Wildboys emerged 19-30 winners to maintain an unbeaten run in the Counties 1 Tribute Southern North and climb back to the top of the table at the expense of Rory GreensladeJones’ men.
A clinical set piece saw Marlow fall five points behind within the first four minutes and, throughout the early stages, Chinnor remained ruthless in their attack and defence.
It took until the 15th minute for the home side to register their first try of the afternoon as – following a dominant scrum – Paddy Montgomery peeled from the back to lead a formidable charge.
After a series of pickand-go phases, Marlow got their just rewards with captain Ian Thomson trundling over the line.
A frustrated Chinnor brought the score to 7-10, however, and as a result of sustaining the pressure they lead 7-15 at the break.
The start to the second half was dominated by the visitors, who capitalised on the penalties given to them.
Leaning on their strong lineout, a driving maul moved into Marlow’s 22 and they performed a clever blindside set play to have their number 12 run in a fourth try.
A series of attacks from Marlow left Chinnor shocked and scrambling in their own half next. Unable to nullify the scrum, Montgomery passed the ball to Jafari – playing as scrum half – before he offloaded it to Tom Fulford who danced his way past the defence, the score 12-20.
The following 10 minutes featured some crunching tackles from players Thomson, Tom Houghton, Harry Price, Dean Whitely, and Jafari.
But, Chinnor capitalised on a penalty given cheaply by Marlow where
their lineout dominance was on point again.
A well-executed maul made the score 12-25 yet Marlow didn’t give up hope and their fitness levels caught Chinnor off guard.
Quick taps and go left Chinnor flat-footed and, after retaining the ball for multiple phases, Marlow top try scorer Whitely went over and a conversion was made to bring the game within six points.
The players’ tails were up but ill-discipline led to another penalty and another opportunity for Chinnor to strike via the line out which they did, the side going over to deliver a killer blow.
“I think they deserved the win, but I am totally gutted like a lot of the boys are,” said man-ofthe-match Jafari.
“We went in with plenty of confidence despite knowing it was going to be our biggest clash this season.
“There were aspects of our game that were very strong and dominant but their lineout and set piece was fantastic. On many occasions, we allowed them into key areas and they capitalised.
“I think there are things we can take away from the game and we are very much looking forward to the return fixture in February. It wasn’t a dirty or feisty contest, both teams played very respectful rugby.
“You learn the most from games that don’t go to plan.
“I have taken a lot of heart from the young boys who fronted up for Marlow and the way Chinnor played too.”
Jafari added: “We have a week off now and we are so grateful for it.
“We’ve played 11 games on the bounce which is unheard of – well I have never done that before in my career.
“We’ve got a lot of boys taped up at the moment so we’ve been desperate for some time off.
“We are confident we will return to winning ways after that.”
Marlow will be back in competitive action on November 26 when they face home side Gosford All Blacks.