READING PUNISHED BY CLINICAL CHICHESTER IN HEAVY AWAY LOSS
Chichester 52 Reading 21
READING were ultimately well beaten by a Chichester team which had more attacking options and ran in eight tries.
Reading, to give them credit, kept in the game for 60 minutes but some poor first time tackling gave their opponents too many opportunities which were gratefully taken.
From the start, Chichester took advantage of a Reading attempt to play out of their own 22, intercepting a pass and moving the ball quickly to the corner for an unconverted try after two minutes.
Reading immediately came back at them and Tom Sharp kicked a penalty after Chichester infringed at a scrum.
The visitors then had a good period of pressure with Chichester giving away a number of penalties which Reading were unable to benefit from.
Chichester then won a penalty themselves and, from the resulting line out in the Reading 22, they drove from the back and were joined by a number of backs to push the maul across the line near the Reading posts for a converted try.
They increased their lead three minutes after when a good break from their full back taking advantage of a missed tackle on the halfway line was stopped just near the line but the ball was moved to the scrum half who crossed for another converted try to give his team a 19-3 lead.
Reading, to their credit, then had their best spell of the match. Firstly, after winning a series of penalties they opted for a scrum deep in the Chichester 22.
The ball was moved out quickly and Alex Rowe found a gap to score under the posts for Sharp to convert.
Sharp then followed this up with two further penalties to reduce the margin to 19-16 after Chichester under pressure in their own half particularly at scrum time gave away a number of penalties.
Chichester however looked dangerous whenever they were anywhere near the Reading line. Just before half-time they made it deep into Reading territory and from close to the Reading line after a series of mauls they crossed for a converted try to make the half time score 26-16.
Reading attacked well from the start of the second half and were
rewarded early on with an unconverted try from Steve King after some forceful play near the Chichester line to make the score 26-21.
Reading continued to have the upper hand but a penalty that was kicked long gave Chichester the chance to escape and again their firepower near the line proved too much for the Reading defence when their centre burst through for a converted try to make the score 33-21.
This remained the score till the beginning of the last quarter when Reading were reduced to fourteen man after Alex Rowe, Reading’s best player on the day, was yellow carded after a high tackle.
Chichester took advantage of the extra man for the next 10 minutes running in two converted tries to finally take the game away as Reading’s defensive play became ragged.
They added a further unconverted try in the last minute to take their score above the 50 mark.
This was a disappointing result which leaves Reading hanging on to their status in this division
by a thread. They next play Guildford at home on Saturday, February 17 with every match now a must-win.
Tries: Rowe, King Conversion: Sharp Penalties: Sharp (3)
Reading RFC: Charlie Attard; Jason Carr, Alex Murray-Smith, Archie Wright, Leo Quigley;
Tom Sharp, Hayden Wheeler; Joe Clarkson, Steve King, Josh Nicol (capt.); Harvey Rice, Ryan Smith; Will Proctor-Searle, Alex Rowe, Rob Cunningham
Replacements: Josh Pallett, Alfie Fryer, Jos Clarke