READING PUNISHED BY GUILDFORD
READING RFC were beaten by a Guildford side which had a more physical pack and a set of backs who were better at taking their opportunities.
Reading played well for the first 35 minutes into a stiff breeze restricting their opponents to a single try but they then allowed Guildford to score two more tries before the break for a lead they never looked like relinquishing.
Reading had a good spell at the start of the game when they had several opportunities within the Guildford 22, but their frailties in the lineout where any ball they won was untidy meant they could not push their advantage home against a well-organised defence.
In their first real venture into the Reading 22 the Guildford pack showed what they could do from a line out near the Reading line when they drove over from close in for an unconverted try. This was a sign of things to come.
Guildford now came more into the game although Reading continued to show some attacking intent but in the last five minutes of the half they conceded two tries.
First, from a scrum on the Reading 22 when a quick threequarter line move set up a maul on the Reading line which the Guildford pack pushed over to score a converted try.
Two minutes later, they repeated the trick when they drove another maul over from near the Reading line, this time from a line out, for another converted try to give
themselves a 19 point lead at the break.
Guildford’s domination of territory eventually paid off when they scored their fourth try again from a driven maul from a line out near to the Reading line. The try was unconverted.
After a period of pressure mostly from the scrum, which saw a Guildford player yellow carded, Reading used their advantage to push a scrum towards the line where Guildford infringed and the referee awarded
Reading a penalty try.
This was to be the high point for Reading as Guildford then began to dominate again and Greg Jackson who had come on as a substitute was yellow carded for pulling down a Guildford maul.
Guildford immediately drove another maul to the line and when it was stopped moved the ball to the wing to score an unconverted try .
Soon after, when Guildford returned to full strength, they used their one man advantage to score another unconverted try through an overlap after good phase play.
Reading’s next fixture is against fellow strugglers, Salisbury, away on Saturday, March 2.
Reading RFC: Alex Dorliac; Jason Carr, Tom David, Archie Wright, Charlie Attard; Tom Sharp, Hayden Wheeler; Joe Clarkson, Steve King, Josh Nicol (capt.); Harvey Rice, Ben Eastwood; Will Proctor-Searle, Alex Rowe, Max Pepper
Replacements: Alfie Fryer, Greg Jackson, Jos Clarke