By David Wilkinson
If you were at Hinkley back in November, your expectations on Saturday would be slim. There was but a score in it at halftime, but the second half was a calamitous capitulation. Thankfully, we get to fight another day; the rugby has moved on, and we’re back at Priory Park. Last week in Devon was a bit of a Curate’s Egg, but there were not enough of the good bits to outweigh the not-so-good bits. The bad bits have been with us all season; too many penalties, missed tackles, and lineouts have all hurt us in many games. It’s easy to criticise, but the fact of the matter is the level of competition in this league tests every aspect of the game. On the tasty side of the egg, the set scrum has been solid all season, and some of the attacking play has been excellent.
Saturday is all set up to be a humdinger; a Ladies’ Lunch, and the Alikadoos watching the international in the Spiral Lounge, will make for a boisterous crowd. On the playing side, we will be fielding the biggest pack of the season, and with Charlie Attis pulling the strings again, let’s hope for plenty of magic and plenty of “Whaa- Hoo” tunes. And to start your rugby weekend off, tune in to BBC iPlayer at 7.45 tonight for England U20s v Italy, featuring last week’s try scorer Dom Hanson at 9, with Ollie Davies on the bench to win his second cap, and still only 18 – “Come on Macc lads!”
Kick-off is 6.00 pm, yes six o’clock, come early and grab some food, get yourself a seat and settle down for some evening entertainment. The team is: 1. Nathan Rushton, 2. Ollie Longmore, 3. Andrew Darlington, 4. Rhys Davies, 5.Harry Harding, 6. Ben Blackburn, 7. Harry Hughes, 8. James Oliver (Captain), 9.Danny Martin, 10. Charlie Attis, 11.Jamie Harrison, 12. Harry Oliver, 13. Sam Adu, 14. Tom Jennings, 15. Billy Birkett, 16. Jack Ellam, 17. Theo Hulbert, 18. Elliot Thompson, 19. Elliot Alston, 20. Mason Winterburn
