Weston XV 54 - Coney Hill 22
Mar
A twelve try extravaganza for the small crowd that very wisely chose to miss the dreadful Internationals in favour of some good running rugby as Weston stifled any hopes that the visitors might have had of climbing out of the relegation zone.
It was Coney Hills’ first visit to the Recreation Ground, having been promoted last season, but the writing was on the wall after 12 minutes when Tuitupou crossed after half the team had been involved. Armstrong kicked the first of his seven conversions and has now goaled his last fifteen attempts. Centre Ben Main collected Armstrong’s delicate chip five minutes later for a simple try, and Paul Sprague crossed twice in ten minutes as the home side ran amok.
Main scored a second when he charged down Bakers kick ahead to run in unopposed from fifty yards and Weston were 35 points up with half time ten minutes away. Not surprisingly, they took their foot off the pedal and Coney Hill replied with two quick tries of their own. Weston’s blind side defence went to sleep at a scrum fifteen yards out as No.8 Mark Rimmer ran in untroubled for a gratuitous score, and wing Darren Carr, who looked threatening all afternoon, crossed on the stroke of half time to reduce the arrears. Neither was converted.
Normal service was resumed after the break as Tuitupou scored his second and Main got a third for his hat trick, and a 49-10 scoreline. The next fifteen minutes were all about the visitors as they responded magnificently with some enterprising play which yielded tries for hooker Nicholas, and a second for Carr but Weston had the last word when Matt Burns scooted in on the short side. Armstrong had been replaced and Main, surprisingly, missed the conversion. Everything else had gone his way!!
Young Colt Eddie Saunders replaced Tuitupou for his senior debut but the match ended badly for Weston when scrum half Luke Hember suffered a very serious broken ankle.
The Clubs’ injury crisis deepens as he joins long term casualties Chris Crichton, Ashley Russell and David Cook on the list of walking wounded.
Weston team….David Taylor, Matt Burns, T.J.Madamombe, Ben Main, Paul Sprague, Mark Armstrong ( James Reid), Luke Hember, Tobias Gukibau (James Gallagher), Andy Richards, Will Tuitupou )Eddie Saunders), Tom Main, Tom Gilmour, George Sparks.
