Guildford 1st XV vs Chobham, Saturday 21st September - match report

Guildford Fall Short Despite Promising First Half

Team: 1 Paddy Wood  2 Jacob Jones  3 Luke Brookes  4 Alex Burrill  5 Harry Phillips  6 Ed Pasfield  7 Tom Devereaux  8 Ollie Millward  9 Charlie Cuervo*  10 Joe Gwyther  11 Tommy Waddell  12 Tyler Pickford  13 Jonny Burden  14 Ieuan Jones  15 Rob Voller (c)

Replacements:  16 Jon Karimian  17 Matt Poole 18 Lochy Ellis-Jones*      (* Denotes Debut)

Guildford suffered another defeat on the road, but a spirited first-half performance offered signs of progress for the visitors.

Guildford led 17-20 at half-time, buoyed by a brace of tries from Ieuan Jones and a debut score from prop Paddy Wood, while Jones added a conversion and a penalty.  Skipper Rob Voller also crossed the line in the second half, however, Guildford were unable to contain a sharp and well-drilled Chobham side, who ran in six tries despite being reduced to 14 men after their No. 8 was sent off just before the break.

Guildford's first-half performance showed real intent in the collisions, with solid defensive line speed and creativity in attack.  Though the scrum was under pressure, the backs capitalized on space out wide, with Millward and Voller playing key roles in setting up Jones for his two tries.

Debutant scrum-half Charlie Cuervo impressed despite a tough introduction, linking well with the backs despite Guildford's struggling set-piece.  The return of Alex Burrill, fresh from his honeymoon, shored up the lineout, although there is still work to be done on this set piece.

The second half, however, saw Guildford lose momentum, with basic errors and ill-discipline allowing Chobham to take control.  A couple of early scores from Chobham, a penalty and a try saw them grow in confidence.  Despite a well worked try out wide on the left for Rob Voller, Guildford were always playing catch up in the second half.   As fatigue set in, penalties mounted, and Chobham's quick taps and eagerness to move the ball wide punished Guildford's lapses.

Debutant Lochy Ellis-Jones replaced Cuervo midway through the second half, moving Ieuan Jones to scrum-half and Ellis-Jones stepping onto the wing.  Despite flashes of promise, Guildford’s intensity waned, and their discipline further faltered when Ed Pasfield was yellow-carded for a breakdown offence.

Even though both sides had 14 men on the field Chobham capitalised on Guildford being a man down and, soon after Pasfield returned, extended their lead with a further score.  The home side's winger dived over in the corner despite Voller's valiant effort to bundle him into touch.  The referee adjudged Voller’s effort to be high and awarded a penalty try, and Voller also received a yellow card.

As the final whistle blew, Guildford were left reflecting on a missed opportunity to secure a vital away win.  Although their first-half display showed improvement, Chobham's dominance, even with a player down, was too much to overcome.

Guildford will look to bounce back next weekend when they host Bournemouth at Broadwater Park.

Mike Burden

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