Guildford Show Character Despite Setback at Old Tiffinians

Guildford Rugby Club

Guildford Show Character Despite Setback at Old Tiffinians

Old Tiffinians 39 –13 Guildford

8th November 2025

Guildford Show Character Despite Setback at Old Tiffinians

Team: 1 Joe Meade, 2 Ross Brooker, 3 Freddie Cole, 4 Jon Karimian, 5 Jamie Curtis, 6 Ozzy Rooken-Smith, 7 Tom Devereaux, 8 Oli Millward, 9 Liam Driscoll, 10 Joe Gwyther (C), 11 Josh Jones, 12 Theo Niel* 13 Louis Bounds, 14 Will Craven, 15 Jack Osborn*

Replacements: 16 Paddy Wood, 17 Will St Pier, 18 Ben King

(*Debut)

Scorers:

Tries: Bounds

Cons: Gwyther (1)

Pens: Gwyther (2)

Player Of the Match (POTM): Louis Bounds

Guildford made the short trip to East Molesey to face Old Tiffinians, a new opponent at league level, on a glorious autumn afternoon. With the sun shining and the pitch in excellent condition, the stage was perfectly set for an entertaining encounter. Despite another week of widespread changes, eleven in total through unavailability and injury, Guildford approached the game determined to continue building momentum against a home side that has shown impressive form against the league’s top teams.

Ross Brooker shifted to hooker in place of the unavailable Jacob Jones, while Joe Meade moved from blindside flanker to tighthead. Jon Karimian stepped into the second row, with Freddie Cole returning from university to start at tighthead, and Ozzy Rooken-Smith joining Tom Devereaux in the back row.

In the backs, Josh Jones took his place on the wing, with Theo Niel and Jack Osborn making their First XV debuts at centre and fullback respectively, a warm welcome to both. Will Craven also moved out to the wing, while the bench featured the welcome returns of Paddy Wood and Ben King from injury, both eager to make an impact after lengthy absences.

In the 8 matches played this season there have been 38 players who have represented the first XV, with on average 8 changes each week. This level of change, whether forced or unforced, is not helping the cohesion of the side and is holding back progress. A way to get a more stable side and consistent selection needs to be identified and implemented quickly.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested, with both sides probing for early openings. After eight minutes, Old Tiffinians broke through for a converted try to lead 7–0, but Guildford responded immediately with their best spell of the match. Quick ruck ball from Liam Driscoll and strong carries from Devereaux, Karimian, Oli Millward, and Louis Bounds had the home defence under pressure. That pressure soon told, as Joe Gwyther coolly slotted two penalties in succession to narrow the gap to 7–6.

Old Tiffinians’ pack then began to assert themselves at the set piece, capitalising on their strength to score three unconverted tries in a 12-minute spell and stretch the lead to 24–6. Guildford’s defence, led by Devereaux, Millward and Bounds, tightened up to prevent further damage until the hosts added a converted score on the stroke of half-time to lead 29–6.

Half-time: Old Tiffinians 29 – 6 Guildford

Having mounted a spirited second-half comeback in their previous match, there was optimism that Guildford could again fight their way back into contention. Ten minutes after the restart, they did just that: a clever chip from Gwyther bounced perfectly for the ever-alert Bounds, who gathered and outpaced the cover to score his ninth try of the season. Gwyther’s conversion brought the score to 29–13, and when the hosts were reduced to 14 men for repeated infringements, hope flickered brightly for the visitors.

Guildford continued to battle hard, with Driscoll marshalling his forwards and backs in search of another breakthrough. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to find a way past a disciplined home defence, hampered by the lack of a stable scrum platform. Late on, as fatigue set in, Old Tiffinians added two more unconverted tries to close out the match 39–13.

Full-time: Old Tiffinians 39 – 13 Guildford

Old Tiffinians proved themselves a well-drilled, cohesive outfit with real physical presence, while Guildford can take pride in flashes of quality and determination despite ongoing disruption to their lineup.

Guildford now take another break as the Autumn Internationals continue, with England set to face New Zealand. League action resumes on 22 November with a home fixture against local rivals Chobham (Kick-off 14:30, TBC) — your support, as always, will be warmly appreciated.

#ComeOnGs

Upcoming 1st XV fixtures in November / December

15/11/25 Rest week - no game

22/11/25 Chobham (H) KO 1430 (tbc)

29/11/25 Wimborne (A) KO 1430 (tbc)

6/12/25 Twickenham (H) KO 1400 (tbc)

13/12/25 Reeds Weybridge (A) KO 1400 (tbc)

20/12/25 Petersfield (H) KO 1400 (tbc)

Mike Burden

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