DEPLETED WOKING SUFFER MORE INJURY WOE AND DEFEAT

With the odds stacked against them it was clear that all were motivated for the task in hand, and this showed from the first kick with Woking being aggressive in attack and defence. Notable work coming from Captain Jacob Woods leading by example and backed up ably by fellow back rower Phil Price and Woking veterans Matt Armstrong and Rory Blundell. 

Unfortunately, within the first 5 minutes Woking found themselves down to 14 men as their injury curse struck yet again when they lost in form winger Ross Henson to a dislocated shoulder following a fine try saving tackle in the corner.

The numerical disadvantage did not stop Woking who continued to repel the big Reigate pack. However, their resistance was finally broken after 25 minutes with a cleverly worked try that deceived the Woking defenders, drawing them across field to create enough space for a Reigate forward to crash over from short range. 

Woking did return to a full complement of 15 players following the late arrival of Yuvi Jagoda due to work commitments but no sooner had this happened they went down to 14 players as hooker Rory Blundell was yellow carded for a late tackle. 

This time Reigate managed to take advantage of their man advantage scoring two quick tries before half time as the game became more stretched and frenetic.

Half time: Reigate 19 - 0 Woking

The halftime message from Woods was for Woking to retain the ball better, build the phases up field at their own pace. Confident that there was enough within the team to give their hosts problems, which they did. Once again Woking started the half well and looked good with the ball in hand putting together some nice phase play.  However, pressure from the Reigate defence as well as the damp conditions resulted in a high number of individual errors and turnovers for both sides which disrupted the flow of the game.

Mid way through the half Woking did almost get on the scoresheet after some strong phase play by their forwards in midfield created an opportunity for centre Mike Hume to break down the far touchline before being tackled a metre short of the line by the Reigate fullback. Unfortunately, with one or two Woking players picking up knocks as the game entered the final stages and unable to bring on any replacements, they manfully continued to see the game out for the team. Reigate were able to take advantage, bringing on a full complement of replacements and fresh legs which helped them to score two late tries taking the final score to 33-0. 

Full Time: Reigate 33 - 0 Woking

After the game captain Jacob Woods said “I don’t feel the scoreline reflects today’s game. Nor can I believe the extent of our injury list this season, its never ending and at its current rate we will be luck to get a sevens side out!  However, every single player can take heart from this performance after giving 110%.  We now have a week off and can hopefully get one or two back for our last couple of league games of the season.  With players returning and a bit of luck, it’ll be hard, but I remain confident we can win those games.”

Man of the Match: Phil Price

Next match: Merton RFC (A), 4/03/23 Kick off 2.30pm