“Glance through the list of the 39 players that have pulled-on a Rams 1st XV shirt this year and you will find that the majority are local boys from local clubs including Reading Abbey, Reading, Maidenhead, Bracknell and Henley. This success has been built on local young talent, much of which has been developed by the youth sections of Redingensians and other clubs in and around the town.
He says with pride: “Finishing second in a National 3 league is the highest that our club has ever achieved. One man `over the moon' at the Rams success naturally enough this season is the clubs CEO Gary Reynolds who's son Seb is also the backs coach. We did silly things last week like handling errors and not concentrating in defence but, this Saturday, being it's a play-off, I think, everybody's going to be on it and things like that won't happen.” “We need to concentrate on ourselves, particularly after last Saturday, more than them. “We've got to put in a performance this Saturday and if we can play like we can I've got no doubt that we can challenge them for the win,” he says. We've never been any higher than this and if we can do it, it would be brilliant!”Īnd one man who the Rams management hope will have a steadying influence on the side from his position as fly half is Nigel Gumbleton. It would have been better had we won the league but we take what we get and this is one of the biggest games the clubs ever had. He comments: “I'm very excited! It's what we've been building up to from the start of the season really. In fact, although they have not met in 76 years, the two clubs are no strangers to each other having clashed on eight occasions, the last time being back in 1938, ten months before the outbreak of World War 2, when Old Redingensians won 23-6 in Kent.Ī similar win on Saturday would suit Rams down to the ground while promotion would unlock doors to a higher standard of league rugby never enjoyed by most of the team and, in particular, some of the older members such us powerful prop James Baker.
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Of today's team full back Tom White is their danger man having played in all 26 league games this season and amassed 371 points kicking 44 penalties and 91 conversions while left wing Renford Bennet tops the try scoring with 33 while outside centre John Williams has notched 17. Over the years they have produced several internationals including their most recent and their only one since they went open in 1972, England prop Andrew Sheridan. Their hosts and opposition Old Elthamians were founded in 1911 as the School for Sons of Missionaries to Eltham College but very swiftly changed their name!
We'll decide that as a coaching team and as a squad.”īut, he adds:- “It works both ways as they've not played against us so they don't know how we play and we'll see that as a strength and an advantage.” We don't know too much about them yet but we'll have a team meeting and do some analysis of them and we'll sit down and try to work out what the best way to play against them is. Really the whole season boils down to this one match. He says firmly:- “We've got to pick ourselves up from that defeat and I think, potentially, it was a good thing as we're not going to go into Saturday's match with any false assumptions that it's going to be easy. One man ensuring they do just that will be skipper Andy Amor who's equally at home in the back-row or the centre and has been an inspiration to his team since taking over the captaincy from the injured Owen Root. “But we have a good squad and good group of players who perform at a high level and are very adaptable and we've just got to accentuate our own strengths this Saturday.” “You are bound to have an element of nerves at this stage,” admits head coach Mike Tewkesbury honestly. Hopkins inclusion, in particular, is a huge boost to the squad who missed his presence last week and who never really showed their full potential over the 80 minutes. Also returning to the squad is speedy wing/full back Joe Duffellen and back-rower Samir Kharbouch. Rams are boosted by the return of top flanker and joint leading try scorer with nine Azza Hopkins who makes the trip having missed out on his sides first narrow defeat of the year last Good Friday at Newton Abbot, 29-24. It's the climax of a huge season long campaign for Rams having won 20 and drawn 2 of their 26 National League 3 South West league games to finish second in the table behind runaway champions Lydney but, importantly, ahead of third placed county rivals Bracknell. Redingensians Rams travel down to Kent on Saturday/tomorrow for their most important game in their 90 year history as they face Old Elthamians in the 2013/14 National League 3 South play-off vying for a place amongst the top 72 teams in the country for next season, kick-off 3pm. Old Elthamians v Redingensians Rams – Promotion Play-Off
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