Hertford RFC Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship

1ST XV TO PLAY DORKING

By Ben Lloyd

Head coach Baz gives a squad update ahead of Hertford v Dorking at Hoe Lane this Saturday 11 November, kick off 2.30pm.

“The boys are confident ahead of Saturday's game and are looking at the game as a huge challenge after Dorking beat Tunbridge Wells last week. ” Baz

Hi all,

There are a couple of changes to the team this week as we prepare to face our old mates Dorking. They are coached by our old friend Armond Roux and have some familiar faces in Mr Noble still playing, so we look forward to welcoming them to Hoe Lane on Saturday.

The front row sees one change to the starting lineup, with Harry Morgan swapping places with Josh Hewitt on the bench. Both played well last week and Hewitt has only started one game and that was at hooker so we are looking forward to see how he goes in the starting lineup. Luke Ellis keeps his place at hooker and I am sure Chris Joyce, who has gone through the concussion protocol, will now start to put pressure on him for the starting jersey. This is a helathy position for both of them to be in and we are looking forward to them battling it out to be the top dog. Geoff Hughes continues to impress at tighthead and is getting better every game. He still has bits to work on but all the coaches have been pleased with his attitude to learn and develop.

The second row will remain the same as last week, with Jack Elston and James Kinsley in the boiler room. Matt Perks was available this week but then is away on his Vetinary course until mid-January, so he will continue to play for Dudley Kinswinford until then. We did not think it was beneficial to bring him in for one game, especially with Elston and Kinsley putting in dominant displays.

Chris Joannou is away on international duty with Cyprus so it makes our selection headache in the back row a little easier, where Dan Belton will start at 6, with Josh Corcoran and Toran McDougall at 7 and 8 respectively. Ollie Cain, who has developed his game this year and added a hard edge, will be the forward replacement on the bench. He was very unlucky to miss out last week and his attitude has been fantastic in training so we’re glad to have him back in the mix.

Michael Sargent and Ben Lloyd continue as the half backs as both played well and with control last week.

Michael Allen and Sean Taylor continue at 11 and 15, with Richard Streets shifting back in to the centres with Aaron Lowe, which allows Jack Mitchell to start on then right wing, back in to the side after having a week off.

Stuart Smart is on the bench this week for no other reason than we can't put 8 players into 7 positions! Kyle Lemon has a rest week after coming off the bench in the last two weeks and playing very well.

Training has gone well this week with some video analysis to review the Westcombe Park game and Jimmy Tirrell has tweaked a couple of things to our defensive systems. Although we were pleased with our attack, Greggy has pointed out some bits we could do much better and we’re hoping to see those on Saturday.

The boys are confident ahead of Saturday's game and are looking at the game as a huge challenge after Dorking beat Tunbridge Wells last week. The majority of the crowd was great on Saturday and the reception the boys got when they walked off the pitch was fantastic, so thank you everyone for that!!! It was great to see Mr Spooner and Pausey afterwards in the bar and enjoy a pint with them.

On Saturday we also welcome Hertford under 10's for their matchday experience and they will be looked after by Kyle Lemon and Dave Archer.

Lastly I bring you some sad news. First team hooker Rob Jones has decided to finish his rugby career after three major operations in the last three years. After his latest injury, he would need another big operation and months of rehab to get his shoulder anywhere near playing level and he does not want to put himself through that again. Rob started his career as a mini at the club and I had the pleasure of coaching him at Colts level with Ian Jones for a year. He has always been a talented Hooker but at that age lacked some conditioning. He went away to Cardiff University and swapped the podge for muscle and came back a very fit and moblie hooker. He has played some excellent rugby in the last three years and had also added a hard edge to his game. When Macca came back to the club, his commitment was brilliant and he just got on with trying to be the best he could be. This season he has helped me in pre-season with lineouts and lineout organisation and his input has been invaluable. As well as a very good rugby player, I regard him as a friend and would like to thank him on the club’s behalf for being a top bloke and a bloody good player. Jonah you will be missed on the pitch but hopefully not in the bar mate!

Hertford team to face Dorking at Hoe Lane, kick off 2.30pm

15. Sean Taylor
14. Jack Mitchell
13. Aaron Lowe
12. Richard Streets
11. Michael Allan
10. Ben Lloyd
9. Michael Sargent
1. Josh Hewitt
2. Luke Ellis
3. Geoff Hughes
4. Jack Elston
5. James Kinsley
6. Dan Belton
7. Josh Corcoran (c)
8. Torran MacDougal

16. Harry Morgan
17. Ollie Cain
18. Stuart Smart

Updated 11:30 - 1 Sep 2019 by Mick Faires

Where next?

CLUB SHOP SALE British and Irish Lions shirts
Update on Graeme 'Vinny' Walters Good news to start the week.

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