Long Eaton's 1st XV Narrowly Miss Out and 2nd XV Dominate in First Game of New Season

Long Eaton Rugby's 1st XV lose out to Loughborough away and 2nd XV dominate over Mellish away in first games of the new season.

Long Eaton Rugby's 1st XV faced Loughborough away to kick off the 2018/19 season this Saturday 8th September, in their first clash in the Midlands 2 (East North) League after being promoted.

Long Eaton conceded an early penalty after several phases of well-worked defence. The teams then went on to exchange tries, scoring four a piece in a well-matched and nail-biting contest.

Long Eaton's scores consisted of three tries from strong team play, with a fourth try from an individual moment of magic by Jack Weedon; scoring after a 40-metre run from the line. Man of the Match was awarded to open-side flanker and newcomer to the club, Jon Finn, who made his debut for the side.

Loughborough secured the win with a last-minute try, bringing the final score to 24-25. Despite this defeat, LERFC scored 2 bonus points, putting them in good stead for their first home match next weekend.

Director of Rugby at Long Eaton, Matt Everard said: "Obviously losing the first fixture wasn't the result we wanted, however we're happy with a large amount of the rugby we played at Loughborough. We are fortunate to have a very competitive squad, meaning that every player is playing for his position each week. We're looking forward to returning to West Park next Saturday - where our winning record has been superb over the last two years - something we're aiming to continue for this season."

Long Eaton's 2nd XV, who have also been promoted, played away on Saturday at North Nottinghamshire side, Mellish.

Dominating in all aspects of the game, Long Eaton conceded no points, bringing the final score to 92-0 in a monumental win for the first game of the season. Stand out performances came from Joel Duckworth and Brett Okeke who score three tries each.

Matt said: "We're obviously delighted with this performance and it's a clear testament to the strength of our senior squad. Our second team will play a huge part in developing our younger players for men's rugby and creating competition for first team places."