Pilning punished as Tetbury RFC runs riot (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Pilning punished as Tetbury RFC runs riot

MUCH of the promise shown in recent games came to fruition in Saturday's league clash when Tetbury RFC's young guns ran riot against their more experienced Pilning visitors to win 69-0.

Scoring 12 tries, often the product of outstanding passing and running, Tetbury showed, for the first time this season, what real talent is currently available to the club.

To Pilning's immense credit, they kept battling and tackling hard. Their forwards were aggressive at the breakdown with their open-side flanker and scrum-half in particular playing quick, combative rugby around the fringes.

On occasion, Tetbury's eight looked the weaker unit, though their fallibility at the breakdown was more than compensated for by their running in open play.

South African No 8 Janus Bruys could be singles out for an outstanding game, supported by bullocking runs by tight-head Ian Church and second-rows Mark Goldstone and Matt Smith.

Forwards and backs linked creatively in all areas of the field with stand-in scrum half Bryan Goldstone, normally a No 8, reverting to type and acting as a ninth forward to drive the ball across the gain line.

There was a hat-trick for Ben Serjeant and several players scored a brace of tries each, among them Chris Jones and Jan Schmidt, both of whom ran from deep to test a retreating Pilning defence throughout the game.

Tim Shute marshalled his defence excellently as he moved up to fly-half, following Duncan Battishill's departure after ten minutes, and there was never any serious danger of the Bristol outfit breaching the home defence.