Cinderford Chase Away Win at Wharfedale
Saturday 9th March (KO 3pm) SSE National 1
This Saturday Cinderford travels the long stretch to North Yorkshire to take on Wharfedale RUFC with the objective of banishing their away game blues and taking the win and four points, against a team that is currently hovering just above the relegation zone.
Determined to capitalise on the margins of error that prevented the Foresters claiming the win last weekend in a tightly fought battle against Esher, this week has seen intense sessions in training and unit drills that focus on accuracy and completion.
Said director of rugby, Andy Deacon: “Wharfedale will be going for every point they can get in order to distance themselves from the bottom cluster and they will be strong in front of their passionate home crowd, often deemed as their 16th man, so we need to score early and dominate the pitch from the start and for the full 80 minutes.”
“Last week was just one of those games that could have gone either way. We powered over the line with the final play, but were then held up. I have told the guys to keep their heads up this week, and to keep pushing forward with our more attacking game plan. It’s always a balance of course, but as the grounds firm up then we should be taking advantage by expanding our game. Our players really relish that, and that’s probably slightly unusual for Cinderford when you look at our traditional, tight approach. But we’ve got to embrace the attacking side of our game, and I am confident we can make it pay dividends.”
Just a few tweaks to the side see Jack Preece resting due to a knee strain and Tom Bozzard start, with Stu Bailey coming on to the bench. Second rower Dale Critchley had good form last week and starts, with Ed King going on to the bench on rotation. Our other Gloucester loan player, Tom Heard, starts at tight head and Nick Selway goes to the bench. Back row Will Foden returns to a starting position and captaincy with Luke Allen on the bench.
Cinderford RFC v Wharfedale
Backs
15. Mike Wilcox
14. Nev Codlin
13. Jack Adams
12. Dewi Scourfield
11. Lloyd Stapleton
10. Mark Davies
9. Danny Pointon
Forwards
1. Joe Smart
2. Tom Bozzard
3. Tom Heard
4. Ben West
5. Dale Critchley
6. Rob Langley
7. Will Foden
8. Joe Garner
Replacements
16. Nick Selway
17. Stuart Bailey
18. Luke Allen
19. Ed King
20. Kai Done