Match Preview

St Jacques Vikings begin their Sussex RFU League adventure this Saturday with an away trip to St Francis RFC.

The combined St Jacques & Guernsey Raiders venture has been created to act as a development pathway for young rugby players locally, and this season will see around ten current under 18 Colts involved in the squad, along with several players who recently ‘graduated’ the Guernsey Rugby Academy and will be playing their first full season of senior rugby this term.

After three up and down years in the Hampshire Solent league, the Vikings are looking to kickstart themselves again in a new UK league. With much reduced costs, a structured eighteen game league programme with promotion opportunities now available, and joint funding secured for the next three seasons expectations of a full positive season are high.

This visit to St Francis is just outside Crawley, making it one of the shortest journeys from Gatwick the side will travel this season. As with entering a new league at this level, little is known about the opposition and therefore the Vikings have focussed heavily on their own preparation in the build up to this fixture. It is expected the standard will be slightly higher than in the Solent league, however the black and yellows are well prepared for this after a good pre-season camp that has included training with and against the Guernsey Raiders.

Steve Melbourne and his coaching team of Martin Warner-Green, Ray Smart and Neil de Kock have been able to name a good side for the opening test, which offers a good blend of youth and experience. Martin Warner-Green & Ray Smart will coach the team this weekend.

Leon Gardner captains the side from the back row and he will bring plenty of experience and control to the side, and he is also joined in the back row by the dynamic Jon Laws and Alfie Penney, both of whom will be hoping to make big impressions this season. The Vikings coaches have named Callum Murdoch in the front row, along with James Mroch and Hugh Birley, whilst Nico Ashplant and Ben Le Noury miss out through injury. Le Noury had suffered a nasty knee injury which ruled him out since March, however he is now nearing a return to full training.

Last season Murdoch was a regular in the Solent league team and regularly impressed with his solid defence and tireless work rate around the park, whilst Mroch has been a regular squad member for St Jacques, but has seen his starting chances limited in the past few seasons. This will be a big opportunity for Mroch to stake his claim for a regular start in the Vikings side. Birley has recently returned to Guernsey after several seasons in the UK at university, however prior to departing he had previously shown himself to be a very mobile prop, who gets around the park and who will work tirelessly for the team in both attack and defence.

In the second row young Brett Hewlett and Brad Webb will reform their Colts lock pairing from last season. Both have stepped up to senior rugby full time this season and look set to have big futures. The Vikings have plenty of strength in this area this season, with the Smith brothers Jacob & Mitchell and the experienced Scott Le Page and Bjorn Van der Kammen also set to feature in the second row this season.

The backs will be lead by vice captain Alec Bailey at inside centre. The veteran of Guernsey rugby is in the twilight years of his career but has shown that he still has plenty to offer with some excellent performances last season. Inside of him at fly-half is Ben Holland, the Colt is a very talented young man who more often than not plays at scrum half, however this weekend he will be pulling the strings in the number 10 jersey. University bound Pierre de Garis starts at scrum half, in what will most likely be his only outing for the black and yellows this side of Christmas. Another young and very talented halfback does miss out this weekend however, as Tom Teasdale is representing Guernsey in the touch inter-insulars in Jersey. Another of Matt Chammings current crop of Colts he looks set to have a very big future, and the Vikings coaches have high hopes for him this season.

Leon Collenette, the younger brother of former Cornish Pirate George, has already proven himself to be a good player for his age (aged 17) with various outings for St Jacques last season, and it is hoped if he can link up with Bailey and another talented youngster Taylor Quate at fullback, the Vikings will be able to create chances and cause damage to their opponents out wide with pace to burn. Looking to take advantage of those chances on the wings will be Johan Greenberg & Dave Horscraft, both of whom are solid players and will look to impress this weekend.

Whilst the Vikings do not know what awaits them on Saturday from their new opponents, what is already apparent however is that their coaches will expect their team to piece together a good performance and put into practice the solid game plan which has been worked on for several months now. If they do that they will have a good opportunity to walk away with a maiden Sussex division Two victory.

Team

H Birley
J Mroch
C Murdoch
B Webb
B Hewlett
L Gardner (C)
A Penney
J Laws
P de Garis
B Holland
D Horscraft
A Bailey
L Collenette
J Greenberg
T Quate

T Marquis
S de Jersey
P Ryan