Nonu & Tedstone pleased with Reds’ performance against Canterbury

Photo: Simon Bryant Iktisphoto

 

Redruth’s 31-19 success against Canterbury lifts them above Henley Hawks in the league table to 5th place. The two sides meet in two weeks time at the Recreation Ground, but before that there is the game at Clifton and that fixture occupies the thoughts of head coach Pale Nonu. He said. “Next Saturday’s game at Clifton will be vital for both clubs, Clifton need the points in their bid to avoid slipping into the bottom three, whilst we really need to back up today’s performance with a win on the road.

“If we can get into the right mind set then I think we can get a good result up there, we will certainly be working on that this week in training.

Looking back at the Canterbury game Nonu was pleased with his side’s performance on the day. “Conditions were tough, the pitch was heavy and there was a stiff wind. Credit to both sides they adapted well and both played some excellent rugby at times.

One factor that disappointed Nonu was conceding Canterbury’s second try right on half time. “That was poor defending from us, we left the door open on the blindside and they took the gift. It put a different slant on the half-time chat, the boys knew they had work to do and to their credit they went about putting it right in the second half. I thought our game management in the second half was good with Richie Kevern putting us in position, his game seems to improve every week which is really pleasing, he works hard at training and stays on to do extra work so it’s paying dividends now.

Equally satisfied with the Redruth performance was forwards coach Gareth Tedstone. “I am pleased to get that bonus point win, I feel we didn’t do ourselves justice at Bury, hopefully we can go into the Clifton game with some momentum.

“Today I was pleased with the work rate and carrying from the forwards against a big heavy pack, we had to win the game another way, we couldn’t rely on out-muscling them up front, so I am really pleased with the way our lads went about it.

Brad Howe at number 8 certainly showed up well for the Reds. “Brad put in a big performance, pity he didn’t have the legs to make the line in the second half but it was tremendous effort he might have made it playing down hill but going up the slope was a hard ask.

Another forward who caught the eye was young prop Jack Hodge. “Jack’s had a fine game, he’s a very promising prospect, versatile also he can play across the front row and at only 19 has a bright future. He is learning from experienced players like Craig Williams. We will have to manage him a bit now as he will be involved with the county under 20s, by all accounts he’s made a big impression with the county coaches and is likely to feature in the group games starting next week.

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