Smiths seniors delight in dominant derby displays & U15s win another comeback classic

Smiths Rugby delivered 3 wins from 3 across a weekend of exciting fixtures.

The first XV made the short trip to Old Patesians and capitalised on playing down the hill in the first period to race into a 24-0 score at half time. Tries from scrum half Dan Jarvis and a hat-trick from centre Charles Peters saw Smiths secure a try bonus point and a healthy lead.

A second half working up the Pats slope didn’t slow the Smiths scoring with further tries from wing Duncan Spurrier, a second from Jarvis, and one each for Luke Cador, Marcus Raymond and man of the match Jasper Frost. Pats had some time on the ball and scored a couple of tries but Smiths always had the upper hand. Full time saw Smiths 51-13 winners.

Smiths 2nd XV had another opportunity for a league double over a 1st XV team after their gutsy away performance at Minchinhampton as they hosted Civil Service at Prince of Wales Stadium.  

Eventually winning by 50-5, the score line did not entirely reflect the flow of the game. A battling defensive display against a strong wind and a strong pack enabled Smiths keep Service at bay. Forward of the match Cam Wilkinson typified the effort with tireless tackling. 5-5 at half time was fair reward for their efforts.

45 unanswered second half points from Smiths put Service to the sword with open running play and some clinical finishing. Back of the match Charlie McLaughlin made yards in attack to keep Smiths on the front foot. Scorers across the match were Tom Gordon x3, Cam Wilkinson x2, Luke Stoneman, Jake Stevens and Ben Baron. The United side are now 7 from 9 and 2 points off 2nd in the league.

Sunday saw Smiths U15 side travel to Bredon for their first league fixture of 2026. Having won a nail-biter of a fixture 19-15 at home in October, the sides were well-matched again. Starting up the slope and into the wind and sun, Smiths defended heroically to limit Bredon to a 7-0 lead.

Turning to play with more favourable conditions, Smiths began brightly but Bredon pushed up the hill and after sustained pressure they made numbers count out wide and took a 14-0 lead.

Settling into a territory-focused gameplay, Smiths kicked well through fly half Ellis Francis with chasing from man of the match wing Wilber Maughan keeping Bredon pegged back, it was one such kick that led to Smiths first try.

Francis saw space down the left wing and sent the ball through the Bredon 22. Ed Skelding won the race to the ball to touch down and added the extras himself for 14-7.

As in the first half, Smiths line speed shut down most of Bredon's attacking play and a spilled ball in the centres gave James Hastings a free run in from just inside the Bredon half. Skelding with another conversion to draw level a 14-14.

It was centre Hastings again with the third for Smiths. Initial dancing feet were followed up with power through the Bredon defence. Skelding converted to give Smiths a 21-14 lead and a huge swing in confidence.

Smiths stayed on top and the second of two 50-22 kicks from Francis was a monster, Bredon desperately chasing back but couldn't keep the ball from crossing the touchline 5m from the Bredon line.

Enter the Smiths pack. Travelling the necessary 5m in blink of an eye, the driving maul flew through token Bredon resistance. Rocco Milford emerged from the bottom of the mass of bodies to complete the scoring for Smiths and secure the 5 league points. A great team effort and a win hard-earned from their first half defensive display.

All eyes are now on another two big games next weekend. First up Smiths 1st XV travel up the A46 to Barkers Butts for their Round 3 Community Cup fixture. Their opposition are flying in their league with one loss all season so far. Bus tickets still available at https://www.smithsrugby.co.uk/product-page/away-bus-to-barkers-butts-rfc

Next Sunday Smiths U15s host Brockworth at POW. The fixture will be a real test of the squad as Brockworth have proven to be the form team in their league, unbeaten so far.