TWRUFC 1st XV 82 vs Tunbridge Wells III 10

24th Jan 2026, KO 14:00

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Match Report

The Winning Train Continues In Style

Yet again we faced a worrying build up to the match experiencing some horrible weather in the week leading up to this fixture, becoming quite a trend now. However, this week the squad did manage to train on Tuesday and to squeeze in an extremely unexpected indoors fitness session on Thursday night despite the horrible rain looming over Ash at the moment.

But sure enough Saturday rolled around with beautiful blue skies and sun shining making for yet another very aesthetic afternoon out on the back pitch. First and foremost a massive round of applause must be given to the travelling Tunbridge Wells side. The boys travelled down with few players on the day and couldn’t have been nicer blokes, we’ve had some tight and tough games in the past and it’s always been an incredible atmosphere between the 2 sides on and off the pitch. This week they were struggling for a side but they agreed to travel down and stick on some boots in order to give everyone a much needed run around. We supplied them some extras so that we could play a full 15 on 15 game and this also allowed us to give some players who have lacked game time recently the chance to get back out there. But you could tell, the same as they always carry themselves, these boys weren’t just here to fill a number, they were here to give a good hard competition as always expected. They took to the field with 11 of their own along with the addition of Joey (Hinge) Hales sitting at … 9!?!?!? … Swifty sitting in at front row and both the Russell Brothers filling in the remaining gaps.

As for the Ash line up I feel as though I have to start changing my descriptions of our team sheets in these reports, because by some miracle Kieran Munn-Hollands at 10 just simply isn’t an unusual sight anymore. Another position that now feels nailed down is Daniel Norman in at 13 this week paired with Philip (Hartbury) Hopkins who did his usual boasting from minute 1 of the warm up. In the back line Conor McGrath took up that full-back place again after proving his strength in defence and under the high balls against Cranbrook just 2 weeks prior, and he was joined by the returning winger pairing of Lewis Hopkins and Brad-Lee Nash. The forward packed remained eerily similar to past weeks the only changes being Riley Evans entering the starting 15 in place of an absent Jimmy Osborne and Ben Brabham making it back into the starting front-row after dodging dismissal that Wednesday!!!

Fin Parfitt made his stamp on the day early on when we came out for the warm up and he managed to make his first act being ending up on the floor over his shoulder during a touch game. The rest of the boys did actually manage to have a decent warm up however, and with the arrival of both coaches half way through, some clean run throughs ensued in the last minutes before running back in to put on the black and pink strip.

Before the game was underway both teams lined up in preparation for a minutes applaud for a dear friend of the club Paddy McAdams who sadly passed away on the Thursday before the game. Paddy played and coached over at Dover but had an irreversible effect on our club during his lifetime. He saved our entire juniors section from collapsing twice by working between the 2 clubs for a join up in order to keep boys playing. He coached countless players from countless age groups and made sure that they were still playing to this day, and his memory and impact will never go astray from our memories. Even within our matchday squad 8 players took to the field that he’d coached at some point during their paying careers. A true rugby gent and a great man who will never be forgotten.

And just how he would’ve wanted we kicked off straight into the action. Tunbridge Wells took the first catch well running up a couple of hard phases early on catching our boys off-guard and half asleep with multiple penalty offences for offsides, hands at the ruck, not rolling away. It was an unacceptable start for the Ash boys and Wells slotted an impressive penalty kick to claim the first points of the game.

This shocked the system immediately and the boys quite quickly realised just what was needed from them. The next restart was chased fast and hard and a couple of hard plays and well-structured rugby mixing up the forward and back based plays and playing some generally fluid rugby the boys crashed over for the first score of the game from Brad-Lee Nash.

Some confidence was now flowing through the veins of every player, with every scrum and lineout becoming more flawless with every attempt, and the back lines making ground and confusing the defence. When the boys didn’t have the ball, big tackles were put in all over the place. The likes of Guy Williamson, Dan Norman, Matt Radbourne and Fin Parfitt to name a few ran hard and aggressive lines all over the park, one from Kieran Munn-Hollands making Swifty act like he’s got just as weak ankles as Fin with a killer side step around the best looking front row in a wells shirt.

Once this rhythm came there was no slowing down for the boys they ran in a total of 12 tries, 5 from Brad-Lee speeding down the wings, one from a hard running Radbourne, 2 worked well run ins from each of the younger Hopkins brothers Harry and Lewis. Also a double from hard runs for Dan Norman topping off his afternoon in style after running one in from the back of a lineout halfway up the pitch, and a sympathy offload from what would’ve been Brad’s 6th to a feeling left out Dec Quincey who dotted down, and a very “lucky and greedy” score from Kieran who DID have 2 others outside him. And just to top off the scoring Philip Hopkins boot was almost pitch perfect scoring all but one conversions, including one very impressive one out on the touchline despite the ignoring of Ben Gunters comments on “angles” whatever that means in a kickers brain. (Brad B probably wouldn’t be able to tell you what they were on about so it doesn’t matter in my mind).

It wasn’t all unanswered attack from the boys who traded out the green and white for pink and black this week. Tunbridge Wells had stints of brilliance playing some lovely crash, pick and go style rugby utilising their strengths of size and power. At one point they pinned the Ash defence on their own line for a good 5 minutes of solid hard hitting, and eventually managed to secure that all precious try. However, the Ash boys were without a doubt feeling good after that defensive performance, that many big hits is nothing to be ashamed of at all and a testament to their hard work even so many points up.

Around 20 minutes before the end a re-assuring sight came when Brad Blaxland re-took to the pitch after a long time out since his last appearance in the Thanet game. His first impact being a lovely kick to the corner which made everyone realise this false spell we’ve all been under in the last couple of months that Kieran is actually a decent 10 is indeed false. I’m not saying K is bad , I think everyone massively respects how he’s stepped up to the plate brilliantly when we’ve needed him to, I just haven’t seen a kick for touch as good as that first one Brad did for a long long time. We’re glad to have you back Brad (even though Kieran might not be).

The game finished in high spirits with all players from both sides able to appreciate the 80 minutes of incredible rugby that had just occurred. Yet again another big thanks to Tunbridge Wells for still making the long journey down to the east Kent farmers territory even with small numbers and allowing all of our boys to have a run out, and a big thankyou to Swifty, Jorge, Jasper, Joey, Kieran and Mark for wearing the oppositions stripes and representing the club proudly in doing so.

Thankyou to all of our sponsors and supporters for your continued support and efforts on the sideline driving the boys on every week. You’re all Green and White wrapped legends!!!

So, yet another game and yet another win this time 82-10. Ash remains a fortress this season somewhere people should be scared to come and play, and we continue our stint at the top of the league for yet another week.

We shift focus now to the cup where we face Greenwich away on 7th February 2026 in the first round of the vase where a win guarantees a place in the semi-final, which promises to be one hell of a game with a close semi-final against them last year. Our next league fixture comes on the 14th February away to Aylesford. And then one more away game until we’re back on home turf.

As always win, draw or loss. The green machine keeps rolling.

MOTM: Daniel Norman (Big hits, and beautiful running lines)

DOTD: Riley Evans (the worst linesman performance since the last time Jorge Russell was on the flag)

Try Scorers: Brad-Lee Nash (5), Daniel Norman (2), Matthew Radbourne, Kieran Munn-Hollands, Harry Hopkins, Lewis Hopkins, Dec Quincey

Conversions: Phillip Hopkins (11)