Loader expects Swanage to play spoiling game (From Swindon Advertiser)

Loader expects Swanage to play spoiling game

6:00am Friday 13th January 2012 in Rugby By Ned Payne

SWINDON coach Neil Loader anticipates that Swanage & Wareham will play a destructive brand of rugby when the teams meet in South West 1 East tomorrow.

Swanage condemned Swindon to one of their six away defeats this season on the south coast in September, but will arrive at Greenbridge Road having failed to win once on the road in 2011/12.

And Loader believes the Dorset side will attempt to break up his own team’s attacking flow with an in-your-face defensive approach and plenty of big hits.

“They play quite a simple game and are very clever about what they do, so we need to make sure we don’t get as isolated as much as we did down there,” he said.

“Speaking to one of their guys over there that I know quite well, they seem to think we’re quite a flamboyant team, and that we won’t be able to do that when the weather turns.

“So I’m expecting quite a lot of pressure from them defensively, and for them to try to create chaos in our attacking line.”

Swindon are still missing long-term absentees Jack Badminton, Ross Saville, Kevin Gough and Michael Fitchett, but are expected to field a strong side.

Meanwhile, Wootton Bassett will be hoping they can kick on from their thrashing of Slough when they travel to Aylesbury in Southern Counties North.

Bassett hammered struggling Slough 65-5 last weekend but will most likely face a sterner test when they make the trip to Berkshire.

Elsewhere, Supermarine are at home to Fairford in Dorset & Wilts 1 North, for what will be their third game in eight days.

Supermarine lost out 32-10 to Weymouth in the Dorset & Wilts Plate on Wednesday night after the latter outfit took advantage of a slow start from the Wiltshire side.

Weymouth were 25-0 up inside the first half an hour and a try by Matt Dickens and a conversion and a penalty by Stuart Dawson could not bring Supermarine back into it.

“For 50 minutes of the game we played the better rugby, but in the first period they just blew us away,” admitted joint head coach Sean Millwaters.

“It’s all about Fairford now and it may be an opportunity to try out some of our younger lads.”

Elsewhere in Dorset & Wilts 1 North tomorrow, Minety travel to Pewsey Vale while lower down the league ladder, Cricklade welcome Swindon College Old Boys 2nds. In National 3 South West, Chippenham host Oxford Harlequins.

Swindon College Old Boys might have been on the end of a convincing defeat in their first match of 2012, but manager Martin Peaple believes a similar performance will see them grab a victory in the Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier.

Old Boys were well-beaten 45-5 at fellow midtable side Stow on Saturday and will be looking to recover from that as they prepare for the visit of struggling Phoenix.

The stats are in the home outfit’s favour as they have won all four of their home games this campaign, while Phoenix are yet to taste victory on the road.

Peaple said: “It was a bit of a disappointment to come back from Stow without at least a bonus point, but hopefully we can get back to winning ways.

“We always have close games with them, but we’d definitely fancy our chances because they have struggled away and we’ve been strong at home.

“A defeat after Christmas isn’t good but we didn’t play badly at all. If we play like we did last week then we should secure a win.”