It was a real grind, but the team dug deep to secure a hard-fought win against a very competitive London side who threw everything at us. The first half was far from ideal—we struggled for creativity, looked slow in attack, and couldn’t build any real momentum. The introduction of Pele off the bench was the turning point for me. His impact completely shifted the game, giving us the platform we needed to take control. Defensively, it was great to keep them scoreless in the second half, showing real resilience under pressure. One big takeaway from today’s game: Lilley cannot play in the halves this year. He was too slow and lacked the creativity we needed in key moments. If we want to be a real threat this season, that needs to be addressed. Standout performances came from Blake, Armitage, Hallas, Holmes, Pele, and Taufua, who all played a massive role in earning us vital yards and keeping us on the front foot. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a tough, determined win—exactly the kind of performance that builds character for the season ahead.

Anyone know why Donaldson was put on report? Looked like a ticking off for lifting but he pulled out when he realised but nothing more?

Yeah an explanation of the closed terrace would be appreciated. Some miffed supporters around me. Shout out to Waqa Blake who was my Mom yesterday. Awesome assist for Taufua's try and thought he was one of the few with plenty of energy. Another comedy value bit of business by the club.

No idea why the terracing was taped off. Nothing communicated - not a great way to do things by the club. I can only assume it was to get people more concentrated, whether that was to reduce stewarding costs or to get a better atmosphere I don't know. If it was the latter then it was a daft idea. People who want to sing along can still stand near those that do it if they want. The rest don't want to be forced to do it. Our normal spot was taped off - we just happened to be in the stand this time. I wouldn't be happy being forced to stand somewhere else. Blake looks like an amazing bit of business, agree his assist for Taufua was real class. We've not had a right centre this good for years.

Doing things like this with no explanation is a great way to p**s supporters off.

[quote="Bullseye":3mpb5i2l]In the 14th century squad rotation was [i:3mpb5i2l]considerably[/i:3mpb5i2l] more widespread after John[/quote:3mpb5i2l] You're getting old Sam. Seems like you & me are considerrwably older than the others on here. Or just have better taste.