Weekly Update - Another Outstanding Weekend of Rugby:
Another Carlsberg rugby weekend for the club with the clubs top four sides, (women’s, both senior mens team and the colts), all winning. The extra magic sauce was seeing the U5s & 6s providing a guard of honour for the Colts running out for their league match, proper special stuff.
A huge weekend coming up with pre-match Christmas lunch on Saturday, fully sold out too, a player led Nativity Play and carols in the evening and our Minis Christmas Special on Sunday, with fancy dress highly encouraged
Women Sparkle Under Friday NIght Lights:
It was great seeing so many people down on Friday night for the Panthers friendly against Marlow. Marlow have an established women’s team and to see us loan them players before the match started just shows how far we have progressed since our first match at the end of last season.
We won 37-22 with some very impressive team tries, showing excellent handling in difficult conditions. Full match report below.
1st XV Win on the Road v Marlow:
The 1st XV continued their fine form against local rivals Marlow, gaining a four try bonus win by early in the second half. Local derbies are a great affair and Marlow had a decent and vocal crowd in attendance making the whole day more of an occasion. Our win keeps us in 2nd place in the league. In other matches Brunel beat Grasshoppers 99-7, Windsor who have been struggling recorded a huge victory over Aylesbury and Belsize recovered from their defeat against us last week to beat Oxford Quins.
Full match report from Marlow match below.
2XV Record Comprehensive Win v Bracknell:
The 2nd XV had a convincing win against Bracknell away in muddy conditions, 64-0. Having watched some of the tries on-line our handling and offloading was sublime, despite the conditions. The lads were clearly hurt after their loss to Marlow last week and it showed with significant improvements across the board in that performance. We remain in third place in the table, just three points off top.
Colts Win Again
Another win for the Colts against Farringdon at home, winning 26-0. Our defence has been top notch this season with only one try conceded at home. Yesterday we were up against another big side, who were pretty decent and drew last week with the only side we've lost to. great team performance, built on defence - grinding out a win. There was a guard of honour from u5/u6 at the start, which was just fantastic to see and definitely provided the players with a huge lift. Captain Freddie Taylor was presented with his colts 15th cap after the game.
Junior Matches:
The U16s won away at Chinnor, 47-5. A tremendous result away against a traditionally strong side.
U15s lost to Buckingham 19-50 after being 19-19 midway through the second half. But unfortunately we had no subs and when they emptied their bench in the last quarter the freshness and extra physicality made a huge difference. Full match report below.
Minis at Henley:
Most of the Minis were away at Henley yesterday, running combined training sessions and matches. Feedback was very positive on learning new skills and techniques.
Looking Ahead:
Pre-match Christmas Lunch & Evening Festivities:
Next Weekend will be super busy at the club. We have both Windsor and Chesham playing the two senior men teams at home, both matches kick off at 2pm. Beforehand we have our annual Christmas lunch, which is fully sold. Post match we have carols, a player led Nativity Play and an evening karaoke.
If you missed out on lunch tickets, then apologies but bookings are all via a system and its literally first come first served and thankfully our events are proving super popular. However do still come down and enjoy the festivities and a bit of craic.
Christmas Special Minis Sunday:
This Sunday is our now regular Christmas Special for the minis. Christmas fancy dress is encouraged and you never know if schedules allow, we may even get a visit from someone special at this time of the year.
Boxing Day
The annual Married vs Singles match is on again at the club on Boxing Day. Kick off 11am and the clubhouse will be open from 10:30. This match is open to all
Enjoy your week!
Noel
Match Reports:
Womens XV:
It was an unforgettable Friday Night under the lights for Panthers, hosting Marlow and walking away with a huge 37-22 victory! What a way to end the first half of the season!
Charlotte Wright, Lydia MacDonald, Aimee Conway, Kitty Robinson and brand new Abbie Arkle all scored tries to secure the win. Harriet Wardle was kicking conversions.
David Rendell & Fin Currie hosted one of the finest winter BBQ’s to ever exist! There was mulled wine, boozy hot chocolate, burgers and let’s not forget to mention all the twinkle fairy lights!
Forward of the Match went to Arwen Williams and Abbie Arkle - they were both so brilliant we had to name two! Back of the Match was Faye Effard, our fly half.
All in all a fantastic evening and one we might need to make an annual occurrence.
1st XV:
On a stunning winter’s afternoon with the mist rising off the river a Beaconsfield side took to the field into the setting sun with a strong travelling support against a vocal and enthusiastic Marlow team
Early attacks on our tryline were held out by well-structured defence against a series of pick and go moves by the physically larger forwards
This set the tone for the first half with the technical superiority in the scrum had the larger Marlow pack in retreat at every set piece with our short range defence outstanding as Marlow’s attack on our line left them leaving empty handed throughout the first half
Early tries by Barney Howells and Owain Griffiths gave us a 14 point lead after 20 minutes extending to a 26 point lead by half time
By this stage in the game the early lost balls in the lineouts and spilled balls in the back had been corrected and the moves started to flow
Stan and Owain provided a strong link from the platform provided by the forwards an allowed the back some good space to operate
Marlow came out an invigorated side in the second half being rewarded with an early try thanks to the unpredictability of a bouncing rugby ball followed shortly by a second with the momentum firmly with Marlow
The lead was kept at a safe gap despite a further try by a penalty conversion in the last 10 minutes at 17-29 and whilst there was a strong Beaconsfield rally at the close the score remained with a bonus point victory securing second place in the league
U15s
*BRFC 19–50 Buckingham*
The scoreline doesn’t tell the full story of this match. Midway through the second half it was 19–19, BRFC were physically dominant in the scrum and collisions, and momentum was firmly on our side. With no substitutes available compared to Buckingham’s full bench, fatigue eventually told in the final 10 minutes—but the boys gave everything.
*Match Highlights*
We started strong, controlling the set piece and winning penalties thanks to outstanding work from Kian, Will, and Gabriel in the front row. On his debut, Kian was immense—calm under pressure and powerful in contact. Early on, though, we handed Buckingham two soft tries through basic errors—a dropped ball and a charged-down kick. Yet we regrouped, kept our discipline, and worked our way back.
Defensively, Finlay, Fraser, and Vivek made key tackles. Ed L and Evan grabbed crucial turnovers, while the entire pack—Kian, Gabriel, Vivek, Will, Ed, Max, Evan, and Alexander—were relentless carrying into contact. Our patience paid off as we crossed for our first try after sustained pressure close to the line. Half-time: 7–19, and BRFC knew they were right in it.
The second half began in explosive fashion. We stormed out of the gate, dominating territory and possession. After repeated entries into their 22, our physicality was rewarded with a deserved try. Then came a stunning sweeping move—dynamic forwards’ carries, quick hands through Christof and George, and a perfectly timed pass from Ayaan setting Dillon free for a 40-metre surge up the wing.
At that point, there looked to be only one winner. But rugby is a game of momentum, and Buckingham found theirs. A miscommunication at the back handed them a soft try, and though we regained control and again battered their try line, a turnover against the run of play saw them go the length to score—a real sucker punch. Two quick tries followed as tired legs began to show, and the score ran away late on.