Guildford Rugby Club
Guildford Ground Down as Tottonians Capitalise on Attritional Contest
Tottonians 28 – 6 Guildford
Wellington Sports Ground, Eastleigh, 31st January 2026
Team: 1 Harry Burt, 2 Jacob Jones, 3 Jon Karimian, 4 Jamie Curtis, 5 Matt Naeem, 6 Josh Jones, 7 Tom Devereaux, 8 Josh Smith, 9 Liam Driscoll (c), 10 Joe Gwyther, 11 Solomon Poole, 12 Tyler Pickford, 13 Christian King, 14 Charlie Cutting, 15 Alex Jordan
Replacements: 16 Tom Roaf, 17 Ross Brooker, 18 James Coates
Scorers:
Tries:
Cons:
Pens: Gwyther (2)
After a week off following a hard-fought victory over Ellingham and Ringwood, Guildford travelled to the south coast to face Tottonians, hoping to repeat their narrow success earlier in the season at Broadwater Park and continue edging away from the threat of a relegation play-off.
Relentless January rain meant Tottonians’ Water Lane pitch lived up to its name, forcing the fixture to be relocated to the immaculate playing fields of King Edward’s School in Eastleigh. A large and vocal home crowd, well warmed by a pre-match lunch at the Tottonians clubhouse, lined the touchlines as Guildford received the kick-off, playing up a gentle incline. Mercifully, the rain stayed away once proceedings began.
As is customary between these two sides, the opening exchanges were uncompromising. It was a full-blooded arm wrestle, with neither team prepared to yield ground and defences very much on top. Tom Devereaux, Charlie Cutting and Jon Karimian led the way for the visitors with a series of thumping tackles.
Clear chances were scarce. On the rare occasions Guildford made half-breaks, they were either penalised for holding on after becoming isolated or were hauled down by an effective scramble defence. It took more than 20 minutes for the deadlock to be broken, Tottonians eventually forcing their way through to score the game’s first try, which was duly converted for a 7–0 lead.
Guildford enjoyed extended spells in the home half but initially failed to translate pressure into points. Eventually, Joe Gwyther was given the chance to reduce the deficit with a penalty, narrowing the score to 7–3 at the interval.
Half-time: Tottonians 7–3 Guildford
The second half followed a familiar pattern, becoming increasingly scrappy and attritional. Defence continued to dominate, turnovers were traded and clear scoring opportunities were at a premium. Gradually, however, Tottonians began to impose themselves, helped by a yellow card shown to Tom Devereaux for collapsing a scrum. With the extra man, the home side struck decisively, crossing for another converted try to extend their lead to 14–3.
Gwyther replied with a second penalty to make it 14–6 just before Guildford returned to their full complement. Any hopes of a late revival were then undermined by injuries in the visitors’ front row, forcing the final stages to be played with uncontested scrums. Tottonians, now brimming with confidence, took full advantage, adding two further converted tries without reply to seal the contest.
Guildford were left to reflect on a frustrating afternoon in which they never quite got out of second gear or seriously threatened the try-line, a performance in stark contrast to the earlier meeting between the sides.
Full-time: Tottonians 28–6 Guildford
Good to see both teams coming together at the end of the match to show support for Totts chosen charity LooseHedz, rugby's mental health charity
Guildford now have a week off to recover before returning to Broadwater Park on 14 February to face Winchester, kick-off 14:00 (TBC), in what promises to be another stern examination. In the meantime, the 2026 Six Nations gets under way, with all matches shown in the clubhouse, where support will, as ever, be warmly welcomed.
#ComeOnGs
Mike Burden
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