Scrum power, hard hitting defence and three high quality tries earned Canterbury a victory that has been promised but never quite achieved in recent games.

It was quite easily one of the city club’s best performances of an otherwise shaky season. The only minor regret was that their efforts were not rewarded with the bonus point their enterprise deserved.

A little more composure would surely have brought a fourth try and the failure to build on a 19-7 half time lead might have proved costly Taunton mounted a threatening late rally.

But Canterbury held on and justice was done for a team which was unrecognisable from that which plunged to a big defeat at Taunton earlier in the season.

The win lifts them out of the relegation zone and the way they went about defeating promotion chasing Titans can only have boosted confidence for the challenges ahead.

It was built around an aggressive and direct pack whose dominant scrummaging put the side on the front foot from the start, allowing the back division to flourish and saw the city side ahead after five minutes.

A decisively won loose ball was turned into a try as Martyn Beaumont found space and from his off-load Ricky Mackintosh and Charlie Harding handled smartly before Harding touched down.

The conversion was missed on a cold, gusty day which made it difficult for the kickers as Taunton discovered with a failed penalty attempt, but they soon stole into the lead..

A robust challenge for a lofted kick fell the visitors way and fly half Toby East showed his pace to score wide out andGary Kingdom judged the difficult conversion beautifully.

Tom Best missed a similar chance but it was Canterbury who continued to call  most of the attacking shots and Mason Rosvall showed why he is their leading try scorer, Taking an inside line from Harding’s pass the big wing cut Taunton to shreds with a superb run and his try under the posts left Best an easy goal shot.  The margin rose to twelve points as Rosvall added to his tally after 27 minutes, this time popping up on the right after Mackintosh had made a telling surge and Best topped up the try.

Canterbury were clearly in charge and poised for more but over eagerness and, notably, a fumble at the corner flag after Beaumont had put in the shrewdest of kicks left them frustrated.

It was a theme echoed in the second half where Cantebury soaked up early pressure with good defence and then re-established control.  Catch and drive chances were resisted and the elusive Beaumont was hauled down a metre short after a sinuous line break.

Best had two opportunities to kick his side to a more decisive lead but both penalty shots drifted wide and Titans were suddenly  revitalised by a try eight minutes from the end.  A penalty, a driven lineout followed by burrowing work from scrum half Brett Harvey gave them a bonus point and, with Kingdom’s conversion, a real glimpse of victory.

It was testing time but the deserving city club had worked hard to get this far and their determination saw them home.

 

Canterbury: M.Beaumont, R.Mackintosh, C.Horey, C.Harding, M.Rosvall, T.Best, G.Kay, C.Townley, S.Rogers (repl N.Wakefield), A.Wake-Smith (repl S.Kenny), R.Cadman, C.Hinkins (repl R.Ward), A.Cathcart, T.Sherson, G.Micans