Read Match Report below (or open attached PDF) - plus look at Media / Albums tab to view the photos and league tables

CS Stags 1863 47 – Hammersmith & Fulham RC 7

An extremely blowy, gusty afternoon greeted us at Dukes Meadows for the visit of our London neighbours, Hammersmith & Fulham Rugby Club, playing our fourth league game of the season.

Both teams were trying earnestly to settle in and best engage the windy conditions, and the first quarter saw a pretty even see-saw contest. It was on the twenty-first minute that a persistent Stags push finally broke through, with Luke Trigg ripping into the left corner after a strong attack. David Wilkinson converted. Further attacks saw Henry Peuble break clean through the middle to touch down under the posts in the thirty-ninth minute, and once again converted, score was now 14-0 to Stags. The Stags tails were now up, and with half time looming, they pressured the Hammers line at close quarters. As Bertie Watson finally burrowed over the try line on the right, the referee blew up for a penalty try at the same time, and the Stags went into half time 21-0 up, with three tries to their credit.

Both teams struggled with the strong wind second half, especially line outs, but Stags had the slightly better attacking platform with John Hargreaves marshalling from full back, and kicking well. Round about the sixty minute mark, pressure told, and after a Bertie Watson solo pick up and sprint from the half line, Emmet McDonnell touched down right of the posts. David Wilkinson kicked his third conversion and judged the wind perfectly. 28-0, and four try bonus confirmed. Five minutes later Isaac Riviere, backing up another Stags attack move, stormed over for a try to make it 33-0, the conversion missed. Credit to Hammers who kept going, they finally secured a try left of the posts in the seventy-third minute, and converted to make it 33-7. But it was the Stags who ran in two more tries in the closing minutes of the game, through Jacob Farnworth with a good drive, and Pantelis Stylianou after a storming long run. This time John Hargreaves kicked the two conversions, and the match ended with a 47-7 victory for the CS Stags.

Well done to all for a solid win, and excellent play in tricky conditions. Many congratulations to the two debutantes on their Stags first team appearances, Henry Peuble and Isaac Riviere, and they both had excellent matches. It was also great to see some good support braving the winds on the sidelines, players, family, partners, and club members – please do keep coming down to support the teams, and you are most welcome at all times. The clubhouse bar and dining area also saw celebrations together with a club stalwart, with post lunch port and post-match cake, and it was a pleasure that Graham Clucas could share his birthday with us.

Tries: 35 points (x7) – Luke Trigg, Henry Peuble, Penalty Try, Emmet McDonnell, Zac Riviere, Jacob Farnworth, Pantelis Stylianou
Conversions: 6 points (x3) – David Wilkinson, 4 points (x2) - John Hargreaves, 2 points - (penalty try)

The CS Staghounds 2nd XV were due to play Esher Cardinals (II’s) away, but the match was postponed and re-scheduled. It looks like only one game was played in the GAUCHO ROC London Shield league yesterday, but I am including the latest available league table on England Rugby together with the photos.

** League games for next weekend, Saturday 11th October 2025: CS Stags 1863 1st XV away to Bracknell RFC, and CS Staghounds 2nd XV at home to London Welsh RFC (II’s). **

For information, we are adding try and point scorers to the GMS Match Card this season, and this gets picked up and fed through to the Fixtures & Results page on England Rugby. On the same page is the “Stats” tab, and you can now see added to the other team stats such as biggest home and away wins, biggest home fortress, and best traveller rankings etc., the actual league individual player stats for highest try scorers and points scorers. Click on their names to reveal player profiles, points scored, appearance figures etc. and filter for either all time data, or season specific data! Here’s the link:
https://www.englandrugby.com/fixtures-and-results/search-results?competition=261&division=66524&season=2025-2026#stats

Don’t forget – CS Stags 1863 postings are available on all three of the sites below: Pitchero club website, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/civilservicefootballclubru/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/civilstags
https://www.linkedin.com/company/66883452/admin/page-posts/published/