Guest called upon in England win

Former Maidenhead Rugby Club starlet Tom Guest made his England Saxons debut on Saturday when he came off the bench in his team's comprehensive 64-10 victory over the USA on Saturday.

The 23-year-old from Taplow learnt his rugby at Maidenhead before joining Harlequins in 2005 where he has since established himself as one of the key members of the first team.

Guest was only called upon with 10 minutes left on the clock but many pundits are predicting a bright future for the flanker.

Another debutant, giant wing Matt Banahan put in a man-of-the-match performance as he scored a hat trick of tries as the Saxons ran riot as they scored nine tries in the opening round of the Barclays Churchill Cup in Ottawa.

Coach Steve Bates was rightly pleased with his Saxons team’s impressive performance. 

"The USA fought very hard for the first 20 minutes or so and it took us a little bit of time to settle," he said.

"They are a very talented group of players. There’s still plenty to work on but I’m very pleased with the overall performance."

For a full interview with Guest about his experiences on tour, see Thursday's Advertiser.