Mobbs-Smith felt 40-8 defeat to London Welsh was harsh on 'competitive' Maidenhead

David Mobbs-Smith should be able to put out a reasonably strong side for Saturday's clash with Camberley at Braywick Park. And he said he'll 'see where it lands' after Maids gave London Welsh a much better game than the scoreline suggested last weekend.

Table toppers Welsh ran out 40-8 winners at home, though Mobbs-Smith felt the 32-point gap was harsh on his side who had pushed the hosts well in the first period especially.

Maids trailed 12-3 at the break after Greg Smith had kicked them ahead through a penalty, and Smith missed a couple of other kicks which might have put them on a more even keel. Welsh were also ill-disciplined in the first half, handing Maids several penalties and seeing two of their players sin-binned in the final minutes of the half. Yet, despite going close on several occasions, they weren't quite able to get the try to put them right back in contention.

Two quick scores for Welsh, and the dismissal of hooker Jake Leach in the early stages of the second half, then took the game away from Maids and ended any realistic hopes they had of victory - or even picking up a bonus point.

Reflecting on an ok performance, but disappointing result, Mobbs-Smith said: “Just after half-time they scored twice and that took the game away from us.

“And at that exact moment we also had a red card so any hope of a comeback or picking up bonus points was made very difficult.

“I didn’t really have a clear view of it at the time or on video. It was Jake Leach, who had just come on off the bench.

“But for that last half hour the score was 14-5. So, we were very competitive in the game, they just took their opportunities.

“The score was harsh on us, but they are a very good side, and they played well.

“They’ll take some beating this year, they’ll be there or there abouts. Playing in front of 800 odd people, it was a great match.

Yes, and some of the penalties were a bit easier and we just chose to try and attack them because the momentum was with us, so we kicked for the lineouts or whatever.

“Those choices didn’t come off and we got over the line one time, but it wasn’t counted. If we’d got that one at half-time it would have meant it was 12-10 let’s say and we’d have been in the game. I’m not sure if we’d have been good enough to beat them but it felt like we could push them all the way.”

Maidenhead have had some entertaining clashes with Welsh in previous seasons and while this encounter was somewhat different in terms of style, there were still positives for the head coach and his players to take.

“It was a very different style of game to the ones we have had in the last few years which were like a table tennis match,” he said.

“It wasn’t too bad. They’re a physical side and they’ve signed some great players. In those key decision-making times, they made the right ones at the right time and got their scores. They are an impressive side.

“The team were positive after the game. We competed well and we felt there wasn’t really a 32- point difference between the teams. The scoreboard has kicked us in the teeth, but like I said they are a good side.

“For us the objective is to win every game and when we don’t to pick up some bonus points. We didn’t manage to get anything out of the London Welsh game which was disappointing. We played quite well at times, but we didn’t manage it. If you don’t win you try to pick up points.”

Maids return to Braywick Park on Saturday when they host another of the sides fancied to challenge for promotion - Camberley.

The sides met on a scorching day last September, with Maids running out 31-22 winners.

“This weekend we’re going to be playing someone similar in Camberley and we hope to give them a tough game,” added Mobbs-Smith.

“We’ll probably be in a similar battle. They also have some high, elite players but they should be a handful for us again. It should be a great game. We’ve had some magical battles with Camberley over the years.

“They have started poorly, but that doesn’t mean they won’t start winning and carry that on. They will be a tough nut to crack.

“We must go forward without them (winger Scott Prince and centre Harry Wells) for a while, as they have long term injuries. But we didn’t pick up any major injuries in the first or second games on Saturday, so we should be able to put out a strong side and we’ll see where it lands.”