Dankert: Injuries are mounting up

IT'S too early to say Tonbridge Juddians' luck has run out, but their current injury crisis is certainly holding back their promotion charge.

TJs lost their second home game of the season on Saturday, going down 45-31 to Bishop's Stortford in a game they dominated for long periods.

With the likes of Mase Leuluniu, Jack Browne, Lee Campion, Arthur Evans and Jamie Stoor all on the sidelines, Toby Carroll now working in Barcelona and Pat Sykes forced to play lower level rugby due to a knee injury, TJs are having to dig deep into their reserves at the moment.

"There is certainly a little bit of a hole," coach Pete Dankert said. "We have been extremely lucky with injuries in the past few years. One of the keys to our success has been staying healthy. Every team goes through it. We're still third and only a point worse off than we were before."

Dankert is still scratching his head, trying to work out how TJs lost to Bishop's Stortford at the Slade on Saturday.

The visitors have been in great form of late and got off to a flying start. TJs fought back, but silly errors cost them late in the game.

"It's very frustrating because we dominated the entire match, but allowed them to break out of their own 22 four times and go the length of the field," Dankert said. "We need to be a lot more clinical than we showed on Saturday. We were just lucky that other results went our way. Dorking had a surprising loss to Staines. Everything is still very much in our own hands with Dorking and Ampthill still to play."

TJs host Staines at the Slade on Saturday. Kick-off 2.15pm.