LONDON 3 SOUTH-WEST
16/02/08
COBHAM v LONDON CORNISH

Cobham 29 - London Cornish 3

A strong 2nd half showing eventually rewarded champions-elect Cobham with both points at Fairmile Lane on Saturday, the visitors unable to match the step up in gear that their hosts found after the sides had turned round 3 all at the interval. The home side triumphed by 3 goals, a try and a penalty to a penalty to cement their place at the top of London 3 South-West.

Cornish showed 6 changes from the side so dominant in the previous weeks encounter, a number of regulars from the powerful 2nd XV given their chance to show what they could do. In came Simon Wood, Rob Webster, Andrew Lea (for his league debut), Pete Drewett, Darren Jordan and Graham Dodge as the visitors were without a host of regulars for a variety of reasons. The combined effect on the team was less in terms of effort than execution, the lineout in particular suffering badly from having the thrower, a jumper and two lifters changed from the previous week. Though Cornish held their own in the tight, this single aspect of the game dogged their ability to provide decent phased possession to the backline, and this coupled with the affect on the defensive structure combined to enable their well drilled hosts to eventually wear down the exiles.

On a sunny, cold day the match began on a pitch bereft of grass, a fact to which the ambitious hosts will surely attend once their magnificent looking new clubhouse is complete. With little advantage in the conditions, Cobham constantly probed the blindside as their excellent scrum half strove to create gaps. However, with Will Ho restored to his favoured position of 6 and the feisty Mark Williams-Jones at 8, Cornish had this angle covered. The early exchanges were well contested, the home side having territorial advantage without ever really looking as though they could break through. Cornish did fall off a few tackles but the covering work of fly half Dan Pollard and open side Rod Petre ensured that the damage was limited. Cobham continue to favour kicking penalties to the corner and trying the rolling maul, but once a couple of attempts foundered against a visiting side so adept at stopping these, soon abandoned the plan. The result was a more open game than most are used to seeing them play, and a far more attractive brand of rugby as a result. On 11 minutes their kicker slotted a penalty, but rather than build on their lead, the home side found they were up against a side who are in good form and who would not roll over easily. Wood, Allewell and Ben Shribman held their own at scrum time, and with Henry Mitchell hammering away up the middle, Cornish had a focal point from which they could build. Even at the breakdown the stats were even, and as the game wore on, so Cornish confidence grew. The issue for the visitors was that their malfunctioning lineout was continually preventing them from building pressure on their hosts as hard as Pete Calvert and Williams-Jones strove to take clean ball. It was no surprise that when Pollard levelled the scores on 33 minutes, it was as a result of Skipper Mike Allewell taking a strike against the head in a scrum. Within minutes Cobham lost a player to the sin-bin when he attemped to decapitate a Cornish back, the excellent referee having little choice. Though the visitors worked the ball wide to wings George Bramble and Mike Harvey, both sides defences held firm to prevent any additions to the score before half-time, the whistle going at 3-3.

It was important that Cornish held firm in the early part of the second period as they clearly had their hosts rattled, but within minutes this plan went out of the window as the ever-threatening home 9 finally dummied his way through under the sticks to give his side the lead, the conversion added. With their numbers restored to the maximum, the home side stepped up considerably on their first half showing, and Cornish were reduced to 14 men on 47 minutes when a forward was binned for a blatant body check. Astonishingly, Cornish held firm in the tight even when down a man, the next score actually being fashioned out wide after an interchange between forwards and backs again freed up the home scrum half to score, the kick from in front of the posts shanked badly wide. Despite a huge tackle count from the likes of Pollard, Dardis and Allewell, the visitors could not stem the tide as every time the ball went into touch, it was virtually guaranteed to end up on the Cobham side. On 58 minutes Cornish won a penalty in front of the posts, but eschewed the kick and went for the corner. Finally winning a lineout they marched their hosts back with the rolling maul but inexplicably a forward broke away from the back of the maul as it powered toward the line, was isolated and turned over. To compound the felony, a further converted score was added on 59 minutes as first up tackles were missed to allow a home back to scoot over under the posts. Cornish used the opportunity to bring on prop Lea for his debut and he, like Wood before him, acquitted himself well. Drewett also appeared for Petre shortly after, and though the likes of McVicar and Dodge probed for space, the home tackling held firm. A battered Pollard took a break on 64 minutes, club stalwart Jordan replacing him at fly-half, but he was powerless to prevent the final score as a Cobham forward rumbled over from a ruck close in, a tired Cornish side having given everything at this point. Though Cobham were desperate to add to their tally, it was Cornish who actually came closest to scoring in the closing period when Bramble was tackled into touch yards from the line as he arrowed down the touchline. When the final whistle went, Cornish had given everything but came up short in a few key areas, the home side worthy winners though perhaps not quite by the difference of the scoreline. A word on the referee, a fellow from the London North-West region; he gave clear, concise decisions, was utterly in control and had a fine game.

Cobham seem destined for a second successive title as results elsewhere went their way, but PJF will keep them honest to the end and this may help prevent any complacency in their ranks. They have attracted some very fine players to the club, many of whom have played at standards way above London 3 South-West, and they will surely be a handful at the next level up next season. Cornish have excellent relations with their players and supporters alike, and we wish them well as they continue to carry all before them. This was always a tough ask for Cornish, this particular weekend afflicted by a large number of absentees across the 1s squad. The players who came in did very well and some will certainly feature again, and with availability for the remaining league weekends excellent, the coaching team will have some real selection dilemmas! With DoR Moon happy to give his entire 1s squad the week off, the side will reconvene in 10 days time refreshed and reinforced for the final stage of the season.

LCRFC – Graham Dodge, George Bramble, Adam McVicar, Henry Mitchell, Mike Harvey, Dan Pollard (Darren Jordan), Mike Dardis, Mark Williams-Jones, Rod Petre (Pete Drewett), Will Ho, Rob Webster, Pete Calvert, Simon Wood (Andrew Lea), Mike Allewell (Capt.), Ben Shribman.


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