LONDON 2 SOUTH-WEST
30/01/10
LONDON IRISH AMATEUR v LONDON CORNISH

London Irish Amateur 32 - London Cornish 10

As a taurean I am always loathe to make significant changes to aspects of my life, so it was with some trepidation that the LCRFC team selection was made this week. Coupled with this, the decision was taken to video the weekends match to establish just why it is that we dont score many points. The latter is the reason this report is so delayed - in videoing the game I now find that I have had to review it 8 times to ensure what I have reported is accurate. Since few people actually let me know if anyone has been reading theses reports during the last 7 seasons, I am beginning to think I actually only write them for my own record of the match analysis. On that point, just where have the scribes gone from London 2 South-West this season? With the noteable exception of Totts and the Eagles, none of the other sides write regular reports any more, or if they do they restrict them to their membership alone; come on chaps - take up your pens and write! Update those websites and you may even sell your club to new players! Anyhoo, this match did not go according to plan, a shame since at 10-8 up at the break, Cornish had played some of their best rugby of the season so far against a clearly decent opponent. However, the path to enlightenment is often strewn with moments of darkness in amongst moments of blinding light, and in making radical tactical changes to embrace a more expansive game, the exiles may well have pointed the way to a more prosperous future, however the final score line may look. For the record, the game was lost by 3 goals, a goal and 2 penalties to a goal and a penalty. Cornish remain in 5th place, a position the club have occupied for the best part of 3 seasons at this level. Plus ca change...

A series of changes were forced on the exiles as a result of the recent spate of injuries, Matt Pollard, Rob Aird and Tom Hurley all unable to recover from the previous weeks exertions. Coupled with this Alex Harris was unavailable, but the exiles have steadily recruited a series of players in recent weeks as they seek to rebuild the side who had carried them through the leagues in recent seasons. Former Rosslyn Park back Simon Brading made his first start for a year at 12, and a debut was handed to Nick Harlock, the top try scorer for Park in National 2 South just a couple of seasons ago. Padstow lad Tom Evans was recalled on the wing and another Cornishman Ben Wheeler returned at loose head, JJ Moore beginning at tight. In the back row Tom Richards was given his full debut after recovering from a broken ankle suffered at training some 6 months ago. Perhaps the biggest change involved two players selected the previous week, Dan Pollard switched to full back with Rich McKeown moving in to 10. A talented side then, though an experimental one and not one that had actually managed to train together yet. The pitch was in good nick and a decent crowd emerged from the bar, swollen by a number of ex Irish players who had enjoyed a hearty lunch.

The large majority of home supporters would have been spluttering in their Guinness at the opening 30 minutes. An utterly dominant performance from Cornish saw them frequently make clean line breaks as Brading in particular bashed huge holes in the green wall. Once that gameplan became clear, the short side was exploited to good effect. A spate of gouging by the home side saw a scuffle break out on 10 minutes with the score at 3-3 after Pollard had exchanged penalties with the home kicker. The home hooker, no stranger to the sin bin by all accounts, was joined by the retaliating Cornish forward. Within minutes Harlock demonstrated how dangerous a signing he will be for the black & golds, stepping off his left foot to break clean through before being hauled down yards short of the line. Quick ball was recycled via Wheeler (what were you doing standing at 10 anyway?!)to Brading, whose hand off saw him away to cross the whitewash to score. Pollard added the extras and few watching could argue that Cornish didnt deserve the 10-3 lead. Another searing break on 21 minutes saw Jim Strover link with Will Carew-Gibbs, whose outrageous dummy bought him more yardage before returing the pass to Strover. Bouncing a tackler he burst clear onto the home 22 only to be harshly pinged for holding for lines to be cleared. At this stage it really did seem as though only one side was in the game, but Cornish did not bring their A game to the set pieces on this day and any domination they had was hindered by this major fact. Too frequently the ball was scrappy coming back from the tight and the lineout malfunctioned for the second match running. However, Cornish continued to dominate territory for much of the first half and they fashioned more chances on 25 minutes before Strover chipped ahead and out when holding on to the ball may have been a better option. The battle on the floor was well joined, Rob Davies again to the fore, but as the half wore on Irish began to make good ground from close to rucks and mauls as the Cornish guards went missing. A further penalty to the home side was missed on the half hour mark before Davies took a nasty knock to the head after sticking it into the danger zone once more. Though the Irish full back proved strangely elusive for a player who runs so upright, field position was tough to gain for the home side until, with 5 left to the half, they worked a series of phases deep into the visitors 22. A lack of communication in the home defence was all it took for a forward to find a gap on the blind side to dive over the line in front of the referee, resplendent in his bright pink shirt. The conversion was missed so the visitors retained the lead at the break.

Injuries have dogged Cornish in recent weeks and the break saw both Moore and Davies really struggling. What followed in the opening 5 minutes of the second period undid much of the good work in the opening one, a dreadfully soft try conceded after the visitors has seemingly had control of the ball in their own half. To compound the felony, this was conceded beside the posts as an Irish forward did his best to butcher a 5 on 1! The conversion was made and, having dominated much of the game to date, Cornish now found themselves 5 behind. Davies was now replaced by Mike Allewell, he too returning from an injury sustained at Trojans a few weeks earlier. Again Cornish worked good field position but now they seemed more hesitant in their play selection, McKeown badly hampered by a strained hamstring. Irish were beginning to find a few gaps in the visiting defence and sought to exploit these wherever they could by retaining the ball in contact. As Skipper Nick Taylor drove his forwards on to greater effort, Pete Calvert began to win lineout ball again and for a period now Cornish settled back into territorial domination, though without looking like adding to their score with a try until on 51 minutes Brading again broke through a gap to link with Pollard and Allewell before the ball was spilt. With minutes the exiles were back under their posts, this time as the Irish kicker flew a penalty between the uprights to stretch the lead out to the overture. Cornish responded, a driving run by Harlock rewarded with a penalty for offside in the home back line. Pollard stepped up but chipped the kick against an upright, where it bounced down kindly into the arms of a home player who cleared with the aid of his colleagues speed of foot. Moore succumbed to a shoulder injury, Cornish U18 cap Hamish Cuming on in his place. Irish began to dominate territory now, and the confusion around the base of the exiles scrums, rucks and mauls continued to cause real problems for the visitors. With 16 left on the clock, Irish worked a maul down the left flank before picking a driving a couple of times. As the ruck formed, the Irish 9 could not believe his luck as he simply waltzed round the blind side and strode over wide left untouched. The kick was a way out but by now their lad had his range and he nailed the extras to give his side an unassailable 25-10 lead. A final change saw Matt Strover on for Evans, but the final word fell to Irish as Cornish made a real hash of running a series of tap penalties out of their 22, knocking the ball straight into the arms of an onrushing Irish back, who simply chipped in behind the visiting defence for his wing to collect and score under the posts. It was a puzzled Cornish side who watched the conversion fly between the uprights, the score now at its resting place of 32-10.

Irish will be delighted to have come through this match, which they may reflect was a sterner test than the scoreline suggests. They are a very different side from the one that visited Cornish pre Xmas, 7 changes in their starting line up from that day including 2 Fijians who did not play in the reverse fixture. They have obviously recruited well and have the weight of the London Irish organisation behind them, though this didnt stretch to fielding a 3rd XV on the day. Cornish are clearly undergoing a minor transformation at present as they seek to metamorphosise from the side that has reached 5th in the last couple of seasons. There were plenty of aspects of this match to like, with more clean line breaks than most of the matches to date put together, and with the undoubted ability to tighten things up from a defensive perspective, it will be fascinating to see just how the next few games develop. A week off will allow time for the coaching team to review that video, and for the DoR to galvanise the troops for the remaining third of the season.

LCRFC – Dan Pollard, Jim Strover, Tom Harlock, Simon Brading, Tom Evans (Matt Strover), Rich McKeown, Mike Dardis, Nick Taylor (Capt.), Tom Richards, Rob Davies (Mike Allewell), Pete Calvert, Jim Brennan, Jonathon Moore, Will Carew-Gibbs, Ben Wheeler (Hamish Cuming).


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