THE old ‘game of two halves’ adage came to fruition during Jersey RFC’s opening-day success over Witney.
There was a risk of the Islanders running away with the contest, basking in the St Peter sun, heading into the break 28-0 in front of their Oxfordshire opponents.
However, Regional 2 South Central is a step up from Jersey’s previous campaign and the visitors fought valiantly in the second half, eventually succumbing to Myles Landick’s men 42-21.
Such has become the expectation of the former Red of his troops that there was a slight air of ‘disappointment’ as the final whistle blew.
‘First and foremost, it was really important to get the win and get the bonus point,’ said the head coach.
‘We are not quite so happy with giving up 21 points in the second half, so there is probably some disappointment on that front.
‘There was only one pre-season game and I think that showed a little against Witney.
‘The game was pretty disjointed at times and both sides struggled to get going really. Both teams conceded a lot of penalties and unforced errors, which can be typical of an early-season game.
‘But, along with all that, we saw some really positive signs to take forward. When our backs got the ball in hand, they looked very dangerous, and our set-piece and maul worked very effectively.’
Jersey showed real glimpses of class throughout the 80 minutes, at times dazzling the 400-strong crowd that journeyed west to see their team’s first game of the new season.
The performance was that of a unit which bulldozed its way through its inaugural season unbeaten, a record which has given the players every belief that promotion is on the cards again this campaign.
What should send a shiver down the backs of Jersey’s impending opposition is the fact that the team believes there is so much more to offer going forward.
Landick said: ‘I honestly think that, if we played to our full potential, we [would] blow them off the park inside the first 20 minutes and give them no chance to get anywhere near our score.
‘That will be the message to the lads going forward. To be more clinical and accurate and do what we can to put games to bed as early in the contest as possible.’
Captain Evan Whitson once again led by example, taking his place among the forwards, who dominated the scrum and showed their strength throughout the contest, with various energy-sapping mauls that led to scores.
The experienced Welshman said: ‘It felt really good to blow the cobwebs away after the Oxford Quins game.
‘We learnt a lot of lessons there and we worked very hard in training over the last couple of weeks to right those wrongs.
‘We still have a lot to work on moving forward. Our accuracy and detail with the ball can certainly be improved.
‘But, in general, there was a big step up in quality from the Quins game and it’s great to get the bonus-point win to start the season.
‘The start of the second half was frustrating. We let them back into the game with some silly errors.
‘But we showed a lot of heart in the last 20 minutes and kept our foot on the gas.
‘All we ask for is 100% effort for those 80 minutes and we certainly showed that towards the end.
‘Overall, we are very happy with the win and the fact we feel that there is so much more to offer bodes well for the season ahead.’
