All of that, and an eventual 32-22 Siam Cup win to Jersey, made this a special occasion as the JRFC look to celebrate 125 years of playing rugby.Apart from a 30-man brawl, ten minutes in the game, this was one of the best and most keenly-contested inter-insulars over the last 20 years.Guernsey were always in contention, and even when they went 32-17 down, with ten minutes remaining, they had the last say, scoring in the dying minutes of the game to make it four tries apiece.And, if a penalty kick had gone over, with the scores 20-17 in the third quarter of the game, who knows what pressure a tied score would have produced, as Guernsey rallied behind some magnificent pack work in which No 8 Matthew Morgan was always magnificent, always leading by example.However, Jersey too had their chances, and on more than one occasion squandered them, not least in the closing moments of the first half when centre Dave Carswell opted to cut inside when he had a two man overlap to the right of him.A simple pass and Jersey would have been 12-5 in the lead at the break, but as it was they turned around only two points in front.As Jersey coach Dai Burton said afterwards: ‘I think nerves affected us, more than them.
They were also fired up more than we were.
And you can’t take anything away from their forwards who physically drained us.’And they did, too, causing all sorts of problems to the front row and disrupting the scrum time after time.However, Guernsey didn’t have as much penetration as Jersey, who should have put this game out of Guernsey’s reach by half time.As Burton said: ‘We had far more clear cut chances to score than they did, but there was no-one running off the ball to collect that final pass to score.
But I was pleased by the way our forwards worked as a unit and by the way Dave Miles at scrum-half and stand-off Ross Allan controlled the game.’Having said that, we didn’t play the incisive rugby we’ve been playing in recent weeks.
So full marks to Guernsey for not allowing us to play our game.’Although the game started 20 minutes late the huge crowd didn’t seem to mind, and after two minutes Jersey were over the line, only for the ‘try’ to be disallowed for a forward pass.The home side, seemingly settled into a rhythm, were dominant, only for it to go terribly pear-shaped eight minutes later.Who threw the first punch we’ll never know, but in the tenth minute Ross Allan (hiding behind some of the bigger players) was the only player not involved in a one minute mess of swinging punches at all and sundry.As quickly as it began it ended, however, with Guernsey captain Carl Johnson and Jersey players Richie Griffiths and Josh Chamier sent to the bin.After that both sides settled down to play rugby.And Jersey, in terms of possession and initiative, were the better side.
Gareth Jeffreys, on the wing, for example, easily had the better of his opposite number and, after outpacing him once, did so again in the 31st minute after Jersey had won four penalties in a row, to touch down, one-handed, as the Guernsey full-back tried to haul him back from the line.
Mark White converted.Again, for the next ten minutes, it was all Jersey pressure, but when they lost the ball Guernsey’s No 10, Stuart Lloyd-Jones, punted downfield into space and, after a confused few seconds as Jersey tried to regroup, Ian Johnston picked up and darted over.So, despite all of the possession, Jersey were only two points clear by half-time.Two minutes after the break they were 14-5 ahead, and seemingly coasting clear, when Matt Banahan took the ball following an Ian Henderson break and strode away to touch down under the posts.
White converted.Jersey seemed to be even more in control following a Mark White penalty four minutes later, but Guernsey, who might have caved in, in years gone by, rallied strongly.Matt Morgan made a run on the right, the ball was fed back across the threes and winger Andy Bailey scored.
It was now 17-10.Two minutes later another Jersey penalty, taken by White, made it 20-10.Surely Guernsey, who have always faded against Jersey in the last 20 minutes over the past few years, would succumb to defeat? They didn’t.
A break by Jim Elliott saw the ball recycled to full-back Veldi van de Merwe, who should have scored on the left and didn’t, but then saw the ball recycled to Andy Bailey on the right, who did.
Whatman converted and Jersey, now only in front 20-17, looked worried.Their front row was also being split in two, and on more than one occasion Guernsey won good ball in the scrum because of it.
Then they were awarded a penalty, to the right of the posts, which, if Whatman had converted, would have levelled the scores at 20-20.
The kick looked good until the ball bounced off the posts and, somehow, Jersey scrambled it clear.And the next score was to be Jersey’s when, in the 61st minute a penalty, followed by a kick to the touch line saw Banahan catch the ball, flick it back, and from the catch and drive John Larose, in as replacement prop, drove over.He’d only been on the pitch 90 seconds.The next try virtually sealed the game and was an almost copycat score, after a Guernsey player was penalised for dissent.
Dave Miles kicked for touch, five metres short of the line, and this time it was captain Ian Henderson’s turn to touch down, before White converted.So, with ten minutes remaining, Jersey had a healthy 32-17, seemingly unassailable, winning lead.However, Guernsey finished looking much the stronger team, especially in the pack.
After three penalties to the visitors they also had a scrum and, against a badly-aligned Jersey defence, Johnston scored his second try of the match.And it was no more than Guernsey deserved for their ‘never-say-die’ attitude, although they weren’t the better side, overall, despite Guernsey coach Colin McLatchey saying: ‘There were too many one-sided decisions.
The referee didn’t allow us to play.
He was shocking – and you can quote me on that.’Jersey: Marcus Nobes (John Larose), Josh Chamier, Jon Brennan, Danny McAlister, Matt Banahan, John Allo, Steve O’Brien (Andy Whelan), Ian Henderson, Dave Miles, Ross Allan, Gareth Jeffreys, Richie Griffiths, Dave Carswell, James Milner (Steve Mee), Mark White.Guernsey: Jason Mroch (Steve Hale), Paul Thomas (Jim Elliott), Steve Thomas, Ian Quesnel, Dave McGall (Graham Hards), James Regnard, Dave Willis (Darren Jones), Matthew Morgan, Lee Whatman, Stuart Lloyd-Jones, Andy Bailey, Iain Johnston, Carl Johnson, Paul Livesly, Veldi van de Merwe.
