JERSEY RFC director of rugby Myles Landick cut a determined figure after watching his side battle back from behind to beat Farnham 36-25 in arguably their most gruelling test so far this season.
Player-coach Scott van Breda proved to be the standout man in red as he scored 14 points including two tries, while centre pairing Lewis Evans and George Willmott earned a try apiece, as did winger Lance Armstrong, with the St Peter’s outfit also being awarded a penalty try.
Amid testing weather conditions due to Storm Amy, alongside facing one of Regional 1 South Central’s toughest teams and a heavily partisan crowd celebrating the west Surrey club’s 50th anniversary, Jersey RFC showed mental and physical fortitude to not let the occasion get to them as they found a way to a fourth bonus-point win on the spin.
After watching his team turn around a one-point deficit in the 55th minute to be victorious by nine points and continue their unbeaten start to the campaign, Landick told the JEP:
“Firstly, huge credit has to go to Farnham on what’s clearly been a big occasion for them. We spoke about it before the game when we were here two years ago in level six and it felt like an almost identical battle.
“It was two good sides going at each other, Farnham moved the ball well, they were clinical against us at times and that’s how they kept in the game throughout.”
“We made a lot of good attacking opportunities. Some of them just didn’t go to hand, or we tried some 50-50 offloads, but there were so many positives in our game that created those
opportunities opening up.”
“Sometimes we weren’t as patient as we should have been, and we could have kept play going for a couple more phases to break Farnham. But there’s loads of positives to take from this win attack-wise.”
“While there were a few little defensive errors that we’ve got to neaten up, on the whole we did well getting off our line, made our shots and it took Farnham a couple of really good plays for them to score.”
“Ultimately, we want good, tough, hard games to keep learning. A one-sided game is no fun for either team. It’s always a learning process and we will take a fair few learnings from this win.”
Despite parts of the British Isles suffering horrendously over the weekend with a yellow weather warning and strong winds making it uncertain whether the fixture would go ahead, a bumper crowd packed out the clubhouse on Wilkinson Way for what was termed Farnham’s ‘cup final’ in more ways than one.
The home-side, kitted in their traditional black and white hooped shirts with gold numbers, kicked off and immediately Jersey looked to play a running game to minimise the effects of the 35mph-plus Westerly winds.
The St Peter’s side put together several phases before winning a penalty, and a second line-out drive from five metres out in the left corner was within a whisker of going over the whitewash before the ball was passed quickly to Scott van Breda and the South African dashed over on the blindside to open the scoring.
The fly-half’s conversion was defeated by the wind and the home-side came straight back at the red shirts, putting together a number of battling phases up to Jersey’s five metre line before referee Ollie Carter blew his whistle, due to the Islanders not rolling away from a ruck.
Farnham inside-centre Toby Salmon, son of Jamie Salmon – who remains the only man to represent both England and New Zealand men in test rugby – stepped up to score the penalty kick and make it 5-3.
With a mix of forward muscle and guile from the backs, Jersey gained the territory advantage and a lovely weighted chip by van Breda looked silky but didn’t quite align for wide-man Lance Armstrong down the right flank on the quarter hour mark.
But as Farnham re-gathered Jersey turned the ball over and went cross field with outside-centre George Willmott offloading for the running van Breda to barrel roll over in the left corner for his second try.
The Islanders looked in full control with Farnham merely holding on, and a bout of hot headedness from van Breda when Jersey looked odds on to score but for a handling error led to some loud jeering from the clubhouse balcony on the half-hour mark. No.8 Tim Grey become the calming presence in the Islanders’ ranks.
Two minutes later and Jersey had their third try. Fullback Mark Boarer laid the platform after a chip from van Breda, and a two-on-one down the right saw wing Joe Munns pull Farnham No.13 Joe Wood out the way for Lewis Evans to canter over the whitewash.
Against the run of play Farnham scored their first try. The home-side got onto the edge of Jersey’s 22-metre area before wing Max Williams ran a fantastic line between three red shirts to sprint over by the left upright. Salmon’s conversion made it 10-17 to Jersey at the break.
The home-side found their stride, and after two line-outs led to a little scuffle the referee called for a scrum.
Despite Jersey’s put in, Farnham impressively pushed Jersey’s set piece back 20 metres down the left to get within a few metres of the try line, and after the phase play went right then left again, Salmon popped up to power over a defender and get the first points of the second half.
With Jersey on the back foot, lock Max Ayling was sin-binned and Salmon’s straight penalty kick from 10 metres out gave Farnham an 18-17 lead on the hour mark.
Jersey seemed to play better with 14 men, and Landick’s lads were quickly camped in Farnham’s 22-metre area, going close two further times before the referee blew for offside.
A six-metre lineout was help up, but a cynical slap down of the ball saw Farnham player-coach Jon Vincent sin-binned and Jersey awarded a penalty try in the left balcony corner to retake the lead.
Within seconds of the re-start Willmott, who scored a brace of tries in Jersey’s 38-33 win at the ground two seasons ago, found his sprinting shoes to score a solo effort from 55 metres out on the right far side of the pitch.
As fatigue set in gaps opened up all across the park and Farnham fullback Ben Stevens’ illuminous yellow boots lit up the field with a cascading run out wide to set up Joe Wigmore who ran in on the left and keep the home crowd’s hopes alive.
A running break by van Breda and hooker Jack Macfarlane appeared to have led to replacement back-rower Tom Tilstone dotting over by the right post but the referee whistled for an apparent forward movement.
With a few spits of rain from the ever-greying clouds overhead, Jersey weren’t finished and some quick interplay led to Lance Armstrong sprinting over to score a deserved try down the left and complete Jersey’s third away-day win this season.
A performance ‘to be proud of’ Celebrating the victory with his children, family and friends, Jersey try scorer George Willmott, told the JEP: “I’m very pleased, not just to be scoring a try but also to be out of the forwards. I’ve always wanted to be a back and finally this season my dreams have come true.”
“A few of the lads don’t like that I’m a back, because I’m definitely not the right shape or size for it, but its good fun and I’m really enjoying my rugby at the minute, and it’s a good start to the season as well.”
“Compared to our win two years ago, it may have been just as tight but it’s a whole different game when you look at the two leagues. The physicality has stepped up so much, we’ve only got four or five from the team that came then, but you can see over the past couple of seasons how far Farnham has come as well.”
“We’ve missed quite a few players today through injury or otherwise, but that doesn’t take away from what Farnham threw at us. They nearly beat us and our performance today, especially with how we rallied in the second-half, was one to be proud of.”
Teams (15-9; 1-8):
Farnham RUFC: Ben Stevens; Max Williams, Joe Wood, Toby Salmon (C), Joe Wigmore; Ollie Brown, Harry West; Adam Pickett, Jon Vincent (cc), Greg Franzel, Sam Voight, Harrison Horner, George Bellamy, Jack Buxton, Oscar Henderson
Replacements: Matt Kouris, Marco Azevedo, Toby Simmons
Jersey RFC: Mark Boarer; Joe Munns, George Willmott, Lewis Evans, Lance Armstrong; Scott van Breda (vc), Liam Rhodes; Joe Ridgeway, Jack Macfarlane, George Thomas, Max Ayling, Cameron Keys, Evan Whitson, Euan Spencer, Tim Grey
Replacements: Morgan Brady, Tom Tilstone, Lewis Wynne
