THE 106th edition of the Siam Cup is just one sleep away and tension is reaching boiling point.
It’s been almost a year to the day since Jersey secured their second consecutive home clean sweep of the Siam Cup. More than 3,000 adoring fans graced CoinShares Park in the May sunshine to witness one the finest days in Jersey’s recent sporting history.
What awaits Jersey’s best tomorrow, however, is a Guernsey outfit determined to right some wrongs.
Where the 2025 edition was so successful for the red half of the Channel, an away win for the men’s and women’s sides has been hard to come by this century.
The Jersey Ladies have won just two Siam Cup’s, including last year. Their first win came in a thumping 40-0 victory in 2022 at home, but they are yet to claim overseas honours. The Men’s side, however, have to look as far back as a decade since their last away Siam glory.
The veterans “friendly” Nash Cup will commence the day’s action from Footes Lane in Guernsey at 11am, before the competitive action begins in the afternoon.
Siam Cup fixture list:
11am: Nash Cup
12.45pm: Fallaize Cup
2.30pm: Spring Insure Ladies Siam Cup
4.15pm: Spring Insure Mens Siam Sup
The Fallaize Cup
The Fallaize Cup, which has been lifted by Caesarean hands in four of the previous five clashes, will be the second match of the day at Footes Lane and is scheduled for a 12.45pm kick-off.
This fixture features Jersey and Guernsey’s Men’s 2nd XV’s battling it out.
After three successive wins for Jersey, Guernsey snatched back the cup on home soil in 2024, before Jersey recaptured it again in 2025 with a commanding 36-22 win.
Jersey have boasted a large men’s squad this season and have orchestrated more than ten second team games this season. Marked by head coach Myles Landick as a crucial step in keeping the whole squad fit and firing, tomorrow’s squad features many familiar names.
Many names have featured in first team rugby this season, including Toby Osborne who will start for the 2s and feature on the 1s replacements list.
Other names such as Jacques De La Bat, Alex Neasham, Lance Armstrong, Joe Ridgway and Nathan Thomas, to name a few, also have plenty of first team experience in recent seasons and will be confident on securing yet another piece of silverware for the Jersey trophy cabinet.
Jersey Men’s 2nd XV: [15-9] Eryk Swiech, Jacques De La Bat, Alex Neasham, Harry Baty, Lance Armstrong, Nathan Rogers, Jake Vautier; [1-8] Joe Ridgway, Jake Bates, George Thomas, Nathan Thomas, Toby Osborne, James Guyatt, Luke Bowles, Matthew West
Replacements: Danny Rodrigues, James Courtness, Brian Njomba, Deepinder Dyal, Billy Mullins, Ethan Huish
Spring Insure Ladies Siam Cup
The Ladies edition of the Siam Cup has been a feisty contest over the past two years. After a heartbreaking loss in Guernsey in 2024, Katie De La Cloche (left) and her side bounced back in outstanding fashion to win 30-13 at home.
This season, Guernsey Ladies enjoyed a good league campaign in the Women’s NC 2 South East (South), finishing second and just missing out on promotion to Seaford Scarlets by just three points.
This division is one tier below where the Jersey Ladies play however. In the Women’s NC 1 South East (South), Jersey enjoyed a strong season themselves, finishing fourth but challenging the promotion spots all throughout the campaign.
After a challenging re-build last season, this year the squad has really come into their own, with the introduction of new players and a smooth integration into the attacking style they want to play.
The 2024 Siam Cup was a difficult a result to take for the caesareans. Leading a closely fought game into the dying seconds, it was a highly controversial penalty awarded to the home side that gave them the chance to snatch the victory. A kick in front of the posts gave Guernsey the win with the final kick of the match, sending Jersey players to their knees on the Footes Lane surface.
Come 2025, a Jersey side fresh off introducing some new names took the disappointment of ‘24 and surged to an emphatic victory in front of a packed house. A performance equally as impressive as the men’s, the ladies stamped their authority on a fixture which is sure to offer us another fascinating chapter tomorrow.
The squad is a familiar one from their league season, with one noticeable addition. Seren Coombs, still just 19 years of age, returns to don the red strip after a break-through year playing for London Irish Ladies in the Women’s Championship South 1.
The powerful forward made her England Under-21 debut last month, coming off the bench to play 25 minutes in the Red Roses’ 29-17 win over Las Leonas. Coombs returns to Jersey colours and will slot in at number eight.
The familiar forwards line up boasts the powerhouse front row of Nicole Rodrigues-Magalhaes, Ella Vieira and Morgan Carter, with Kellie Le Brocq and Emilie Langlands in the second row and Abbie Syvret alongside captain De La Cloche in the flanker roles.
In the backs, Lucy Kendrick sits at fullback, with Kerry Bisson-Mercury and Bethan Hughes on the wings. Fern Moolasiwa and Georgina Ruellan make up a formidable duo in the centre roles with the energetic Laura Turpin at fly-half and the impressive Emily Duncan at scrum-half.
A replacements line-up stacked with power and skill features Hannah Le Moignan, Emma Cornick, Ava Byrne, Andi Vaughan, Charlie Le Noury, Cara Williams and Jenna McKinley.
In total, seven debutantes will make their first foray into Siam Cup action tomorrow.
After announcing her stepping down as captain, tomorrow’s Siam Cup will be the last time Katie De La Cloche will lead the side.
“Lifting the Siam Cup is one of the best feelings in the world,” the skipper said. “We put so much time and energy into it, the preparation both on and off the pitch, mentally, physically tactically, for it to all come off on the day is really special and last year was a day I’ll never forget.
“We never take anything for granted though. We’ve lifted that trophy for the last three home Siam’s in a row, it’s time for us to secure a win on away soil and achieve that feat. It’s a really strong group, we know how good of a team we are, but Guernsey are a strong side as well. It’s never going to be easy going away from home, but we’re desperate to get over that line and write some history for this group.”
The Ladies Siam Cup will be the third game of the day and is scheduled to kick off at Footes Lane from 2.30pm.
Jersey Women’s 1st XV: [15-9] Lucy Kendrick, Kerry Bisson-Mercury, Fern Moolasiwa, Georgina Ruellan, Bethan Hughes, Laura Turpin, Emily Duncan; [1-8] Nicole Rodrigues-Magalhaes, Ella Vieira, Morgan Carter, Kellie Le Brocq, Emilie Langlands, Abbie Syvret, Katie De La Cloche (c), Seren Coombs
Replacements: Hannah Le Moignan, Emma Cornick, Ava Byrne, Andi Vaughan, Charlie Le Noury, Cara Williams , Jenna McKinley
Travelling Reserves: Kim Vallance, Beth Wyatt
Spring Insure Men’s Siam Cup
The showcase occasion of the day promises action, tension and a a guarantee of drama.
The Guernsey Raiders have remained reasonably consistent in their trajectory over the past decade. Despite a sole relegation in 2018/19, the men in green have held a steady spot at National League 2 level, generally in the South bracket, before a league restructure moved them to the East division in the 2022/23 season.
In that time, Jersey Rugby has endured some challenging times. After the highly successful years of the Jersey Reds, followed by it’s dramatic demise in Autumn of 2023, Jersey Rugby has been required to rebuild from the ground up.
The following year, the 2024 edition, Guernsey dominated the Siam Cup on home soil, claiming the Men and Women’s Siam Cup titles as well as the veteran’s Nash Cup.
The men’s game finished 49-33 to the Sarnians, but the scoreline flattered to deceive in Jersey’s favour, the Raiders were comfortably the better side.
But heading into the 2025 edition, one could feel the winds changing direction across the channel. While the Raiders finished seventh in a solid National League 2 East season, Jersey just missed out on promotion from Regional 1 South Central after a stellar season.
One wondered if the gap was closing – and Jersey stormed out at CoinShares Park ready to prove that was the case. What followed was a commanding performance from the opening whistle, a 36-11 demolition job that thoroughly flipped the script on who the dominant force in Channel Island rugby was.
As Jersey head across the water tomorrow, they carry themselves tall off the back of a stunning league campaign that saw them seal promotion back into the National Leagues, losing just one game all season.
Fans will be delighted to see the return of some key names, including Dan Barnes back from injury and the return of Jerry Sexton, Harry Cochrane and Tim Grey to the starting line up.
The starting XV looks strong. In the backs, there’s no spot for the injured Mark Boarer, but he’s replaced on the right wing by Cochrane with Dylan Stocks on the left, Aaron Penberthy in the familiar role of fullback, Barnes joined by George Willmott in the centre, the imperious figure of Scott Van Breda (left) in at ten and Liam Rhodes at scrum-half, who’s enjoyed an excellent season in the role.
In the forwards, Jersey’s powerhouse scrum and mauling capabilities will surely be their greatest source of strength again. The front row will once again feature the familiar trio of Huw Owen, Jack Macfarlane and Tom Wilson, with Morgan Brady to enter from the replacements if required.
Euan Spencer and Cameron Keys, both enjoying superb campaigns respectively, will dominate the second row, the experienced Jerry Sexton and captain Evan Whitson behind them in the flanker roles and the equally experienced Tim Grey in the number eight role.
The replacements bench will no doubt prove crucial also. The likes of Morgan Brady, Toby Osborne and Fergus Ludlam have enjoyed spells in the starting XV this season, Tom Ellis and Lewis Evans will bring invaluable experience and any squad that features a former British and Irish Lions Legends player like Guy Thompson will carry that extra spring in their step.
It’s an experienced squad, as admitted by skipper Evan Whitson (right), but he believes they have everything they need to conquer the mountain of the Raiders on away soil.
“There’s no denying it’s going to be a really tough challenge,” said Whitson. “We know what Guernsey have to offer, they have a seriously powerful pack and skill right across the pitch. We know we have the potential to match that and use our strengths to good effect. We’re coming into this off the back of a brilliant performance last season, our confidence is sky high and we’re ready to hit them with everything we’ve got.”
The Men’s game will close out the day, with kick off from Footes Lane scheduled for a 4.15pm kick off.
Jersey Men’s 1st XV: [15-9] Aaron Penberthy, Harry Cochrane, George Willmott, Dan Barnes, Dylan Stocks, Scott Van Breda, Liam Rhodes; [1-8] Huw Owen, Jack Macfarlane, Tom Wilson, Euan Spencer, Cameron Keys, Jerry Sexton, Evan Whitson (c), Tim Grey
Replacements: Morgan Brady, Tom Tilstone, Tom Ellis, Toby Osborne, Guy Thompson, Lewis Evans, Fergus Ludlam
The Nash Cup veterans squad: [15-9] David Wilton, Graham Kybett, Justin Hewgill, Justin Pledger, Rory Steel (c), Daniel Hawkes, Wayne Boschat; [1-8] Daniel Curzons, Patrick Crossley, Ben France, Philip Mourant, David O’Brien, Graeme Stokes, Peter Brewer, Wayne Andrieux
Replacements: Pete Haworth, Brent Johnston, Nicholas Walker
