THE 2024 Touch World Cup “was a phenomenal occasion”, according to Jeremy Johnson.
The director of coaching at Jersey Touch took two teams to Nottingham, with the Mixed Open squad finishing in tenth from 29 competing nations, while the Men’s 45+ team concluded their impressive week in joint seventh-place from a pool of 14.
“Playing at the World Cup and competing with the top nations around the world has been a great opportunity to showcase our talents,” said Johnson.
“These results have affirmed what we already felt. We can absolutely stand up at the highest level.”
Competing against many teams travelling with larger squads than Jersey have registered players, the Islanders showed they belonged.
The Men’s 45+ team ended up getting the better of Spain, Chile and Fiji to finish third in their group stage pool.
Meanwhile, the Mixed Open team finished behind only global rugby powerhouses England and France, as they toppled Belgium, Chile, Canada, Switzerland and the Middle East.
Their fine results saw both squads progress to the final play-off stage.
The opening round of the play-offs proved a challenge, as both the men’s and mixed teams fell to France and Lebanon respectively.
The French would go on to earn bronze in the Men’s 45+ event, while the Lebanese fell in the semi-final to eventual champions, Australia.
However, the Caesareans’ campaigns had not finished quite yet, as games remained to determine the overall standings.
The penultimate game for Jersey’s mixed side came against Italy.
In a nail-biting tie, the Islanders managed to get the better of the Italians 13-12, with extraordinary performances from Freya Gambles and Anushan Elanco, who scored four apiece of Jersey’s thirteen touchdowns.
Despite the mixed side’s heroic win, neither of the Jersey squads could find the desired outcome in their final games.
The Men’s 45+ lost out to England in their concluding match of their World Cup debut, while the Mixed Open side had no answer to the strength of the Scots.
Looking to the future, Johnson has high hopes, stating: “With the World Cup now over, the international scene turns towards the European Championships being held next year in France.
“We have an incredible community within touch on the Island and it’s been an amazing experience to travel with everyone and compete on a stage like this.
“Hopefully, we can inspire some new talent to take to the field and expand our community.
“If you want to get involved in the sport, training will re-commence in August/September.
“More information can be found on our Jersey Touch social media pages over the coming weeks.
“This is open to all males and females from 14 years and up.
“This experience would not have been possible without the help of our sponsors: Beaumont Home Centre, Beaumont Self Storage, Mitbox Comms+Creative and the Fairway Group.”
To see action shots from the tournament, look no further than @cwimages1 on Instagram, courtesy of Clive Woods.
