THERE was a cautionary tone to Jersey RFC’s director of rugby, ahead of his side’s trip to Tunbridge Wells to begin the season, but all the early signs point to a side primed for the challenge of level five rugby.
The Islanders returned from Kent after securing a bonus-point victory and aim to keep that momentum rolling tomorrow when they venture back to the mainland to square off against Hammersmith & Fulham.
Following back-to-back promotions, Myles Landick was keen to temper expectations leading into the new season, fully aware of the challenge presented to his charges.
But the 34-14 win in Royal Tunbridge Wells has certainly put the rest of the teams in Regional 1 South Central on notice, as Jersey fight to keep pace with league leaders London Welsh tomorrow.
The Hammers also began their season with a win, albeit by the finest of margins, edging past Brighton away from home 15-14.
“We will take a lot of confidence from last week into the challenge tomorrow,” Landick said.
“Jerry [Sexton] said after the game that he thought it was the best team performance we had put in for quite some time.
“Our game plan was executed really well. We moved them around the park and really fronted up.
“Our efforts in the pack were really pleasing, especially against a very physical pack.
“I think it took them by surprise a little bit and they seemed to run out of steam a bit in the latter stages.
“We don’t know much about Hammersmith & Fulham but, watching some footage, they back themselves in the forwards and like to have a maul.
“We are fully aware that every away game is going to be a huge battle this season.
“The league has historically shown itself to be very competitive, so we need to turn up and execute if we want to compete.”
It may only be the second week of the fledgling campaign, but Landick is already abundantly aware of the vital role squad depth will play.
Regular scrum-half Max Harrington and experienced former Jersey Reds forward Huw Owen are both unavailable, as well as the talented Scott Van Breda, who is expected to miss the next three matches with a broken finger sustained during the win over Tunbridge Wells.
Landick continued: “It’s going to have to be a squad game this year.
“There are opportunities tomorrow for Liam [Rhodes] at scrum-half and Joe [Ridgway] in the pack.
“Dylan Stocks comes in at centre, but there are not wholesale changes.
“We know we are going to have to make adjustments here and there, but there is still lots of familiarity in the pack and it’s a really strong side.
“Last year, the team that won half their games for the season, came fifth.
“We said that we need to target our home games as wins and then try to grind out as many points away from home as possible.
“If we can return home for a pair of games having taken two from two on the road, it will give us a real boost ahead of playing in front of our home fans.”
Action from Hurlingham Park is set to get underway tomorrow at 3pm.
Jersey RFC squad [1-15]: Joe Ridgway, Gene Syminton, Tom Wilson, Euan Spencer, Cam Keys, Jerry Sexton, Tom Tilstone, George Willmott, Liam Rhodes, Dan Barnes, Tom Bulfin, Nathan Rogers (c), Dylan Stocks, Bevan Biggs, Mark Boarer. Replacements: Jake Bates, Jack Macfarlane, Jacques de la Bat.
