Pic by Simon Cooper
The Reds stormed back from the concession of an early try to claim a convincing win in their opening Championship match of 2021/22.
London Scottish scrum-half Dan Nutton crossed within two minutes after good support play by Hayden Hyde, with the conversion by Laurence May making it 7-0.
The visitors claimed their opening points when Scott Van Breda landed a penalty after five minutes, and on the 15-minute mark the full-back landed another three-pointer.
The Red pack gradually began to assert themselves and claimed two tries in the latter stages of the half. Number eight Guy Thompson got both, the first from a rolling maul with the extra points landed by ‘SVB’ and the second from a push-over scrum with the conversion missed right on half-time. The Exiles finished the half with 14 men after Nutton received a yellow card.
Both sides took a while to get into their stride when the contest resumed, but the Reds claimed their third try in the 52nd minute with the ball fed wide after a maul and Van Breda burst through (7-23).
The visitors began to turn the screw and arguably show superior levels of fitness, in spite of a number of injuries. Thompson completed a hat-trick and then fellow forwards Eoghan Clarke and Zak Farrance got in on the act with their side’s fifth and sixth tries.
The Exiles’ attempts to get more points on the board in the closing stages were hampered when skipper Brian Tuilagi was yellow-carded, and soon afterwards Dan Barnes crossed for a seventh try.
Following the trip to London, the Reds will prepare for their home opener at Stade Santander with Bedford Blue the visitors for a match kicking off at 2.30pm on Saturday September 25th.
London Scottish v Jersey Reds – RFU Championship, Round 1/20, Athletic Ground, Richmond, Saturday September 18th 2021, k-o 2.15pm
London Scottish: Leo Fielding; Noah Ferdinand, Hayden Hyde, Dave Halaifonua, Rory Hughes; Laurence May, Dan Nutton (YC 34); Curtis Reynolds, Nick Selway, Joe Rees, James Tyas, Edoardo Balocco, Brian Tuilagi (capt) (YC 75), Jack Ingall, Will Trenholm.
‘Finishers’: Ben Atkins, Maurice Nwakor, Alex Gibson, George Hammond, Ehize Ehizode, Cameron King, Ed Hoadley, Javiah Pohe.
Jersey Reds: Scott Van Breda; Ryan Olowofela, Jordan Holgate, Dan Barnes, Will Brown; Brendan Owen, James Elliott; James Flynn, Eoghan Clarke, Ciaran Parker, Sean O’Connor, Macauley Cook, Max Argyle, Lewis Wynne (capt), Guy Thompson.
Replacements: Jack Macfarlane, Roy Godfrey, Steven Longwell, Zak Farrance, Alex Humfrey, Wesley White, James Mitchell, Jack Roberts.
REFEREE: Adam Leal
Half Time: 7-18
Attendance: 600
Scorers
London Scottish
Try: Nutton 2
Conversion: May 2
Jersey Reds
Tries: Thompson 27, 40, 59, Van Breda 52, Clarke 64, Farrance 69, Barnes 77
Conversions: Van Breda 27, Mitchell 52, 69
Penalties: Van Breda 5, 15
