Jersey's early promise produced a 15-3 lead and a real fright
for third-placed London Scottish, but the Exiles recovered to
register a victory that further enhanced their play-off
credentials.
Drew Locke's brace of tries had helped his side dominate the
early exchanges, but Jersey faded and conceded 18 unanswered points
in the second half to finish well-beaten.
Peter Lydon's penalty gave the visitors an early lead, but
Jersey were enjoying the driest conditions at St Peter for three
months and used the opportunity to show their running skills. Drew
Locke scored two well-worked tries, the second after some fine
approach play by Fautua Otto after the Samoan had fielded a
Scottish kick.
The Scots were able to get back into the game, gaining field
position from a penalty kick to touch, and then unveiling their
powerful maul. A penalty advantage presented the chance to feed the
backs and Matt Williams burst through by the posts. Further Exiles'
pressure before the break brought a second penalty for Lydon and a
yellow card for Jersey's Lewis Robling for tackling the man without
the ball.
Aaron Penberthy's early penalty enabled the hosts to stretch
their narrow half-time lead to five points, but it was to be
Jersey's final impact on the scoreboard.
Mark Bright was at the heart of the Scottish revival, scoring
the try that helped his side take a lead they never surrendered,
and when the Exiles skipper crashed to the ground at a lineout,
Jersey replacement Ignacio Lancuba was sin-binned for taking the
man in the air.
Two more Lydon penalties enabled Scottish to pull clear of the
Islanders, and another mauled try for Bright added some late
gloss.
While many Jersey supporters agreed that Exiles were deserved
winners, there was disappointment that the 2-0 tally of yellow
cards was not a fair reflection of the play, which included some
borderline tackling in the first half, including Williams taking
out both Sami Fisilau and Aaron Penberthy as they contested a high
ball, but escaping with a warning.
Head Coach Harvey Biljon was disappointed to witness his side
fading after their promising start.
"Our attitude and our game plan were right, it was good to watch
us show we can play rugby on a firmer pitch and I think Scottish
were rattled," he said. "But we didn't adapt to some of the
referee's interpretations and we had some silly moments of
ill-discipline, and in a game of small margins those errors can
make a difference."
Biljon admitted that tackling league leaders Worcester Warriors
- Jersey's next opponents - would be formidable.
"It's certainly an almighty challenge, and Worcester will be
looking to move up a gear as they approach the last month before
the play-offs, but we need to enjoy the chance to test ourselves
against a top side."
London Scottish Director of Rugby Mike Friday was a happy man
after watching his side's victory.
"We knew we were up against a good team with a physical pack and
decent backs and that we'd need to match Jersey in order to
compete," he said. "In the first quarter our mistakes were hurting
us and I was concerned, but we started to hold onto the ball and
asserted ourselves.
"Our control of the game was good in the second half, and while
we didn't make the most of all our chances, I'm very happy with the
result."
TEAMS
JERSEY: Penberthy, Foster, Locke, McCrea, Otto,
Robling, Fisilau (Glynn 72); Lockwood (Lancuba 63), Garcia-Veiga
(Buckle 62), Williams (Herriott 62), Campbell, Phillips (Markham
54), Rae (c), Hodson, Haining (Lockwood 69-77, Kaho 77).
Not used: Bentley
LONDON SCOTTISH: Millar, Williams, Moffat, Hawke
(Doneghan 62), Mantella, Lydon, Stevenson (Heeks 75); Hallam
(Lilley 54), Stephenson (Cherry 72), Prescott (Maguire 54),
Thomas-Brown (Preocanin 69), Phillips, Gillanders, Ludlow (Walker
69), Bright.
Referee: Steve Lee (RFU)
Att: 2,223
Man-of-the-match (as chosen by match sponsor
Randalls): Mark Bright (London Scottish)
Half Time: 15-13
Scorers
Jersey
Tries: Locke 11, 22
Conversion: Penberthy 11
Penalty: Penberthy 20, 42
London Scottish
Tries: Williams 27, Bright 55, 77
Conversions: Lydon 27, 55
Penalties: Lydon 5, 34, 60, 71
