Jersey 26 Tynedale 8
SSE National League One
By Tom Innes
Clinging to a 7-3 lead with just 10 minutes remaining, Jersey
surged to a comfortable victory and a bonus point with the last
move of the game.
The result was a harsh reflection on the visiting team who edged
the balance of play in the first half and maintained a dogged
defensive effort until the closing stages.
"To say I'm a disappointed is an understatement," said Tynedale
Coach Tom Borthwick. "We had some decent field position in the
first half but we didn't look after the ball.
"It was disappointing to lose some key players early in the
game, but it's a squad game and you just have to get on with it. We
kept in touch on the scoreboard, then had a silly two minutes at
the end."
Unsurprisingly Jersey Head Coach Ben Harvey was delighted that
his team, while failing to hit the heights achieved in the
thrilling away win at Cambridge, had maintained their focus to the
end.
"To get five points when you've not played to your full
potential is pleasing," he said. "Tynedale were very dogged,
causing us lots of problems, and having been terrific last week our
accuracy was missing for a lot of the match."
The match started with neither team looking liable to trouble
the scoreboard operator. Some isolated bursts of running by James
Copsey and Dai Bishop for Jersey and Tyne's Hamish Smales were
among the few times attack got the better of defence. The officials
were kept on their toes with some sporadic outbreaks of 'handbags'
by both packs.
Jersey lost prop Jon Brennan to injury within quarter of an hour
and visiting lock Richard Boyle was also forced off midway through
the first half. Boyle's departure coincided with Jersey's best
spell of pressure, which culminated in Mike Le Bourgeois twisting
and jinking his way over, and adding a straightforward
conversion.
With just the single score separating the sides into the second
half, Le Bourgeois missed a penalty attempt, his second of the
match, after 42 minutes. The next time he was within range, Jersey
opted to kick to the corner but failed to turn the attack into
points.
William Massey's penalty gave hope to the visitors, but Jersey's
next kick to the corner was more productive: slick ball from the
top of the lineout by Jim Brownrigg, the ball fed quickly into
midfield and Guy Thompson's powerful run just getting him to the
line.
The yellow-carding of Tyne's replacement lock Myles Scott for
preventing quick ball set up yet another attacking penalty
opportunity for the home team, and hooker Charlie Clyde-Smith
started and finished a textbook lineout catch-and-drive.
There was still time for the live-wire Smales to burst clear and
score to reduce Jersey's lead to 19-8, but with Tyne rushing to
restart and sensing a possible bonus point, the home team
capitalised with some late pressure. With time up, a penalty was
quickly taken by Brownrigg, who fed Ashley Maggs and was on hand to
take the return pass and steam over the try-line, sending the
majority of a bumper 2,000-plus crowd home happy.
Jersey moved up to fourth in the table following a seventh
straight win, while Ealing's loss at home to Macclesfield narrowed
the long-time leaders' gap at the top.
Star Man: Dave McCormack (Jersey)
Jersey
Tries: Le Bourgeois 29, Thompson 73, Clyde-Smith 78, Brownrigg
80
Conversions: Le Bourgeois 29, 73, 80
Tynedale
Try: Smales 79
Penalty: Massey 66
HT: 7-0
Attendance: 2,149
Jersey: Copsey, Maggs, Bishop, Sanders, Dawson,
Le Bourgeois, McCormack, Landick, Clyde-Smith, Brennan, Lang,
Brownrigg, Bell (capt), Thompson, Trower. Replacements: O'Brien S,
O'Brien B, Evans, Corson, Turner
Tynedale: Harris, Cole, Harrison J (capt),
Smales, Rogers, Massey, Shaw, Irving, Beasley, Shires, Dunn, Boyle,
Dickinson, Ridley, Harrison A. Replacements: Westgarth, Frazier,
Scott, Cousin, Beck.
Referee: Philip Davies
