A Jersey rugby team lifted silverware at Twickenham after
winning a touch competition for supporters of clubs in the RFU
Championship.
The event was organised by Championship sponsors Greene King
IPA, with representatives from the division's 12 clubs plus three
guest sides taking part. The mixed Jersey squad was chosen by Rena
Nelson, Chairperson of Jersey Touch, and included experienced touch
practitioners such as Lauren Lowe and Natasha Eastwood, JRFC
Academy graduates Charles Hubert and Harry Cochrane, and 1st XV
player James Voss, making his final appearance in a Jersey shirt
before his move to Gloucester and Hartpury College.
The Jersey squad, one of only two not to field an all-male
line-up, quickly gelled as a unit with the rugby players picking up
touch tactics from those more experienced in the non-contact
version of the game. This helped Jersey to group stage wins over
Ealing Trailfinders (4-0), Bedford (3-0) and Nottingham; the latter
side featured some England representative touch players in their
ranks but were beaten 3-0 by the Island side. The final group match
was the toughest, but Cornish Pirates were beaten 2-0 and Jersey
had progressed to the knock-out stages.
Guest side Trojans were the semi-final opponents and did manage
to breach the Jersey defence for the first time before being beaten
3-1. Time had become a concern at this point, with captain Nelson
and some other players due to leave Twickenham to travel back to
Gatwick Airport. However there was just time for the skipper to
open the scoring against Colchester and pave the way for a final
victory.
"We left it as late as we could, but had to leave before the end
of the match, and only got confirmation in the taxi via a text
message that we'd gone on to win 4-0," Nelson said. "The whole
squad weren't able to be there to lift the trophy, but it was an
amazing day and getting the chance to play at Twickenham was a
fantastic experience."
Jersey squad: Harry Cochrane, Tom Devereaux,
Ellie Duley, Natasha Eastwood, John Hood, Charles Hubert, Lauren
Lowe, Rena Nelson, Luke Profke, James Voss.
