Following last weekend's heroics, no-one was under any illusion
as to the task in hand to take on Yorkshire Carnegie away from home
that, with new Head Coach Bryan Redpath are currently going through
a late season resurgence.
The match that saw 2 tries a-piece was very much the 'game of
two halves' with contrasting styles and fortunes.
Carnegie kicked off, and were the first to score after 6 minutes
with a cleanly struck penalty after Jersey had been penalised in
the scrum.
Jersey were to then take the lead through a Drew Locke try.
Sticking to the tried and tested formula, Jersey spurned the
opportunity to level the scores when awarded a penalty that was
easily within Aaron Penberthy's range. Instead they went to the
corner, and when the driving maul stalled the ball was passed
through the hands to Fautua Otto who had come off his wing. A deft
run deep into the Yorkshire 22 through the Carnegie defence, and a
well-weighted pass left Locke a relatively easy task to touch down;
Aaron Penberthy converted.
Carnegie first reduced the deficit with a second penalty, before
scoring arguably the best try of the afternoon. Having kicked to
the corner and made little headway with a driving maul, the ball
was passed out to Harry Leonard who delivered a perfectly-placed
cross-field kick for Oli Goss to collect and cross the whitewash.
The try went unconverted, but Yorkshire were in front.
As the half went on, Jersey gradually started to put their stamp
on the tie and gain ascendency in the scrum (that had been
conceding penalties), as well as dominating the lineout.
Jersey got their second score just after the half hour following
a passage of play from a lineout in the Yorkshire 22 that went
through 7 or 8 phases before going wide to Haining on the wing, who
crossed easily to touch down. The difficult conversion attempt fell
short, but Jersey had seized the lead and the initiative.
There then followed a period of play that really should have
yielded more points, especially when Yorkshire were reduced to 14
men just before the break. Jersey continually pinned the Carnegie
side back in their own 22 and pressed the home line. Opportunities
for lineouts from penalties won were taken, but the men in red just
couldn't convert. Then, to the surprise of the travelling support,
and with the half-time whistle about to go, Jersey changed tack
opted to try and kick a difficult penalty into the wind rather than
go for another lineout. The chance went pass the far upright and
that was the end of the half.
Hodson was replaced by Noone at half time, having picked up a
knock, and with the wind on their backs, Jersey should have been
looking to capitalise on positional play.
The game however started to lose momentum as it was interrupted
on a number of occasions for injuries. Jersey were unfortunate to
lose both Phillips and Haining, and this disrupted the usual solid
platform. There were opportunities for the reds, but these didn't
go to plan, partly as a result of some silly mistakes and also one
or two poor decisions.
Carnegie, to their credit, upped their game and were
increasingly playing in the Jersey half and putting the Islanders
under pressure. And so it was that a clearance kick from deep in
Jersey's 22 didn't make touch. Back came Yorkshire, and following
some good interchange play it was the fullback, Georgiou who evaded
a couple of tackles running from deep down the wing who was to
score the decisive try in the corner. The kick into the wind fell
short, but Yorkshire had retaken the lead and ultimately logged the
last and only score of the second half that was to give them
victory.
After the game Jersey's Head Coach, Harvey Biljon expressed
frustration for certain moments when following good build-up play,
opportunities weren't converted for a variety of reasons.
The squad will now have a few days off before regrouping to
focus on the next home clash at St Peter against Cornish Pirates in
two weeks' time.
YORKSHIRE CARNEGIE: Georgiou, Goss, Lucock,
Fitzpatrick, Prell, Leonard, Pilgrim, Beech, Nilsen, Tideswell,
Smith, Jones, Williams, Walker C, Burrows.
Replacements: Walker J, Hill, Harris, Bainbridge,
Egerton, Grimoldby, Clarke.
JERSEY: Penberthy, Foster, Locke, McCrea, Otto,
Robling, Fisilau, Lockwood (Lancuba), Buckle, Williams, Phillips,
Markham, Rae (c), Hodson, Haining.
Replacements: Lancuba, Garcia-Veiga, Herriott,
Campbell, Noone, Glynn, Bentley.
REFEREE: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
ATTENDANCE: 1,561
Man-of-the-match: Christian Georgiou (Yorkshire
Carnegie)
Half Time: 11-12
Scorers:
Yorkshire Carnegie
Tries: Goss, Georgiou
Penalties: Leonard (2)
Jersey
Tries: Locke, Haining
Conversion: Penberthy
William Church
