Match Report: Lions 3–33 Jersey
Regional 1 South Central – Round 12
Venue: Jersey RFC, CoinShares Park
Saturday, 15:00 KO
———-
London Scottish Lions’ first fixture of the second half of the Regional 1 South Central season saw them come up against unbeaten league leaders Jersey RFC away in the Channel Islands. Despite a tense, fiercely contested first half that ended just 5–3 to the hosts, Jersey’s set-piece strength and second-half pressure eventually told, with the Islanders pulling away to secure a 33–3 victory. While the scoreline looks emphatic, it does not reflect the effort, organisation, or resilience shown by the Lions for large periods of this top-of-the-table clash. Man of the Match was Lachie Lowick, who put in a colossal shift after moving from the back row into the centres following an early injury reshuffle.
———-
Your correspondent could tell as early as Thursday morning it was a big game. The WhatsApp messages about remembering to take Euros for the after-match beers were flying. The committee was messaging the boys (again) to check their flight details and to remember their ID.
The tension was palpable. Who would miss the flight? What would go wrong? And, the least of our worries, would Jersey retain their unbeaten record after a visit from the London Scottish Lions?
Surprisingly, everyone was at LHR in plenty of time. Despite having a fall on Saturday morning and hurting his fingers, Club Secretary Andy Cunningham was able to type a message to his wife to give her the good news that we were setting off together and on time.
It was striking how much bigger the team looked shuffling into the confines of an Airbus A320 for the busy flight to Jersey at 830am, a time not regularly seen on a Saturday by most of the boys! The flight resulted in only one passport and one wallet being left on the plane – a good result given the 45 or so Lions on the flight!
The London Scottish numbers at the pre-match Christmas lunch were reduced by the disappearance of Andy Cunningham. A quick trip to the local hospital, kindly organised by the Jersey RFC doctor, confirmed a badly broken finger. The first, but not last, non-rugby injury of the day!
In the early stages of the match, the Lions were able to exert pressure on the Jersey defence without ever really looking like scoring the try they deserved. Cheered on by the noisy travelling support, Cameron Wray kicked the Lions into a 3-0 lead after 15 minutes, and Jersey were then reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes as the Jersey winger was sent for a sit down after tackling Ben Molloy from a quick tap close to the Jersey line without retreating 10 metres.
The Lions were forced into a reshuffle not long after, Fergus Chapman forced off with a rib injury. Lachie Lowick moved out to 12, with Angus Troop coming into the pack.
Jersey began to control territory and possession from this point, with the Lions finding it difficult to get out their own half. The Jersey front row was dominating the scrum, and with only 2 minutes to go in the half hooker Chris Rolfe was faced with an agonising decision – intercept and run 80 metres, or take a yellow card for a deliberate knock on. Rolfey had his scrum cap off and was walking towards the touchline before the ref had the yellow card out his pocket! The extra man seemed to make all the difference, as Jersey finally cracked the Scottish defence wide on the left with the last play of the half. 5-3 Jersey as the teams headed into the sheds.
Into the second half, Jersey continued to dominate the Scottish scrum, with play being fairly even away from the set piece. A converted try for Jersey gave them some breathing space at 12-3, before the key moment in the match. Although Jersey were still on top, the Lions worked their way into the Jersey 22, and Lachie Lowick forced his way over under the posts. From some 60 metres away, in the gloom and a few beers deep, your correspondent was sure the ball grazed the turf for a try. The referee, some 58 metres closer to the action, decided the ball had been held up. Some back chat from the Lions, and what would have been a goal line drop out turned into a penalty and a line out to Jersey 35 metres down the field.
From there, things just got tougher for the Lions. The scrum was being penalised more and more quickly, even with the ball at the back of the Lions’ scrum, and Cormac McCracken was then yellow carded for allegedly not rolling away from a ruck.
Jersey’s scrum dominance continued to provide field position and tries, before the Lions illegally sacked a line out catch and drive late on to concede a penalty try. If any supporters are wondering which Lions forward could have done such a dastardly thing, think of a name that sounds like Bark Mright. A third yellow card of the afternoon for the Lions and a final score of 33-3 reflected a deserved win for Jersey, but it did not reflect the effort and skill of the Lions, nor the noise of their supporters, particularly given the half time score of only 5-3. It’s tough at the top of the league!
While the match was over, the games weren’t done as everyone enjoyed a well-earned evening in St Helier. Big Red Fin Hillicks, missing through injury, decided to test out his knee on the team bus ahead of his skiing trip next weekend. To everyone’s surprise, running a hard line down the bus aisle ended with club captain Angus Clogg putting in the biggest hit of the weekend, leaving Fin with a cut forehead and some bruised pride. Good prep for skiing. Thankfully the St Helier hostelries only resulted in one more lost passport, and everyone made it back on the Sunday morning flight, even if not everyone managed to get on the bus to the airport!
———-
Despite the scoreline, this was a performance full of commitment and character from the Lions against the league’s benchmark side. A bruising lesson in set-piece efficiency and game management, it also underlined how close the margins are at the top end of Regional 1 South Central. With Jersey remaining unbeaten and the Lions firmly established among the promotion contenders, attention now turns to the next fixture as the second half of the season gathers momentum.
———-
Penalties: Cameron Wray (16’)
MotM: Lachie Lowick
———-
Saturday 20 December
Next up for the Lions, one more game for the Lions before the Christmas break:
Lions vs Wimbledon (H)
– Regional 1 South Central – Round 13
– Venue: King’s House Sports Ground (W4 2SH)
– KO: 14:00
