There is a commonly held belief amongst the coaches and referees in London that London 2 South-West is a beast of a division, and certainly the toughest level 7 league in the region. This is based on the progress made in the division above by successive champions Chichester and London Irish Amateur, on the speed at which the game is played in the division, and the fact that all of the sides are capable of fielding hugely capable sides on their day. This belief is further backed up this season by the fact that London 2 South-West counts 4 representatives in the final 8 of the London region part of this national Intermediate Cup, and this result will have done nothing to dispel the theory as apparently injury ridden 7th placed side London Cornish completely dismantled London 2 North-East league leaders Rochford Hundred, in doing so ending the Essex side’s unbeaten home record this season. Supporters of the exiles (and there was only 1 present amongst a crowd well in excess of 100!) may not be so surprised by this result, the exiles having run the top 3 in their division to 3, 2 and 2 points deficits in their away matches at Guernsey, Trojans and Guildford, and in their home match with Guernsey a couple of weeks ago racing to a 16-0 half time lead before capitulating to a fine second half performance by the champions elect. What is also apparent is that as they completely change their style of play from last season with a virtually new side, Cornish can sometimes get it wonderfully right as on this occasion, and sometimes horribly wrong! This seasons best performance saw the visitors progress to Round 4 of the Intermediate Cup by virtue of 4 goals, 3 tries and 5 penalties to 2 goals and a try as Cornish dominated throughout to confound the form book and delight their watching DoR!

Cornish made the 2 hour journey in good time, and arrived to find a decent sized paddock in perfect playing condition, the Rochford set up hewn on a slight slope so that all their 3 pitches slope from one side to the other and slightly down toward the entrance. Both sides demonstrated real commitment to the game, making only 3 changes, most of which were enforced. The exiles were at long last able to call on open side Chris Alder, him having not been available to start since an injury suffered in October, and an enforced rejig in the backline saw Iain Short in at his preferred position of 12, Graeme Smeaton moving to his natural position of 13 and Ed Good given a full debut on the wing, Nick Harlock switching back to his preferred full back role. On the bench club stalwart James Turnbull joined Miran Serdarevic, and with so many injuries, debuts off the bench were also given to a couple of unfamiliar names in fellow Cornishman Tom Wapshott and another club stalwart Harry Hurst, who has now played for all 4 of the clubs sides this season alone!

In beautiful conditions, Cornish kicked off down the hill and into bright sunlight, the ball knocked on by a home forward to set the tone for the home side’s afternoon. Early drives saw a drop goal attempt by the visitors fall short on 3 minutes, but after a period of domination the exiles took the lead on 7 minutes when they worked a blind side move with Dave Madigan, Andrew McEwen, Good all involved before fly half Conor O’Daly put Harlock in space to smash his way over wide right, the well struck conversion drifting wide. It took Rochford 8 minutes to make it into the visitors half, and when they got there they were pinged for running into the back of one of their own. Within 2 minutes they won a scrum just outside the Cornish 22, but were driven off their own ball for Madigan to clear. A superb kick chase closed down the space for the home back line to counter and their centre injudiciously aimed a crossfield kick only to be charged down on halfway by Short, who regathered and cantered clear to score under the posts, O’Daly adding the extras for a shellshocked home side to find themselves in unfamiliar territory on their home patch, 12-0 down. Responding well to the mini crisis, the home side took the game to their visitors for a 5 minute period now, their elusive centre (a Cornishman by all accounts!), twisting and turning to try and find space but Short and Smeaton giving no quarter. When they did win a penalty on 12, the Essex side kicked to the corner but lost the lineout as Phil Ridsdale began to show that the patience shown in his regaining full fitness is beginning to bear fruit. On 19 minutes the home side fell further behind when O’Daly converted a penalty from a central position after a Rochford forward was penalized for hands in the till. For the next 8 minutes Rochford repeatedly won penalties inside the Cornish half, but eschewing kicks opted first for lineouts and then, from in front of the posts inside their visitors 22, scrums. The latter decision was an extraordinary one, for Rochford had already had a thoroughly uncomfortable afternoon in the tight as Mike Bond, George Johnson and Skip Dave Theobald utterly dominated their opposite numbers, twice on 25 and 27 minutes taking ball against the head to defy the home side when they had great field position, first Robin Heymann with ball in hand and then O’Daly with a kick clearing the exiles lines. On 31 minutes and with their tales well and truly up, Ed Nimmons took a lineout on halfway and set a marmalising rolling maul driving into the Rochford 22, and with advantage to the exiles for the maul being brought down, O’Daly hit Harlock to smash through the d and over the line under the posts only for the referee to be unsighted and call play back for the penalty, Theobald taking the sensible option for O’Daly to add the 3 for an 18-0 lead. On 33 another Rochford scrum saw them driven back into their 22 and pop up to concede the pen. This kick was angled to the corner but great Rochford defence held the exiles at bay for the ball to be turned over and cleared. 3 minutes later and another penalty to Cornish, this time for a forward going off his feet at the ruck, gave O’Daly a long range kick, but on this big pitch even the superbly struck effort slammed into the crossbar and was knocked on by an onrushing Cornish forward with glory in sight! A minute later, and after a Bond hit a great line off Madigan at depth, Rochford offended again some way left well outside the home 22. O’Daly had kicked well in the warm up, and here again he struck a beauty to put his side 21-0 to the good. To compound the felony, the home side kicked the restart out on the full, and at the scrum on halfway, Madigan hit Good, who linked with Johnson and back to Madigan before knock on inside the home 22 gave the home side the chance to scramble the ball to touch after the scrum. Now well aware of the power of the visiting pack, the home side could do nothing as they were marched back at the lineout, Andrew McEwen smashing his way through a tackle to crash across the line half way in to the posts, O’Daly again adding a decent conversion. When the half time whistle went a minute later, the only questions being asked were ‘could Cornish keep this up?’ and ‘how much had the slope aided the visitors cause?’

The exiles answered both questions quickly, and fired an early warning of intent on 42 minutes, Madigan linking with the excellent Harlock, who arrowed infield only to be felled near the posts, the ball finally cleared after a penalty offence. This warning was not heeded, a carbon copy move on 46 this time seeing the same two players link to put Nimmons in space wide right. The ex Varsity lock has alarming pace for a forward, and he sped past the covering wing to cross wide right, completely silencing the remaining home support, this conversion flying across the face of the posts. The pressure in the tight now got to the home 9, him pinged on half way for a crooked feed on 48. Madigan took off with a tap, again linking with the irrepressible Harlock, who broke 2 tackles before offloading to the onrushing Johnson to burst clear and score 15 in from touch, the conversion made by O’Daly and Cornish out to an astonishing 40-0 lead. This was enough for the watching home coaching team, 2 of their front row withdrawn and replaced. On 50 minutes they broke blind and fly hacked to within 5 metres of the exiles line. A few phases and a scrum later, and one of the lumpier home forwards twisted out of a tackle and across the line for a converted try by the posts. Cornish replaced the ailing Mark Osei-Tutu with Serdarevic at this point. Two minutes later, and with a hint of inconsistency given the string of penalties he had been forced to award Cornish inside the home 22, the referee carded an exile front row for an offside offence on half way. With no scrum imminent, the exiles did not bring on their fr replacement straight away, and on 58 powerful runs by McEwen and Ridsdale saw the latter downed on the 22 only for acting half back Theobald to be pulled into the ruck, the referee pinging the offender and O’Daly punishing him further with the 3. On 60 Rochford worked some space down the clubhouse side for their left wing to scoot over wide left, this conversion falling short but the deficit now down to 43-12. Cornish brought on Turnbull for Serdarevic for the remaining 5 minutes of the sin-bin, but he was quickly standing under his posts as a carbon copy move saw the same player on hand to take a return pass to cross and run round under the posts, this conversion a formality. Rochford made more replacements now, sensing a change in the balance of play. The exiles held out for the remaining minutes of the card and won a penalty on 64 for offside on the home 22, O’Daly settling any nerves with the kick. The restart was claimed by Alder, who broke a tackle and sprinted all the way to the home 22 mid-pitch, before offloading to the supporting Harlock to score the try under the posts that killed off any remaining hopes of a home comeback, the conversion giving the visitors a 53-19 lead. A double change now gave Wapshott and Hurst their chances, on for Heymann and Short. The two replacements were quickly involved, both smashing into tackles and Wapshott alert enough to fly hack the dislodged ball way upfield to blunt a Rochford attack. On 71 it was Hurst who stripped a ball from a home back as they attacked from deep for Harlock to counter blind, him putting Good away to score a deserved try wide right, this tough conversion flying wide but the score now a coruscating 58-19. The final act saw Theobald withdrawn to give the Truro man Turnbull a few extra minutes to size up the oppo, his home town side still in the draw in the South-Western section.

The Rochford coaching team was generous and honest in their appraisal of the game post match, and in truth it is never easy to motivate a side for a Cup match that may appear an irritant when you have a league title within weeks of your grasp. This clearly wasn’t their normal showing, but they are a well run and friendly club, and will bounce back from this setback quickly. Cornish once again demonstrate the upside of their Jekyll and Hyde season, this performance as complete and error free as any this season. That it came despite a huge injury list is all the more meritorious, and it certainly provides lustre for the remaining weeks of the season as players jostle to stay in contention for a shirt. The players can also be very satisfied that they sent their one supporter home a happy man!

LCRFC – Nick Harlock, Robin Heymann (Tom Wapshott), Graeme Smeaton, Iain Short (Harry Hurst), Ed Good, Conor O’Daly, Dave Madigan, Andrew McEwen, Chris Alder, Mark Osei-Tutu (Miran Serdarevic), Ed Nimmons, Phil Ridsdale, Dave Theobald (James Turnbull), George Johnson, Mike Bond.