A belting, humdinger of a match saw London Cornish knock Trojans out of the Intermediate Cup at the REMPF on Saturday, ending the Hampshire side’s unbeaten record in all competitions in 2011 and extending the home sides season beyond next weeks last league game. The exiles executed an astute game plan to largely subdue the talented visiting backs, and had enough in the tank to withstand a withering late rally from the title chasing Hampshire outfit. The win was finally secured by virtue of 3 goals, a try and two penalties to 3 goals and a try in a match that held a sparse but vociferous crowd captivated to the final whistle.

For the first time this season, Cornish were able to select from a full squad on the day, bar the 3 long term injured in Rob Aird, Simon Brading and Ian Keith. With lock Ed Nimmons departed for Scotland, the home side was able to recall Pete Calvert, who has been carefully nursed back to fitness with the final few games of the season in mind. The back row selection saw George Johnson in at 7, Dave Madigan returned at 9 (the only time he has been available to play against Trojans this season), and a strong bench would launch Hamish Cuming, Mark Osei-Tutu, Charlie Wapshott and Rich McKeown into action. A warm, dry day and pitch in perfect condition (remarkable considering that the ground held the Rosslyn Park 7s during the week) would mean both sides would be able to use their favoured brand of attacking rugby, and the visitors arrived in peak form having annihilated a talented Old Reigatians side in the league the previous week.

Cornish played towards the clubhouse in the opening half, and quickly demonstrated that their awesome scrummaging would be a vital feature in the match, driving Trojans off their own feed at the first engagement on the home 22. The visitors 10 has a siege gun boot, and he used this to good effect to gain field position, an organized kick chase clearly part of the visitors early game plan. The exiles had carefully mapped out their own gameplan however, putting huge pressure on any visiting set piece ball, using great line speed to prevent the powerful Trojans backline from getting up to speed, and unsettling the visiting back row by pulling them blind at every opportunity. On 5 minutes, the Hampshire side survived an early scare when a Madigan chip was adjudged to have bounced over the tryline before being fielded by a Trojans back and touched down. The respite did not last long. On 7 minutes Cornish gently wheeled a scrum on their own feed on the Trojans 22 just enough to give Madigan another chance to exploit the blind side where he hit wing Robin Heymann arriving at pace. Though the visitors appeared to have cover, Heymann produced a gem of a sidestep to leave the defence clutching at thin air, and he dashed deep into the 22 before drawing the full back and sending supporting hooker Will Carew-Gibbs away outside him to dive over the line for a beautifully constructed score. Though the conversion was missed right, battle was now well and truly joined. On 13, a tremendous series of powerful pick and drives by Cornish launched by Madigan, Nick Harlock, Andrew McEwen and Calvert down the right flank was eventually halted by Trojans playing the ball on the floor, Conor O’Daly sending the soaring penalty from on the 22 some way out between the uprights for an 8-0 lead. A clearly shell-shocked visiting side had not reckoned with just how capable a fully fit and motivated Cornish can be, but they gradually began to demonstrate just why they are in contention for the London 2 South-West title, on 20 minutes attacking from left to right across the 22 and only foiled by a superb covering tackle by Madigan, which saw a Trojans back knock the ball on for O’Daly to clear at the scrum. 3 minutes later and the stunned Hampshire side were back under their own posts. This time an overthrown lineout was bagged by Chris Alder on halfway. He burst into the oppo half, hitting loosehead Mike Bond arriving like a juggernaut on his shoulder to tank to the 22, Carew-Gibbs the next to take the ball on before an inside pass sent the omnipresent Madigan away at the angle to evade a desperate last ditch tackle to score by the posts, O’Daly adding the extras and Trojans in the unfamiliar territory at 15-0 down. Under real pressure in the tight, and finding Iain Short and Graeme Smeaton in unforgiving mood in midfield, the visitors began to bicker with one another, not helped by being constantly berated by one of their own watching supporters on the far side of the pitch. Now Trojans did up the tempo, stopped by another covering Madigan tackle on 26 before spending a full 5 minutes hammering away in the left hand corner of the pitch. Twice they won penalties and elected to kick for the corner to set the rolling maul, but they hadn’t done their homework as Cornish simply don’t concede tries in that fashion, Skip Dave Theobald and lock Phil Ridsdale relishing the close quarter encounters. Finally, on 31 minutes, Trojans spun the ball from left to right inside the 22 and worked room for one of their lumpy back line to cross the line, the try awarded despite the ball clearly being dropped over the line in the act of grounding. The conversion flew wide to the right of the posts but Trojans were on the board. On 35 minutes another Trojans scrum was turned over by Cornish on half way, the ball fed to Smeaton to feed a well weighted grubber down the tramlines into the 22, Trojans full back scrambling into touch. Calvert took the lineout, and after McEwen smashed across the gainline and Johnson made a few more precious yards, the ball was spun blind to Harlock arriving at pace to cross the whitewash and score wide right, the try greeted with great jubilation by the exiles players, again executing a well worked move to perfection. To rub salt into the wounds, O’Daly slotted a great touchline conversion to take the lead out to 22-5. The Trojans tighthead was injured trying to repel the coruscating drives, and was replaced at this point. Cool heads were required by Cornish to see the game to the break, but a hastily taken quick throw in just inside their own half saw an exiles player turned over and quick ball worked to the Trojans left wing, who arrowed towards the corner only to be felled by a stupendous Ed Good tackle as he tried to cross the line, the tackle turning the player onto his back and barreling him into touch. The half time whistle went shortly afterward, the monumental effort of their first half audible in the gasps of the exiles players at the break.

The early part of the second period would clearly be key, and Cornish nearly got off to a great start when Trojans were pinged following a superb home counter ruck caught them offside in their 22, but the penalty attempt was pulled left of the posts. On 44 minutes, the exiles midfield finally gave a smidgeon too much room to the visiting 10 on halfway. A sizeable lad who is deceptively quick, he shrugged off a tackle and eased away from the cover to crash across the try line wide right, a decent conversion made and the Hampshire side back in the game at 22-12. To their abject horror, Trojans gave all 7 points straight back to Cornish on 47 minutes, a sliced clearance under midfield pressure landing in the grateful arms of Good, standing well outside the visiting 22 but in some space down the right touchline. Needing no second invitation he took off, powerfully fending off his opposite man and the covering full back to crash across the try line by the corner flag, the instant response just what the doctor ordered for Cornish. Another exemplary touchline conversion by O’Daly and the visitors early score was cancelled out, the score now 29-12. 3 minutes later an increasingly fractious Trojans, who had begun to contest every decision the referee was making, conceded a kickable penalty on the 10 metre line inside their own half after another Cornish counter ruck was halted by a visitor playing the ball on the floor. As O’Daly stepped up to take the kick, he was barracked by a Trojan supporter, a disappointing attitude for a club who are better than that. The kick was understandably missed. Two minutes later, Cornish worked a blind side move to send Good into space as he hit a great line. He was downed just short of the try line, and Trojans killed the ball. Electing to kick the ball to the corner, the home side frustratingly lost the set piece for the ball to be cleared. On 53 minutes, Cornish won another penalty just inside the Trojans half for a high tackle on Harlock, but this attempt flew just wide. The exiles replaced an exhausted Johnson with Wapshott at this point, and with Madigan being treated for cramp, the effort was beginning to show in the home side. Crucially, Trojans conceded another penalty on the half way line on 61 minutes, and this time O’Daly nailed a huge kick with room to spare to send his side out to a 32-12 lead. Now McKeown came on for Madigan, whose influence on the game had been huge. On 68 minutes, and with Cornish electing to kick more ball for position to force Trojans to attack from deep, the visitors pinched a lineout ball on halfway. They worked a few phases before putting their hooker away to cross by the posts, the conversion made and the visiting supporters finding their voices again. Shortly afterward, Cornish brought Cuming on for Bond, and his first action was to defend a penalty kicked to the corner. Unable to move their rolling maul, Trojans attacked one way and then another, before a missed tackle saw their wing cross for another try, this one also converted and the difference suddenly down to 6. With both sides still smashing into tackles, the remaining 6 minutes of this bone crunching encounter would see no let up in action. Desperate to stop their unbeaten record from falling, Trojans upped the ante but found granite Cornish defence in their way, the home side tackling themselves to a standstill. On 77 minutes Cornish attacked down the right flank for Smeaton to chip into space, Good beating his man to the ball before being bundled into touch on the 22. Though winning the lineout, the exiles lost the ball wide left and the danger was averted. Osei-Tutu now came on for Alder, and he too thumped into tackles for his sides cause. Winning a series of penalties down the right flank in the remaining minutes, Trojans gained field position but with time running out and requiring a converted try to win, they were forced to run everything. They threw everything at the Cornish d, but were held at arms length and were unable to get inside the home 22. Finally, they worked a ball across the pitch right to left but under intense pressure from the exiles midfield, the ball was knocked on for the final whistle to sound to great jubilation from the Cornish players and supporters.

Trojans will clearly have had half a mind on their massive match next weekend, but they were also clearly desperate to win this one judging by the support they brought and the disappointment of their players at the whistle. Their scrum underwent an intense examination here, and they may well reflect that on this occasion the better side won. Their players are an honest bunch and fronted up well back at The Telegraph – we wish them well in their efforts next week, but Guernsey are formidable opponents and the game will not be one for the faint hearted. Cornish march into the semi-finals of the London region part of the Intermediate Cup, and the last 16 nationally. They have now taken the unbeaten home record of the London 2 North-East champions elect, and the longest unbeaten run of any side in London 2 South-West in the last 2 rounds. This was a huge effort by all 19 players and they will take much from the win, a new opponent awaiting whatever the draw next week.

LCRFC – Nick Harlock, Ed Good, Graeme Smeaton, Iain Short, Robin Heymann, Conor O’Daly, Dave Madigan (Rich McKeown), Andrew McEwen, George Johnson, Chris Alder (Mark Osei-Tutu), Phil Ridsdale, Pete Calvert, Dave Theobald (Capt.), Will Carew-Gibbs, Mike Bond (Hamish Cuming).