Despite scoring another 4 tries on the road, the folly of playing Russian roulette with player availability came home to haunt London Cornish again at Twickenham on Saturday, the injuries to a few key players compounded by the unavailability of those capable of filling the void, resulting in the exiles having to use their 43rd player in the 11 league games to date and, for example, their 7th different centre pairing. Until the players grasp the need to be available for at least 20 of the 22 league weekends each, Cornish will never finish above the current highest of 5th place in London 2 South-West.

With an unchanged pack for the first time this season, at least there was continuity up front, though with Dukes hooker Alex Harris understandably unable to train, the lineout would again prove an issue for the exiles. Tom Jacob returned from injury at 9; in the absence of the injured Rich McKeown, 2s Skip John Barker continued at 10, and a debut was given to Chris Coupland at centre alongside Phil Francis in the absence of Ian Keith and Graeme Smeaton. Robin Heymann started on the wing for Stefan Duda to take a turn on the bench.

Cornish arrived at the South Road HQ of their hosts aware that matches between these sides have invariably been tight over recent seasons, and with similar records in the league to date, this one was likely to be no different. The pitch was in decent condition, and the visitors played up the slope away from the clubhouse in the opening period.

From the off the exiles were under pressure, not fielding the kick off in watery sunlight in their eyes, and then coughing up the first line out inside their own 22. It only took the home side 2 minutes to take full advantage of the charity, repeated phases allowing one of their forwards all the time in the world to rumble over for an unconverted try wide left. With the visitors still asleep and losing more of their own lineouts, it only took 4 more minutes for Twickenham to gain another chance, a penalty awarded centerfield for holding on the 10 metre line. The kick slammed into the right post and bounced obliquely inside the Cornish 22, the home side retrieving it and then sending an angled kick to their waiting right wing only to see the ball bounce dead. Finally, on 7 minutes, and having been on the wrack for all of that time, a thumping Mike Bond tackle ended a Ts attack and gave the exiles the chance to draw breath. Within a minute and at the first scrum, Cornish demonstrated just what a powerful tight 5 they have, turning over the Twickenham scrum on halfway, for Jacob to arrow a well flighted grubber deep into the home 22. As the 15 ran across to cover, he was scragged by Heymann, and then tried to scramble a kick into touch only to mishit it under pressure from the exiles kick chase, the ball landing straight into the waiting arms of Jacob, who had the simplest task of planting the ball over the try line for the try. Though the conversion went left of the posts, the exiles were grateful to have leveled things up with their first attack. With Ts now wary of the Cornish scrummage, they were twice pinged for an early engage when in promising positions, the one time they did find room blind, Andrew McEwen was on hand to end the attack with another strong tackle. On 19 minutes and to their absolute horror, Twickenham gifted Cornish another try. The Ts fly half has a propensity to wing floated cut out passes across his back line, and this wasn’t lost on Barker, who had won the corresponding game at the REMPF last season with a carbon copy of what happened next. Seeing the attack developing on half way, the Cornish 10 called it perfectly, cleanly taking the pass from his opposite number to spring clear all the way to the posts, him converting his own score and his side now 5-12 up. Fluffing the restart again, Cornish handed 3 points straight back, a penalty given for a ruck offence at the very next phase. With both sides seemingly intent on issuing early Christmas presents to their oppo, Twickenham scored again 3 minutes later, a missed tackle in midfield allowing their backline to run most of the length of the pitch and cross wide left for a converted try, the lead back with the home side at 15-12 and both coaches already crying, their gameplans in tatters! On 27 minutes and following another scrum, Jacob sent Mark Osei-Tutu into space, him thundering away from the defence and drawing the full back only for the last pass to be spilled a few feet from a gaping try line. Not to be denied, Cornish won a tap pen for another scrummage offence a minute later, and Jacob hit McEwen on a great line on the 22, the no 8 taking the ball low and at pace to punch through the first tackle and take the second one with him to crash across the tryline just to the left of the posts for a try converted by Barker. With both sets of supporters also now not sure whether to laugh or cry, back came the home side on 32, Cornish not getting organized at a lineout a few feet from their own line, allowing a home forward a chance to plant the ball onto the line for a try, though this conversion missed right. Back came the exiles on 34, Pete Calvert driving into the home half only for the Ts 6 to come in offside, him harshly binned but the penalty attempt falling short. Any semblance of the game settling down in the final minutes of the half went out of the window on 38, Cornish attempting an ambitious offload when back peddling in midfield, the ball given straight to the home no 8, who had the simplest of tasks to send his right wing away to score wide right, the conversion again missed but the home side out to a 25-19 half time lead.

With Cornish dominant in the tight (Bond and Skipper Dave Theobald giving their opposite numbers a torrid time) and Twickenham at the lineout, the stage was set for more of the same in the 2nd half. Hopes of an early Cornish response were dashed on 44 when the referee again harshly binned a player, this time an exiles forward for an offence at a lineout inside his own 22. This time however, as Twickenham rucked yards from their visitors line, they were turned over superbly on the floor by Osei-Tutu, who then powered up field for Barker to clear. On 47 Osei-Tutu was again in the action, his run down the left wing seeing him link with full back Nick Harlock, who arrowed into the Ts 22 only to be felled by a high tackle, the penalty given and a scrum taken only for the ball to be knocked on and cleared. On 48 minutes a mishit Ts crossfield kick bounced away from the Cornish cover and into the arms of the onrushing home right wing, him scooting clear only be brought down by a superb cover tackle by Heymann, Chris Turner on hand to snaffle the ball on the floor for Bell to clear. With the sin bins reversed and both sides back up to full numbers, it was the home side who struck next on 58 minutes, them once again breaking clean through in midfield for a converted try, the score now 32-19. Cornish replaced Phil Ridsdale with Dave Hill in an effort to provide more options at the lineout, and a few minutes later gave Duda a run in place of Bell. Cornish did up the ante now, Coupland halting a Ts attack in its tracks, then seeing his side produce a superb series of phases from inside their own half, Harris and centre Phil Francis both involved twice as their side thundered down the pitch. However, having twice won penalties as the home side tried to stem the flow illegally, Cornish again lost a key lineout inside the home 22 with 10 left and the opportunity went with it. Sensing their opponents tiring, Cornish attacked again on 75, Duda and Osei-Tutu hammering down the right flank and into the home 22, the home 7 pinged in the red zone but the referee electing not to use a card on this occasion. Cornish took the scrum option, and 3 times the home front row stood up when heading backwards. Cornish have repeatedly found themselves not rewarded for decent scrummaging in this situation this season, and once again were disappointed that the referee did not use his ultimate sanction at a retreating scrum V. No matter, for the exiles worked a slight wheel on the fourth scrum, McEwen driving to the line and Harlock on hand to smash over the last line defence for the bonus point score, his 9th this season, extending his extraordinary run of consecutive scoring matches to 8. Barker stepped up to take the conversion, a crucial one as it would take Cornish to within a score of their hosts and at worst a second bonus point; he struck it beautifully and the deficit was reduced to 6. With the referee indicating 2 minutes left, Cornish had one last chance attacked from deep inside their own 22, but scrambling Ts defence held out and it was an ecstatic home side who greeted the final whistle.

Twickenham are always great hosts, and conversations continued well into the evening, both coaches bemoaning the lack of availability that separates the top sides from the mid table ones. With results in the division continuing to surprise, it only takes a string of 3 wins or a set of 3 defeats to find sides looking up or down, but the only consistent thing about these two sides is their inconsistency, so don’t bet on either event where Twickenham and Cornish are involved in any hurry!

Cornish reach the halfway point in the season in the same place that they ended the last one, 6th in London 2 South-West. Your correspondent sincerely hopes he does not need to go outside the 43 players he has already used this season, but there are clearly one or two gems hiding away in the Choughs so don’t bet on that just yet either!