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Sat 23 Mar 2019 ·  London South 1
Brighton
1st XV
31
15
Tries: M Hakes, J SkerrittConversions: G KimminsPenalties: G Kimmins
Clinical Brighton Land the Spoils!
Dickon Moon25 Mar 2019 - 15:05
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Title challengers make most of opportunities to remain in contention.
Despite a vastly improved all round performance at title contenders Brighton in London 1 South on Saturday, London Cornish were eventually seen off by virtue of the home side clinically executing nearly every try scoring opportunity that came their way, a simple demonstration of just why they are where they are. In a decent match witnessed by a sparse attendance, the pivotal period was the 12 minutes either side of the break, when the Blues registered 3 tries. Cornish went into the game with better balance and shape than in recent weeks, not least because former Heineken Cup Winner and Samoan International Dan Leo had returned from 2 months travelling home to the Pacific Islands. He took his place in the 2nd row, while the rest of the team was as described in the preview. Both sides had shuffled their teams, Cornish due to a few lads on a skiing holiday (why at this vital time of the season?!), and Blues due to a wedding.
On a dry, blustery day on the south coast, Cornish opened playing towards the car park end and in the opening quarter were the dominant force. What became a frustrating pattern in this period saw the exiles frequently work their way into the home 22, only to fall foul of the referee for a series of differing offences. Skipper George Kimmins and centre Chris Smart used intelligent kicks to pin the home back 3 deep inside their own territory, and with the likes of Leo, Pete Calvert and hooker Jake Slade making the hard yards, Cornish were a constant threat, though the home d held firm. On one such occasion on 16 minutes, the home 10 suffered an awful looking hand/finger injury, leaving the field with things pointing in the wrong direction - we wish him well with his recovery. 3 minutes later, the visitors won a scrum penalty, which Kimmins lifted between the uprights to give his side a deserved early lead. At this point, the home side had barely threatened but their visitors had not made enough of their territorial advantage, and they were soon made to pay. Breaking from a ruck on 26 minutes, Blues sent quick ball wide right, their wing cutting inside to arrow over for an unconverted try. This score seemed to galvanise the title contenders, who now stepped up a gear, and they were only thwarted when Slade won a penalty for holding 5 out from his own line on the half hour mark. While Cornish had controlled the ball for much of the opening stanza, now the game was more evenly spread, and it was played at some pace too. On 35 minutes the exiles full back Harry Buttery, enjoying his best game at this level, weaved his way down the left flank, before flicking the ball inside to the supporting Smart. He was brought down 10 out, and the ball was recycled left to right across the 22 before Leo drew a man and sent Matt Hakes one on one with his opposite number. Both lads can play, and it became a wrestling match on the floor over the try line before the powerful wing was able to plant the ball down for the try, though it was not improved. This gave Cornish a precious 8-5 lead with only time added remaining, but in the 8 minute of that time added, as Cornish broke from the base of a scrum inside their own half, a pass was intercepted to gift a converted try to the grateful hosts, who could now go into the sheds 12-8 ahead, a lead that on the balance of play was harsh on their visitors.
What followed in the opening 10 minutes of the half is what separates the top 4 from the rest, for Brighton turned the screw and twice crossed for tries, once down the narrow side when Cornish missed a tackle, and once when they smuggled the ball over the line at a ruck close in, the latter try converted. From being 8-5 down into 1st half injury time, the home side were now 24-8 up 10 minutes into the 2nd half and had the vital bonus point in the bag. Cornish withdrew Dave Theobald for Oli Low and Calvert for Andy Hakes to bring on fresh legs, and this had an immediate impact. On 54 minutes it was Buttery again the architect, arching his way through a gap and sending Dave Funston away. With players outside him, the Ulsterman drew the last man (pictured) to send Jack Skerritt over for a great try, converted by Kimmins. Now the momentum swung back to Cornish for a period, Nick Goss the next to penetrate the Blues d, him winning a penalty on 57 minutes for not releasing the tackled player. Winning the lineout, the ball was worked into midfield on the 22, where Cornish won another penalty, which perhaps unwisely was tapped rather than kicked for points, the ball lost in the offload and cleared. The next opportunity came simply from the upper body strength of Mark Osei-Tutu, him ripping a ball clean from a Blues player in an attack to set up a counter. The ball was worked to Matt Hakes wide right, and though he made tremendous ground with a typically rumbustious carry, he was bundled into touch inside the 22. A final exiles change now saw Ed Otty given a debut at 9, Phoenix moving to 15 and Buttery taking a break. On 69 minutes another counter attack lead by Phoenix and Matt Hakes saw Cornish held up when well placed. Blues worked the ball downfield, then won a penalty for the unforgivable sin of back-chat to the referee. Though the exiles again won the ball courtesy of another Osei-Tutu steal, another offload went astray, the home wing countering to take play back into the visitors 22. Blues tested the full width of the Cornish d before their left wing jinked his way through for the game winning try, him able to work his way nearer to the posts to make the conversion a formality. The whistle sounded shortly afterwards, the home side good value for their 31-15 win simply for the clinical way in which they made territory count.
The top 4 all won with a bonus point on the day, so no-one took a particular advantage, though Brighton will have been delighted to avoid the potential banana-skin ahead of a potentially season defining home match with Medway this weekend. They remain decent hosts and this was a match played in a great spirit between 2 sides happy to play 15 man rugby - if we don't see them next season, our fixture list will be the poorer for it!
Cornish can take solace in the improved performance, if not the result. The remaining games are all challenging, though the seasons no 1 goal remains possible, so that improvement will need to continue to achieve that lofty, historical end!
On a dry, blustery day on the south coast, Cornish opened playing towards the car park end and in the opening quarter were the dominant force. What became a frustrating pattern in this period saw the exiles frequently work their way into the home 22, only to fall foul of the referee for a series of differing offences. Skipper George Kimmins and centre Chris Smart used intelligent kicks to pin the home back 3 deep inside their own territory, and with the likes of Leo, Pete Calvert and hooker Jake Slade making the hard yards, Cornish were a constant threat, though the home d held firm. On one such occasion on 16 minutes, the home 10 suffered an awful looking hand/finger injury, leaving the field with things pointing in the wrong direction - we wish him well with his recovery. 3 minutes later, the visitors won a scrum penalty, which Kimmins lifted between the uprights to give his side a deserved early lead. At this point, the home side had barely threatened but their visitors had not made enough of their territorial advantage, and they were soon made to pay. Breaking from a ruck on 26 minutes, Blues sent quick ball wide right, their wing cutting inside to arrow over for an unconverted try. This score seemed to galvanise the title contenders, who now stepped up a gear, and they were only thwarted when Slade won a penalty for holding 5 out from his own line on the half hour mark. While Cornish had controlled the ball for much of the opening stanza, now the game was more evenly spread, and it was played at some pace too. On 35 minutes the exiles full back Harry Buttery, enjoying his best game at this level, weaved his way down the left flank, before flicking the ball inside to the supporting Smart. He was brought down 10 out, and the ball was recycled left to right across the 22 before Leo drew a man and sent Matt Hakes one on one with his opposite number. Both lads can play, and it became a wrestling match on the floor over the try line before the powerful wing was able to plant the ball down for the try, though it was not improved. This gave Cornish a precious 8-5 lead with only time added remaining, but in the 8 minute of that time added, as Cornish broke from the base of a scrum inside their own half, a pass was intercepted to gift a converted try to the grateful hosts, who could now go into the sheds 12-8 ahead, a lead that on the balance of play was harsh on their visitors.
What followed in the opening 10 minutes of the half is what separates the top 4 from the rest, for Brighton turned the screw and twice crossed for tries, once down the narrow side when Cornish missed a tackle, and once when they smuggled the ball over the line at a ruck close in, the latter try converted. From being 8-5 down into 1st half injury time, the home side were now 24-8 up 10 minutes into the 2nd half and had the vital bonus point in the bag. Cornish withdrew Dave Theobald for Oli Low and Calvert for Andy Hakes to bring on fresh legs, and this had an immediate impact. On 54 minutes it was Buttery again the architect, arching his way through a gap and sending Dave Funston away. With players outside him, the Ulsterman drew the last man (pictured) to send Jack Skerritt over for a great try, converted by Kimmins. Now the momentum swung back to Cornish for a period, Nick Goss the next to penetrate the Blues d, him winning a penalty on 57 minutes for not releasing the tackled player. Winning the lineout, the ball was worked into midfield on the 22, where Cornish won another penalty, which perhaps unwisely was tapped rather than kicked for points, the ball lost in the offload and cleared. The next opportunity came simply from the upper body strength of Mark Osei-Tutu, him ripping a ball clean from a Blues player in an attack to set up a counter. The ball was worked to Matt Hakes wide right, and though he made tremendous ground with a typically rumbustious carry, he was bundled into touch inside the 22. A final exiles change now saw Ed Otty given a debut at 9, Phoenix moving to 15 and Buttery taking a break. On 69 minutes another counter attack lead by Phoenix and Matt Hakes saw Cornish held up when well placed. Blues worked the ball downfield, then won a penalty for the unforgivable sin of back-chat to the referee. Though the exiles again won the ball courtesy of another Osei-Tutu steal, another offload went astray, the home wing countering to take play back into the visitors 22. Blues tested the full width of the Cornish d before their left wing jinked his way through for the game winning try, him able to work his way nearer to the posts to make the conversion a formality. The whistle sounded shortly afterwards, the home side good value for their 31-15 win simply for the clinical way in which they made territory count.
The top 4 all won with a bonus point on the day, so no-one took a particular advantage, though Brighton will have been delighted to avoid the potential banana-skin ahead of a potentially season defining home match with Medway this weekend. They remain decent hosts and this was a match played in a great spirit between 2 sides happy to play 15 man rugby - if we don't see them next season, our fixture list will be the poorer for it!
Cornish can take solace in the improved performance, if not the result. The remaining games are all challenging, though the seasons no 1 goal remains possible, so that improvement will need to continue to achieve that lofty, historical end!
Further reading