For the second week running, London Cornish very nearly defied the sporting odds on the road, this time succumbing late on by the narrowest of margins as they went down 23-22 at Chichester in London 1 South on Saturday. Chichester, who have only lost once at home this season, and that to the league leaders, and who had lowered the colours of both Camberley and Havant in recent weeks, will know they had been in one hell of a battle, that on another day may have swung against them. For the exiles part, they will know their time is coming, and performances such as these will bear fruit if maintained.
A drizzly, blustery morning had calmed by kick off at Oaklands, and Cornish began playing towards the clubhouse in the opening half. The visitors missed a long range penalty for sealing off on 2 minutes, but Chi made no mistake with theirs from point blank range on 6. Early Cornish pressure in the top left hand corner of the pitch saw the home side concede 4 penalties deep inside their 22, but they managed to repel repeated thrusts to breach their line whilst keeping 15 men on the pitch. They cleared their lines on 14 minutes, and the ball was worked to Chris Wright, who countered until he was high tackled. Frustratingly, the pen was kicked dead. Wright, who gave his opposite number a torrid afternoon and who is in fine form, was at the centre of more good work on 16 and 19 minutes, going round his man on the first occasion and stepping inside on the next, and though the first attack saw a pass hit the turf to be cleared, the second caught the Chi d offside, Dan Phoenix levelling the scores up. On 22 minutes, Joe Beech pinched a lineout just inside his own half, Joe Lynch carrying the ball into Chi territory. With the home d on the retreat, Skip Ed Carne slipped through a gap, fed Dave Funston, who in turn hit Matt Hakes. The current Player of the Year had room to turn up the wick, stepping outside his opposite number, then inside the full back before angling his run away from the cover to produce fine finish wide left, not improved. Cornish gave 3 of these points back shortly afterward when pinged for not releasing on 25 minutes. On 27 minutes, Cornish struck again. This time the evergreen Will Carew-Gibbs was the architect, him pinching a ball on the floor on half-way. Andy Munro-Lott spun the ball blind to Carne, who drew a man and sent Funston through a gap. Offering a pass outside, the Ulsterman straightened, the cover too slow to react as he sprinted away to score wide right, this one improved by Phoenix. On 34 minutes, Chi stole an exiles lineout on the 15 metre line and, with an advantage for not rolling away, would have been surprised and delighted to see an exile binned as they entered the 22. Electing for a scrum, Chi could not move their visitors, and when they worked the ball wide the ever elert Hakes was on hand to snaffle a pass for the ball to be cleared. In the remaining minutes of the half, the Sussex side twice found good field position, but once their lineout wasn’t straight and then Sam Matanle won a pen for holding, the ball punted out for the half-time whistle, Cornish 15-6 to the good.
An early Chi foray in the 2nd half was ended by a thumping James La Broy tackle, and when the same player was twice involved to break from his own 22 into the home half, it was Cornish who were pinged for not releasing. This came at some cost, Phoenix taking a knock and unable to continue, Moe Alothman on in his place and Carne moving to 10 where he has performed with aplomb for Redruth, Dorking and Surrey in the past. Back up to full numbers, Cornish worked more room for Wright inside the Chi half, but were disappointed to be called back for a forward pass on 46 minutes. 2 minutes later, Chi found a rare yawning gap in the exiles d on halfway, and when the carrier was downed just inside the exiles 22, the visitors were again disappointed to find one of their number binned for killing the ball, the penalty converted to narrow the gap to 6 points. On 50 minutes Mark Osei-Tutu collected an errant kick and set off upfield, only to be brutally halted by a no arms tackle. Electing to keep his cards in his pocket on this occasion, the referee did recognise that a penalty should be awarded, but the subsequent lineout was lost. 4 minutes later Dave Theobald went on the charge, and was again stopped by a no arms tackle. This time the arbiter had little choice but to bin the miscreant. Carne kicked to the corner, Matanle gathered Tony Pellow’s accurate dart, and Carne and Osei-Tutu battered their way to the shadows of the posts, from where Carew-Gibbs drove over for a typical Carew-Gibbs score (pictured), Carne adding the 2 and Cornish out to a 22-9 lead with 54 on the clock. Chi responded by attacking the same corner in which the exiles had camped in the 1st half but, following a robust Alothman tackle, Matanle won a pen for holding for Cornish to clear. Withdrawing Pellow and Osei-Tutu for Dave Chalkley and Adam Wheeler caused a minor reshuffle in the pack on 62 minutes, and they were both quickly in action as Chi were held up over the line on 65 and 66 minutes following 5 metre scrums. The home side battered away but were driven back, Carne, Carew-Gibbs, Lynch, Beech and Wheeler to the fore. On 68 minutes at a ruck, Cornish lost a man to the bin who had not even been involved in the previous 3 rucks and who was standing in the back line, much to his and his coaching teams surprise. After a series of reset scrums, all held steady by the exiles, Chi finally managed to squeeze over just to the right of the posts for a converted try, closing the gap to 6. Crucially, when gaining field position in the closing minutes, Cornish could not maintain possession, and on 77 minutes they conceded a penalty for offside, kicked deep into their half. The home side produced another series of forays in the top left hand corner until finally crashing over wide left for a try well converted by their 10 to give his side back a lead they had not held since the opening quarter of the match. There was time yet for more drama, Chi kicking a penalty dead from inside their own half. With Cornish still curiously down a man in the pack, they paid the penalty, literally as they were pinged on their own feed, Chi nudging the ball into touch, victors by 23-22.
Chichester is a great rugby club, and on days like this with 3 home matches, the post match atmosphere was buzzing in the clubhouse. This was another in a long line of decent matches between 2 clubs who have long held respect for one another, and it is to be hoped that, pending league results and RFU reorgs, it will be battle joined again next season.
Once the dust had settled, Cornish knew they had given their all for the cause again, and that they only need to find a modicum more improvement to regain the winning thread, and understanding the interpretation of the referee could make that difference. They have some key players running into form now, more successfully returning from injury in the 2s great win on the day, and yet more to join - their turn is not far away!

*The Dukes great league win v Belsize Park 3s was marred by an horrific injury to Dukes Skipper Guy Dickinson, who fractured his skull in the match. Thanks to the prompt work of physio Georgia Whiffen, Guy was quickly seen and scanned in hospital. An op is pending, and Guy will be returning to hospital at the end of the week, but our huge thanks to Georgia and the lads who went with Guy to help.