Pre season title favourites Guildford edged a physical and at times brutal encounter with London Cornish at Broadwater on Saturday. The exiles will rue a badly malfunctioning lineout and an off day for their normally reliable kicker as they matched their illustriously coached hosts in many facets of the game, won by Gs by 2 goals, a try and a penalty to 2 tries.

Cornish have finally made the switch to 2 nights training per week, and the ripple effect this has caused has seen 7 1s players leave the club or retire in the close season with 11 coming in. With Will Carew-Gibbs unable to shake off a knock suffered at training during the week, a late reshuffle saw no 8 Tim Homan switch to hook. Guildford have a large and powerful pack, and it is essential that sides playing them field their first choice front V so this was not a welcome reshuffle, Homan having had a particularly effective pre season at 8 and Carew-Gibbs such an important player to the exiles cause. Debuts were given to giant Cornish lock Harry Somers, signed from National League Weston Super-Mare, centre Matt Hakes, from Northampton Old Scouts, full back Adam Rae from Loughborough Uni and replacement front row Tom Lloyd from the Met Police. Another Cornishman Rich Skinnard, signed from Saltash, had suffered a knock to the head in the last pre season game so missed the chance to make his debut.

The game began in drizzly, damp conditions with the exiles playing up the slope in front of a decent crowd. Cornish were quickly into their stride, Chris Anstey winning a penalty for holding on 5 minutes that flew narrowly to the right of the posts. When Somers collected the restart, Gs were pinged again at the identical spot but this time the visitors kicked into the 22, only to lose the lineout. Having been penned in their half for the opening 10 minutes, Gs awoke breaking clean thru until a fine last ditch tackle by Rae forced a forward pass. Now it was the home sides turn to dominate, and within a couple of minutes they had the lead when a few phases close in saw their prop power over to the right of the posts for a converted try. The brutality of the close quarter exchanges was evident from the number of cuts suffered by players from both sides, rolling replacements aplenty with Anstey requiring work from a boxing corner man to stem his various cuts. On came Andrew Dinwiddie at 6 to allow the back row to be treated. Cornish half backs Sam Williams and Dave Soar combined on 25 to send Gs back into their 22 with well flighted kicks and for a period every time the home side made ground, they lost the ball and Soar sent them back from whence they came. With half an hour gone, Gs clear tactic of using the rolling maul whenever in the final third was met with granite on half way, but a missed tackle in midfield saw the Surrey side power into the 22, though Luke Spells forced a knock on in midfield for the ball to be cleared. It didn’t take long for the home side to be back, and they added to their lead with a penalty on 34 for tackler not releasing. Cornish responded, Mark Osei-Tutu powering into the home 22 supported at pace by lock Ben Ievers. Gs were pinged as they slowed the ball down and Cornish kicked for the corner. What followed was the key difference between the sides on the day; 3 lost lineouts on their own ball saw the exiles marched back from 5 out on the Guildford line to 5 out from their own, until the referee lost patience with the visitors and binned a forward. Gs simply reset the lineout, won the maul and crashed over the line for an unconverted try, the whistle following for the break with the promotion favourites 15-0 up.

From the restart, Cornish were pinged for holding and Guildford kicked for the corner only to lose the lineout as Somers leapt in front of his man. When Gs next had the ball, Hakes won it on the floor for Williams to ping a kick into the 22 where it was partially recovered from the home 15. Back row Phil Jones, often involved in the class quarter confrontation, took a knock at this point but elected to carry on. Gradually, Cornish took the initiative in the match with Soar varying his options well and the front row of Mike Bond, Homan and Skip Dave Theobald providing rock solid ball in the tight. On 46 minutes another kickable penalty was won but this one also flew right. Back came the exiles, Hakes taking a fine line to drive into the 22 where Gs were pinged for hands in. Soar kicked 5 out and Somers claimed the lineout, setting a rolling maul all the more praiseworthy given Cornish were still a man down. It drove the Gs pack back and over their line where Osei-Tutu was on hand to crash down for the try, the conversion right again. Gs were next to have a chance, the visitors penalized for hands in after a clearance kick had been charged down. Incredibly, despite being smack in front and not far out the Gs kicker pulled the attempt left. Jones finally succumbed allowing Anstey back on. Playing an increasingly confident brand of rugby, Cornish now attacked blind and made a clean break, Rae linking with Hakes only for play to be called back for a forward pass. 57 gone and Guildford forced a clean break of their own, a fine Robin Heymman tackle flooring the charging Gs centre. Gs retained possession and worked left and right to probe for an opening in the visiting 22, but Cornish repelled the waves, forcing a turnover for Soar to clear. Hakes was replaced by the returning Ian Keith at this point, the latter for his first start for around a year having taken a clean break from rugby to recover his full fitness. Finally, after a prolonged period of pressure, the home fly half fashioned room to send his wing over for a converted try to make the score 22-5. With the home support and coaching team exhorting more from their team to close out the try bonus point, most watching would have predicted a few more scores, but this Cornish side is stronger competition than they were last season and it was they who finished the stronger. On 68 minutes a carbon copy of their opening score saw Osei-Tutu benefit to crash over for a try, the referee perfectly placed to award it, the conversion attempt following the path of the exiles other kicks on the day missing right. Osei-Tutu took a knock in scoring and was replaced by Hakes, the centre coming back on in the back row! Buoyed by the score, Cornish attacked blind on half-way, helped by an outrageous dummy from Bond that sent him clean away on half way. However, continued issues at the lineout hampered prolonged territory for the visitors and the chance went begging. The entertaining game now switched back to the exiles 22, but Ievers twice pinched lineout ball from Guildford, once just 10 out. On 76 minutes Guildford engineered room wide left for their left wing but he was shepherded into touch by Phi Francis. When Gs came back again, the referee finally pinged them for going off their feet, a tactic they had widely used to protect the ball throughout. With time nearly up, Gs had one more chance as an exile was sent to the bin for tacking a player before he had the ball. However, in damp conditions the ball was knocked on and the final whistle went.

Guildford have a set up worthy of higher status, and even have their various coaches and support staff mike’d up around the pitch! They were comfortably the top scorers in the division last season, and their large pack will trouble most teams. The post match meal was a gem, a choice of creamy thai chicken curry or sausage hot pot, both far better fare than normally served up at away grounds!

Cornish will take plenty from this match, and will feel they have very identifiable areas on which they can improve. With a decent hard core of players training twice a week, there is certainly a more resilient look to this seasons London Cornish RFC! Knock yourself out Sue!