London Cornish made it 4 wins from their last 4 competitive matches with this emphatic win over promoted Weybridge Vandals at Brownacres on Saturday. Once again, the exiles turned an unpromising half-time score into a bonus point win, as their hosts simply imploded as the game went away from them.

Brownacres has been a happy hunting ground for Cornish down the years, and both the DoR and hooker Will Carew-Gibbs were survivors from the day the club confirmed their promotion to this level at this ground back in 2007. Since then the lane down to the ground has been tarmacked, which is some relief to drivers whose cars have dodgy suspension. One other point to note is that visiting teams to Vandals facilities will need to bring their own fluorescent lighting as the bulb has been removed from the away changing room.

The game kicked off in blustery conditions on a pitch in as decent a condition as it has been down the years, the exiles playing towards the clubhouse end. Vandals have some very lumpy trucks in their pack, and reports suggested they favoured the rolling maul as a key tactic, but the exiles are also a sizeable unit so would seek to meet this tactic head on. Early home pressure was ended when Cornish lock Harry Somers pinched a lineout inside his own 22 for the ball to be cleared, and within minutes his side were ahead. Fly-half Tom Carter saw a chance to put right wing Phil Francis 1 on 1 on half way, and when his opposite wing offered him the outside, Francis simply waltzed outside him and then chipped the ball over the full back. As the ball bounced awkwardly over the tryline full back Adam Rae was quickest to react to register his first try in Cornish colours, though the score was not improved. 3 minutes later and the visitors doubled their lead. It followed a series of aimless kicks by both sides, which eventually ended with the exiles winning a lineout on the Vandals 22. Lock Ben Ievers secured the ball, and just as the home side set themselves to defend a maul, Carter darted blind and hit Rae on a great line to pierce the defence and send in-form Cornish wing Rich Skinnard away to step the last man and cross for the try, the strong wind ensuring this too wasn’t improved. Perhaps lulled by the ease with which they had struck the front, the visitors now lost the momentum. First the home side missed a very kickable penalty on 15 minutes and then a couple of minutes later a defensive misunderstanding saw the home side make a incision and then finish with aplomb by the posts, the try converted. Now they had a period of domination, Vandals were only halted by great work on the floor by Ciaran Acford, once again demonstrating what a valuable capture he has been to the exiles this season. Cornish suffered a blow on 20 when Somers suffered a groin strain, though the visitors had real ammo on the bench; Luke Bridges moved to the row where he has played so much of his rugby, and on came former England Junior International and Premier Division forward Simon Brading who having missed all of pre season has steadily worked his way back through the exiles teams to form and fitness to provide a timely winter boost for Cornish. Brading came on at 8 with Mark Osei-Tutu moving to 6. While the home side had the territory for a period, the next moment of note came on the half hour when centre Matt Hakes produced a searing run into the Vandals half, and when the ball was worked to Osei-Tutu to drive into midfield and then out to Francis down the right, only a fine covering tackle ended the danger. Back came the home side, and when they kicked a penalty to the right hand corner, the exiles prop Mike Bond took a knock and was temporarily replaced by Oli Low. After a couple of scrum resets, Cornish were aggrieved to see the ball squirt out of the side of the set and play allowed to carry on, Vandals 10 producing a soft shoe shuffle from close in to dive over for another converted try. Try as they might in the closing minutes, the visitors couldn’t add to their score, and went to the break 14-10 down.

When did half-time oranges stop?! Certainly had em when I played back in the day but no-one offers them any more! Anyway, whatever Cornish took, a completely different mentality saw the visitors utterly dominate the second half. Osei-Tutu secured territory with another coruscating run, and when the exiles won repeated penalties in the right hand corner of the home 22, scrum half Sam Williams did what 9s do best, sniping at a ruck on 49 minutes to reach out for the try that gave his side a lead back they would not relinquish again. Carter drove his conversion across the wind to provide the extras and within 5 had added a penalty after a powerful Dave Warwick run had seen the home midfield caught offside. Vandals reverted to type, trying a rolling maul from a lineout, but were horrified to see that Carew-Gibbs had squirrelled the ball away from them and the chance was lost. With Bridges now locking out the front of the line and Bond back on to partner his immoveable Captain Dave Theobald, the home pack began to get frustrated, used to being able to bully most sides in the past year or so. The visitors replaced one Cornishman with another out wide, Robin Heymann on for Skinnard. On 63 minutes, and after Ievers had stolen another Vandals lineout, a flare up saw both packs square up, the exiles awarded the penalty and kicking to 7 out in the same right hand corner. Winning the lineout, Williams hit Carter in midfield, and when Warwick smashed into the home d, Vandals 10 killed the ball from the side, the ref having little option but to bin him, Carter taking the lead out to 23-14. Within minutes another Vandal was binned for yet another penalty concession, and this seemed to light the blue touch paper as two Vandals came to blows and had to be separated. Cornish continued to dominate and gained due reward on 72 when Carew-Gibbs pinched a ball on the floor, and Carter sent Hakes on an arching run away from the cover to sprint over wide left for the bonus point try, the fly half producing a fine kick to add the 2. Vandals game plan was shot now, and when they next had decent field position their hooker inexplicably kicked the ball out on the full when on the exiles 22! Cornish took full advantage, and on 76 minutes produced their best try. Brading picked up from the base of a scrum on his own 22 and produced a hitherto unseen turn of pace, sprinting to half-way then linking with the rapid Osei-Tutu, the teams top scorer weaving one way then the other before unselfishly sending the supporting Rae away to score to the right of the the posts. The conversion flew wide but the lead was now out to 35-14. There was enough time for Heymann to demonstrate that he remains a potent threat with a mesmeric run on 79, the final whistle sounding shortly after.

Vandals changing room door was understandably locked for some time after the match, their experienced Skipper reading the riot act. They can count on the calming influence of a sound coaching team too, and will bounce back from this day, certain to prove a real threat in the wetter weather.

Cornish overcame a couple of injuries and a half-time deficit to continue their decent run. The win moved the exiles up to 4th place in London 2 South-West, but there can be no let up as they are on a run of 5 away matches in 6 in league and cup at present and this game demonstrates no games are easy.