London Cornish took another steady step on the road to recovery in London 1 South this season with an encouraging performance in a feisty match against London Irish Amateur at the REMPF on Saturday. Despite the 26-10 win, Cornish will have identified plenty of areas for further improvement as the squad recovers its depth and fitness. With the main pitches at the REMPF still waterlogged, for the second week running that match was played on the natural amphitheatre of the mainly tree lined pitch up by the A3, a really decent surface given the recent conditions. Cornish made a couple of changes from the squad that had played so well the previous week, a familiar shape beginning to emerge in the exiles game and on a damp, cool day the match began in front of the RFU CEO and Middlesex RFU Chairman.
Cornish took the ball to the house with their first attack when Dan Phoenix made an incision and linked with full back Mike Edworthy whose reverse pass gave wing Terry Gillam the chance to score wide right, the score unconverted. Gillam had scored in the last minute of the match v Welsh and the opening minute of this one. 3 minutes later and Cornish extended their lead when Skip George Kimmins landed a long-range penalty to make the score 8-0. Irish responded when successive penalties gave them field position and their hosts were pinged for a binding offence at a scrum bang in front, the kick landed with 10 minutes gone. Buoyed by their score, Irish built phases but went off their feet at a ruck when well placed, then found Ed McCord over the ball to win a penalty at their next attack. On 16 minutes Cornish scored again, wing Chris Wright the architect scything through to 5 out before scrum half John Hughes went blind to link with Edworthy and prop Joe Lynch crashed over wide right (pictured scoring), Kimmins adding the extras. Gillam took time out at this juncture as he had been flattened by a late hit during the attack, George Jackson on for a spell on the wing. On 21 minutes and following a Hughes snipe, Cornish kicked a penalty to 10 out down the left hand flank. Tony Pellow’s arrow was true and Sam Matanle claimed the lineout, the maul steadily working its way up to and over the line only for Irish to hold it up for the drop out. Irish were twice more frustrated when in good field position during this period when they first threw an errant lineout snaffled by exiles prop Dave Theobald, then knocked the ball on following a crunching Adam Wheeler tackle. On 32 minutes the Cornish back row combined to score a peach of a try. Matanle fielded a loose kick deep in his half and set off down the left wing, which was staffed by a few of the visitors lumpier forwards. Arrowing outside them he suddenly broke into clear water, before drawing the wing to hit Wheeler in support. Rampaging onward, he drew the full back before slipping McCord away to beat the last man and plunge across the line for an unconverted try, the home side now out to a 20-3 lead. After absorbing a protracted Irish attack, Cornish won a penalty for more good work at the breakdown by McCord on 38 minutes and Irish were then marched back 10, which brought the kick within Kimmins long range boot. Taking true aim, he drilled the howitzer kick between the posts to extend the lead to 20 points at the break.
Cornish reversed the change they had made at the break, Gillam having recovered from being winded but for the opening 10 minutes of the half it was Irish who made the running. Twice they attempted to roll mauls over the Cornish line and twice they were thwarted. However, sliced clearances and the concession of penalties sent Cornish back from whence they came, penned in the left hand corner of their 22 until eventually another huge Wheeler tackle dislodged the ball and allowed Kimmins to clear long. This was Wheelers chance for a break, George Shirlaw on in his place. On 50 minutes a long Phoenix rangefinder sent Irish to their 22 and as they attempted to run it out, Lynch stood strong over the ball to win a penalty, which Kimmins drove over to extend the lead again, Cornish withdrawing Dave Chalkley for Ciaran Slater at this point. Irish needed to respond to stay in the game and respond they did on 56 minutes, fashioning room wide right for their wing to somehow get the nod on the score as he was tackled into touch at the flag, the conversion a fine one from the touchline to take the score to 26-10. Any notion that this would signal a comeback from the visitors was snuffed out first by Cornish winning scrum penalties, then by the sudden return to prominence of exiles centre Matt Hakes, who seemingly decided to take on the visitors single handedly for the remainder of the match in a vain attempt to help his side land the bonus point try! He began with a tremendous break from his own half on 68 minutes, which was only halted when the support went off their feet inside the Irish 22. Though Irish responded again, Slater won a penalty for holding on 70 minutes. Back came Hakes, further breaks on 73 and 75 minutes driving his side onward but first a pass from a supporting player flew into touch, then Cornish knocked on in midfield as a tiring Irish side retreated. Matanle produced another break having pinched a lineout on 76, but again his side knocked on when well placed before a last lunge from Hughes saw him become isolated at the foot of the posts as Cornish tapped and went at a penalty, the final whistle sounding soon afterwards.
Irish have produced something of a curate’s egg of a season so far, competing well with the best and losing matches that perhaps when they shouldn’t. They are actually a tough side to measure up from an oppo perspective but as ever were good value post match and may well be back here again next season – apologies from our side on the non existent showers and lack of lighting post match. Seems a fuse blew in a room to which we have no access.
It says much about the progress Cornish are making that the team was actually disappointed not to win with the bonus point, but there are encouraging signs of a revival that will continue to be steadily managed in this 7 game block. The next challenge is to see if Cornish can take this improvement on the road…