Jersey RFC 28
Tries: Macfarlane 27, 66, Sexton 51, Willmott 78Conv: Hawkes (4)
London Welsh 36
Tries: Manley 8, Lloyd 18, McEvoy 20, Hodgson 43, 60Pen: Hodgson 40Conv: Hodgson (4)HT: 7-22Attendance: 1,236JEP Player of the match: Matthew Hodgson (London Welsh)
REMINISCENT of glory days past and indicative of those to come, 1,236 people descended on CoinShares Park to spend their Saturday, and the top-two teams in the league rewarded their loyalty in abundance.
Visiting London Welsh brought a healthy contingent of the capital’s Welsh community to Jersey to cheer on their high-flying side, who suffered a similar fate to that of the Caesareans.
The Exiles spent two seasons in the RFU Premiership, but ultimately went into liquidation in 2016, before turning their full attention back to the amateur arm of the club, much like Jersey seven years later.
What ensued was a captivating battle between Regional 1 South Central’s best and the duel of the unbeaten duo did not disappoint.
Despite the volume of those in attendance, you could hear a pin drop after the opening 20 minutes of play.
The visitors ruthlessly exploited Jersey’s sluggish start, turning visits to the red 22 into points with aplomb.
A quick break from Welsh set Adam Nixon free and, with options, he drew the last defender and sent Dafydd Manley through to score.
A flurry of penalties saw Welsh opt to kick to a corner, looking to build the lead.
From five metres out, the gritty maul proved effective when Garin Lloyd doubled the advantage, as the JEP player of the game Hodgson proceeded to convert from the tight angle.
Straight from the restart, Jersey failed to clear their lines, and George Willmott’s attempted offload inside was intercepted by Osian McEvoy, who burst through to score.
The extras ere off-target, but Jersey were left shell-shocked – 19 points behind after just 20 minutes of play.
“We want to be tested” in the words of head coach Myles Landick, and they certainly got that.
Strong play among the forwards has underpinned the success of the Islanders this campaign, and they went straight back to their bread and butter, in search of eating into an already steep deficit.
The hosts shifted an energy sapping maul the best part of 20 metres, before a penalty led to a Dan Hawkes kick to the corner.
From the resulting line-out, it was straight back to the maul, before the familiar face of Jack Macfarlane willingly bundled across the whitewash.
The evergreen fly-half Hawkes would convert, and go on to be perfect off the tee for the entirety of the contest.
The tide looked to have shifted, but from yet another line-out inside the Welsh five-metre line, the hosts were pulled up for offside and the points went begging.
The Exiles set about restoring their dominance and stuck Jersey under sustained pressure to conclude the half.
With a try looking certain, Nathan Rogers was yellow-carded for a tackle off the ball, with the visitors electing to take a comfortable three points from under the posts.
Short-handed for the opening stages of the second half, the Islanders had it all to do.
The experienced Welsh immediately made the numbers count, forcing a penalty from the restart.
With numbers spare, the ball was spread neatly wide to Hodgson – Welsh’s standout player on the day – to slalom through and score.
He would add the extras to his own score.
Twenty two points down by the time numerical parity was restored, one might forgive Jersey for being slightly deflated on their home turf.
In fairness, they are a side who have lost just a couple games over the previous two seasons.
But they dug in, going back to the tried and tested forwards.
This time, the experienced Jerry Sexton was the beneficiary to eat into the deficit with 30 minutes remaining.
However, Welsh answered the call, and it was left to Hodgson again to score his second try of the day on top of a successful penalty and four conversions. In total he was directly responsible for 21 of his side’s 36 points.
The league leaders’ advantage grew back to 22 points with 20 minutes to go, and a bonus point for Jersey looked unlikely.
But Jersey refused to relent, and again, unsurprisingly, it came via a powerful maul, as Macfarlane was the man to finish the play again – a tenth try of the season in just eight games for the Scottish hooker.
A breathless end the match ensued, with chances coming at both ends of the pitch.
The hosts pressed and probed, while managing to contain the Exiles efforts in the process.
As the clock ticked up to 78 minutes, Jersey sealed their losing bonus point. It was a deserved reward for a dogged effort against the odds.
The trademark maul laid the foundations, before Hawkes spread a pass wide to Willmott, who held on well and powered through to score.
It was the first try of the day across the backs, ironically from a player who is filling in at centre from his preferred spot at number 8.
History will show that this was a home loss, but those in attendance know it was far from the whole story.
Jersey RFC [1-15]: Jersey RFC to face London Welsh [1-15]: Huw Owen, Jack Macfarlane, Tom Wilson, Cameron Keys, Max Ayling, Euan Spencer, Tom Tilstone, Jerry Sexton, Liam Rhodes, Daniel Hawkes, Tom Bulfin, George Willmott, Nathan Rogers (c), Bevan Biggs, Ethan Huish. Replacements: Joe Ridgway, Evan Whitson, Max Harrington.
London Welsh [1-15]: Chay Bailey, Garin Lloyd, Samuel Johnson, Byron Leach, Tom Douglas, Ben Davies, Rhydian George, Thomas Williams, Adam Nixon, Matthew Hodgson, Harri Lang, Daffydd Manley, Elis Staines, Adam Dunne, Osian McEvoy. Replacements: Hywel Williams, Jack Rouse, Andrew Black.
