Reds reign in the rain

Monday 10 November 2014

Jersey grafted out a much needed win this weekend against bottom side, Plymouth Albion, moving up to 5th in the Championship table.

A downpour just before kick-off turned the match into a wet and greasy affair but a crowd of more than sixteen hundred braved the conditions to watch Jersey stick to their game plan and dominate territory throughout.

Biljon had made a few changes for the fixture; some on the back of recent good performances in the B&I cup clashes, and some that were forced through injury.

Nobody was taking anything for granted, especially as Albion had publicly targeted this as a season, "turning-point" match.

The home side kept composure and a minimal penalty count, and also dominated line-out play, winning a high percentage of possession against the throw.

As was always likely to be the case in wet conditions, both sides either kept the ball tight in the forwards or kicked for position, and it was Jersey who consistently made a better job of it.

That said, it was not all one-way traffic, and when called upon to defend that was exactly what the Reds did, without conceding points.

The only break in deadlock in the first half came on the back of two successful Bentley penalties. Plymouth certainly had their chances, but instead of going for goal opted to kick for line-outs as they sought a try, and that policy ultimately proved unsuccessful.

Immediately after the break Jersey thought that they were in for the first try of the afternoon. Locke fly-hacked through and the ball bounced back of an upright. Campbell did touch down, but unfortunately Locke had already knocked on when attempting to gather the ball.

The only try of the match finally came after more Jersey pressure that resulted in a line-out in the Albion 22. Markham took the ball cleanly and the drive that ensued ended with Hodson touching down; Penberthy converted to make it 13-0.

Two more Penberthy penalties extended the home-side lead to carve out the win, and Jersey now have a bit of breathing space ahead of two tough Championship away fixtures against London Scottish and then Worcester.

The next Jersey home fixture is the return leg in the B&I cup against Plymouth on Friday 28 November at 7.30 pm - the first match at St Peter under lights as Jersey strive to reach the knock-out stages of the cup for the first time.