4 Try Second Half Not Quite Enough!

In a proverbial game of 2 halves, London Cornish produced a bonus point 4 try 2nd half to go very close to turning round a huge half-time deficit at Cobham in Regional 2 South-East on Saturday before conceding a late try that robbed them of a losing bonus point. In yet another thriller in a two decade spell of belters between these two clubs, the home side continued their recent winning run in the series to move back up to 3rd in the league whilst the exiles slip to 11th.
With long term absentees in Skip George Kimmins and former Skip Dave Theobald likely out until post Xmas, this opening stanza of RWC clashing league fixtures has seen the exiles coping with blooding a series of new players at 1st team level. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the front V and try as they might, on occasions the fact that lads look as though they have just met each other on a match day was in fact because they had! 35 different starters in the 8 league matches to date and over 40 players used in all tells a story, and Cobham were quick to capitalise on every inaccuracy in the opening half on Saturday, though some of the errors were by players who have experience at the level and who put things right in the 2nd half.
The game began on the 4g in watery sunlight and a sparse crowd given recent attendances at this match. On 5 minutes the exiles suffered a blow when veteran tight head Mark O’Leary went down with what turned out to be a fully ruptured achilles tendon – we wish him well with his recovery. Jimmy New came on at loosehead to allow Rory Ling to revert to his favoured tight head role. The injury seemed to unsettle Cornish for at the following scrum inside their own 22 down the left flank, a miscommunication at the base saw a pop pass intercepted for the home side to send their wing over for an unconverted try. 6 minutes later, and with the exiles set piece malfunctioning, the visitors spilled a ball when attacking then engaged in some ‘after you sir’ defending as a Cobham back reacted quickest to twice fly hack the ball on to within 5 feet of the exiles try line. A quick recycle saw them cross wide right for another unconverted try. 5 minutes later and the deficit increased again, this time a high tackle seeing Cobham launch a penalty to the 22, set a maul and drive over wide left for a third unconverted try. At this point the visitors had barely figured in the game losing almost all of their set pieces and not able to string more than 2 phases together when in possession. Finally, on 20 minutes, the exiles won a penalty via a Pete Brogden jackal and kicked to 10 out down the right hand side. Tony Pellow hit Alex Davey and the maul was set, it brought down close to the line. Cornish recycled and won a penalty almost underneath the posts. Electing to tap and go, the exiles battered away at the line but were well held with few angles taken or players coming from depth. Eventually, they went wide but too laterally and ball was bundled into tough and cleared at the lineout. 3 times in the next 5 minutes Cornish won penalties, kicked into oppo territory but then lost the lineout that followed. This profligacy was bound to be costly and on 34 minutes, it was. Cobham won a penalty, kicked to 10 out, then saw their barrel like 8 take the ball on and link with their 7 to evade tackles and plunge across the line to the left of the posts for a converted try. 22-0 behind and it was Cornish now staring down the barrel! The only further action of note in the half saw the visitors now lose New to a knock to the jaw, Jack Waving on at 7 and Oscar Cruz moving into the front row, an area in which the exiles do at least now have some strength in depth. It was a chastened Cornish who greeted the half-time whistle.
Now playing towards the clubhouse, Cornish set the tone for the 2nd half from the off and the penalty count against Cobham fell off the charts. On 42 minutes a Will Drake carry saw the exiles drive into enemy territory and a penalty was won for a ruck offence. This was kicked to 10 out where Pellow again hit Davey and the maul was set, only for white line fever to see a player break from the back when the line was at the mauls mercy, him held up for the drop out to clear the danger. On 45 minutes, a further penalty kicked to the same place, this time a repeat of the dose seeing the maul pulled down as it reached the line, penalty try awarded and Cob lose a man to the bin. Within 3 minutes Cornish suffered a further injury blow when lock Will Heywood took a blow, Kyle Hughes on in the back row and Drake moving into lock. On 50 minutes an exile lost his shxt in front of the ref, him consigned to the bin (btw, disappearing early post match does not exonerate you from a ‘twxt of the match’ nomination or the pint that follows!!!). Cobham kicked the subsequent penalty to the corner and, with their visitors now fielding a very lightweight pack down a man, they were able to break from the maul to score a converted try, the lead back out to 29-7. This latest score seemed to light the blue touchpaper for Cornish, for now they began to play the brand of rugby that so thrills their supporters. On 54 minutes Ben Boorman was twice involved as the backs carved their way to the Cobham 22 only for the ball to be knocked on. 2 minutes later and another move saw Robbie Mackay held up over the home line wide left. With the momentum now firmly with them, Cornish attacked relentlessly buoyed by their set piece travails finally being fixed. On the hour mark Reuben Salisbury threaded a grubber at the angle into the home 22 where the Cob wing was forced into touch. Winning the lineout and spreading the ball wide, Cornish won a penalty in the shadow of the posts, which Fin Tweedie took quickly and darted between defenders to crash over to the right of the posts, Fin Robjohn adding the extras. Now winning penalties at every breakdown and helped by the home side kicking out on the full on a couple of occasions when in possession, back came Cornish, carries by Hughes, Brogden and Tweedie taking play to the same spot in front of the posts, where this time Davey was on hand to take the pop pass and drive over to the right of the posts (pictured), Robjohn again adding the extras, 29-21 the score, 14 left on the clock and Cob seeing another player consigned to the bin. 5 minutes later and the visitors were back in the Cob 22, Cruz then Hughes finding room close to rucks to drive onward, then a superb Salisbury cut out pass to Boorman giving him the space to angle outside his man and send the pass to Mackay to outflank the cover and dive over for the bonus point try, though this was not improved. Waking from their slumber and with the game in the balance, the home side now held possession for a period but were held up over the exiles line. From the drop out, play was taken to the left hand side of the 22 line, where the Cob 9 arrowed his run at the referee, who took a curious line across the exiles d rather than away from it. This opened a handy gap through which the 9 darted, him then chipping a great angled kick in behind for his right wing to dive on for the game winning try, this taking the score out to 34-26 as the conversion flew wide. In the final moments, Tweedie and Robjohn popped passes this way and that to take play into the home half, Nathan Smith, Drake, Ling and finally Alec Gregory taking play deep into the home 22. However, the ball was stripped from a runner and walloped into touch for the final whistle to sound.
Cobham are a tough nut to crack on their own patch and continue to plough a furrow in the upper echelons of the division. Great hosts as ever, we look forward to the return in the New Year and wish them well with their season.
Cornish will take plenty from the manner in which they so nearly turned this one around, not for the first time this season demonstrating that they don’t lack for spirit and fitness. They may have lacked some of their ballast since the seasons start, but not for much longer – there is never a better time to regain the winning thread like the next match!