The Cornish Rebellion Gathers Pace!

For the first time this season and the first time since 29th Jan 2023 when they toppled this seasons 1st Round Cup opponents Aylesbury in Regional 2 Thames, London Cornish secured a vital away win, this time at Sutton & Epsom in Regional 2 South East on Saturday and with a try bonus point to boot. The win closes the gap between the exiles and the sides immediately above them to 4 and 7 points, a vast reduction from the chasm that existed just 2 short rounds ago – that Cornish have momentum and confidence now there is no doubt, but there is still plenty of work to do for a club who have become past masters of late season revivals!
With torrential rain having fallen through the week and in the 48 hours prior, the match was switched to a new pitch on nearby Priests Hill, exposed to the elements and with no facilities meaning both teams changed at Rugby Lane and drove up to the pitch. The pitch itself bore no indications of the weather and was amazingly firm considering how much rain had fallen. It did however, have a very significant slope and a strong breeze favouring the side playing downhill, which would play a key part in proceedings on the day.
Playing with the elements and the hill in the opening half, Cornish resplendent in their gold change strip, won a penalty in the opening minute when no 8 Conor Pearce (whose finest match this was in the exiles colours) won a penalty on the floor for a fine piece of jackalling. In a precursor of what was to follow for both sides fine kickers, Mike Edworthy saw his effort blown to the right of the posts. 2 minutes later and his side would take a lead they would not relinquish again in the game when the ball was worked across the backline to Matt Hakes wide left. He still had plenty to do but skipped beyond the first tackle, stepped the second and carried the third across the line with him for a fine try wide left, the conversion attempt also blown away from the posts. With the home side unable to make any yardage into Cornish territory and kicking away what possession they did have, all the early momentum was with the visitors, Hakes again making ground only to be called back for a forward pass on 7 minutes. 3 minutes later and it was Oscar Cruz, another to enjoy a great game on the day, carrying the ball deep into home territory and seeing his side win a penalty for not releasing the tackled player, but again the kick blew to the right of the posts. It took S&E fully 15 minutes to enter the exiles 22 when they won a penalty, kicked to 5 out down the right hand flank. However, the ball was knocked on at the lineout then Cornish won a scrum penalty to clear their lines. On 18 minutes George Bromage attacked down the right wing and chipped an awkward, bouncing ball into the home 22 where a wing made a horlicks of collecting it, him driven over his line for a scrum V. A huge shunt followed and Pearce was the beneficiary, him touching down for the pushover try, this too unimproved but the lead doubled. 25 on the clock and a carbon copy Bromage chip misfielded by the Sutton back 3, driven over their line for a scrum v. However, this time at the set piece Cornish went wide, Edworthy making a half break enough to free his arms and send Pete Brogden over for a try to the left of the posts, converted by the fly half for a 17-0 lead. Where before they had seemed controlled, this latest score really seemed to rattle the home side, who made a few handling errors now as they chased a score into the wind. Just after the half hour mark the referee was poleaxed in a tackle, him requiring plenty of treatment and strapping to his knee – it is only when a referee is injured that you realise how reliant we are on them, as we would all be staring at playing again next weekend if he could not have continued, which bravely he could. At the following scrum, Cornish worked a set play straight off the training ground, it sending Brogden clean through to offload to his fellow centre George Kimmins to slide over by the posts for the bonus point try (pictured), Edworthy extending the lead to 24 with the conversion, 5 left in the half. When Ciaran Johnson sent a kick in behind for a 50/22, Tom Carr claimed Cruz’s arrow and the exiles attacked in midfield only for the ball to be knocked on by a Sutton hand. The penalty was smack in front on the 22 but a query by an exile as to a potential card saw the penalty reversed. In the last minute of the half the exiles fashioned another set play, which saw Hakes join the line from half way, and as forwards and backs combined the ball was frustratingly lost forwards on the line, the whistle sounding with Cornish 24-0 up. With the wind and slope to face in the 2nd half, everyone watching was asking would this lead be enough?
Just as the sides turned round the heavens opened, driving rain making ball handling tougher. Though Mackay won a penalty on the floor with the opening passage of the 2nd half, Cornish lost a man to the bin shortly afterwards for a high tackle. Sutton kicked to the corner and drove from the lineout to the line where their 8 was held up by a combo of Cruz and Tom Webb over the line, the latter taking a knock in the process and replaced by Niko Mirosevic-Sorgo for his first match since being injured in September. After holding their hosts at bay for a further few minutes, the exiles finally conceded when the home side used the extra man to fashion an overlap wide right for a well converted try. Where Sutton had used the boot to clear their lines in the 1st half, the exiles tactic was to take the ball up the middle and utilise runners coming from depth to make ground, Mike McEwen, Cruz, Ed Fink and NMS to the fore in this respect. On 50 minutes Kimmins weaved his way into enemy territory and one of the home front row injured a shoulder attempting a tackle, him replaced. Cornish spent significantly more time in the Sutton half against the elements than the home side did when they played up the hill, but the home side narrowed the gap on 59 minutes when they slid over to the left of the posts after a series of phases, though the wind took the conversion attempt wide, the difference now 12 points. This next passage of play was key as Cornish held on to the ball burning down the clock using angled kicks that bounced into touch then challenging the Sutton lineout. On 67 minutes another Brogden break took play to 5 out from the Sutton line where the ball was knocked on. At the scrum, the home 8 went blind and fashioned a 2 on 1 only for Hakes to read his pop pass perfectly and intercept, him sauntering over for the crucial score. Though wide out and across the wind, Edworthy produced a fine conversion to give his side a 31-12 lead with 13 left on the clock, this the cue for Dan Phoenix to replace Johnston at 9. More time was burnt off when S&E missed touch with a penalty attempt, allowing Bromage and Edworthy to combine to clear the lines. On 72 minutes the home side did land their 3rd try when a cutout pass sent their right wing over, though he was kept wide and the conversion attempt missed, Jimmy New on for Dave Theobald who had relished these conditions. On 75 minutes Sutton, still 14 points down, had field position again but Pearce pinched their lineout to eat up more time. Now the home side built phase after phase but again were held at arms length until finally, with 3 minutes left they found room to slide over just to the left of the posts for their try bonus. For some reason, their kicker elected to take a rushed drop goal conversion attempt to save time but mishit the kick and missed, leaving the score 31-22 with time nearly up. With the final play, S&E landed a penalty inside the exiles half in a kickable postion, but the kick flew wide to deprive the hosts of their second bonus point and leave Cornish the victors by 9 points.
Sutton had put 50 points+ on the exiles in the pre Xmas fixture between the sides in a Kiwi inspired revivial of their fortunes, so this was some reversal. They probably only need 1 win from their remaining 3 games to be sure of Level 6 rugby next season and if the two clubs do end up in different leagues, the social side of rugby will be the poorer for it, because the post match was everything rugby should be, tales of yore poured over as the beers flowed between two sets of supporters who clearly enjoy each others company. Thanks to S&E both for getting the game on and for their hospitality.
Cornish are at it again! Just when you thought they would lie down, up they rise. Who knows where this will take them next, but it will be fun to follow as confidence begins to coarse back through Cornish veins…