Irish Eyes are Smiling as Cornish Depth is Tested!

Change at any level in rugby takes time without the significant impact of financial investment. London Cornish is in the midst of lifting themselves from the foot of the Level 6 London 1 South last season to a more comfortable top half finish in the inaugural Level 6 Regional 2 Thames this season. Occasions like this one at London Irish Amateur on Saturday provide both a stark reminder of where the club has come from in a short time and an idea of the road still to be travelled ahead.
The backdrop to this match was that Cornish would be without a significant number of players for the one of a very few times so far this season, but the coaching team felt it was an opportunity to try out new combinations and give a run to a few lads who had not had the chance so far this season. However, plans went out of the window when late work call ups saw some key ball carriers in the pack withdraw, then all 4 of the exiles fly halves be ruled out. With foresight, Ben Boorman was run at 10 at training to ensure he would at least have had some time to work in the slot. Even this plan was blown apart when, an hour before the meet, he too was called in to work forcing a hasty rejig that saw debutant Jack Rowlandson fill in at 10 and Jack Skerritt given his first run of the season at 15. A quick call to the 2s, already kicked off in Richmond at Welsh 2s in the MMT Prem, found that the last remaining option in Ed Otty had failed to make it through the warm up having pulled a calf muscle; for only the second time in the DoR’s tenure, Cornish would field a squad 1 short.
The Hazelwood HQ at Irish is a fantastic facility with a wonderful playing surface. Cornish opened up playing into the wind and away from the car park. The exiles conceded penalties from the off and lost a forward to the bin for a high tackle inside the opening 10 minutes. Irish rolled a subsequent maul from the lineout over the line but were held up, only for Cornish to send the drop out over the touchline. This cost the visitors dearly as the resultant scrum saw the home 8 pick up and drive over near the posts for a converted try. The returning Ed McCord, playing despite a heavy cold that on another day would have seen him rested, claimed the restart and a penalty on the floor shortly afterwards but the visitors twice knocked on when well placed. The home side responded, chipping the ball 5 out from the Cornish line, but a decent Tony Pellow arrow found Tom Carr and the danger was cleared. Shortly after the half hour mark a carbon copy score saw the home side drive over from a scrum not far from the posts, though the conversion attempt slammed into the near upright to leave the score 12-0 to LIA. The home side nearly added to their score on 34 minutes when attacking from deep but were called back for a forward pass. At the subsequent scrum a clothesline tackle saw the home side lose a man to the bin, which precipitated a furious assault by Cornish, driven on by strong carries by Adam Wheeler, Will Carew-Gibbs, Carr and Pete Brogden following a counter by Skeritt. The action saw them win a penalty and kick it to the top left hand corner, where a home forward killed the ball and joined his teammate on the naughty step. Finally, after Conor Pearce claimed the lineout, George Jackson hit George Bromage blind to smash his way to the line for a well deserved try, the conversion not close and the half-time whistle sounding at 12-5.
Cornish started the 2nd half well with a strong breeze now at their backs, Bromage again in the action but just stepping in touch as he tip toed down the left wing on half-way. At the lineout Irish were pinged, play taken down to the red zone where Wheeler claimed the next lineout and as his team mauled their way to the line, the home 7 killing the ball as it hit the deck, him also consigned to the bin, Irish down to 13 again. Electing to scrum, the visitors were frustrated as the set piece was reset 3 times, eventually spinning the ball wide but with no real backs move in the offing the ball was knocked on and the opportunity lost. Irish were far more clinical, them seeing forwards and backs link to take play up the field and then one of their number launching himself over the top of a ruck to plant the ball over the whitewash for a converted try, 52 on the clock. 4 minutes later and a pop pass sent Wheeler galloping through a gap on half-way and when he was felled 5 out, Jackson was on hand to wriggle over but the try could not be awarded as the ref was unsighted. To their great frustration Cornish again spun the ball wide from the set piece 5 out and again lost the ball in midfield, unfamiliar combinations unable to gel without practice. Once again, Cornish saw their hosts counter from deep and this time a chip in behind took one of those wicked bounces to defeat the retreating d but not the home wing who gleefully dived over for the bonus point try, this not improved. They were able to add to their score in the next 5 minutes or so but your correspondent was retrieving spare boots from the changing rooms and missed how the converted try was landed. With time almost up, another concerted assault down the right flank saw strong carries by Carew-Gibbs, Dave Theobald, Joe Lynch and Terry Gillam take play deep into the Irish 22, where another drive by Wheeler gave Jackson the chance to send Rowlandson into space blind, a pop to Kieran Rodda giving the Falmouth flyer the chance to dive over for a try with the last real action of the match, a drop goal conversion attempt flying narrowly wide and the final whistle sounding shortly afterwards.
Irish move a couple of points above Cornish with this win and, like their visitors, have recovered well from the issues exiles clubs have had immediately post pandemic in attracting new players to help them build out their playing base. They played well on the day and thoroughly deserved their win – we look forward to hosting them at the REMPF in the New Year.
These were the sort of occasions that dogged Cornish last season and they have rarely been repeated in 2022-23. There are a significant number of players returning to action in the weeks ahead so the shape and balance of the team that has seen them produce a great brand of rugby at times this year will return soon enough. The club continue to attract new players and also have one or two players returning to the fold to bolster morale further in the run up to the Christmas break!