Cornish So Close to Denting the Promotion Cam Paign!

A tenacious and improving London Cornish restricted title challengers Camberley to their lowest score of the season, but ultimately went down by the narrowest of margins at Watchetts in London 1 South on Saturday. The match was yet another in the increasing series of epic, tight encounters between these two sides, and the winner could not be confidently called until the final whistle.
Heavy rain forced the match to be moved to the top pitch at Camberley’s ground at late notice, and with steady drizzle falling throughout, the scene was set for an arm wrestle. In the event, with both sides attempting to play enterprising rugby, this match was an enthralling spectacle for the many who braved the elements.
Cornish opened up playing away from the tennis courts, and were quickly on the defensive, Camberley maintaining possession through multiple phases until falling foul of the jackal, Will Carew-Gibbs winning a penalty for holding on the floor. A feature of the match was evident from early on, Cornish had set Dave Chalkley the task of ‘man marking’ the equally tall Cam lock at every lineout, and when the home side won a penalty on 5 minutes and kicked to the corner, Chalkley pinched the first of many lineouts on the day to avert the danger. On 10 minutes, and after Chalkley was impeded on a Cornish lineout, the exiles narrowly missed a penalty attempt. Following a kicking duel on 14 minutes, and a brave Matt Hakes catch, Cam were pinged again, and this time the exiles kicked to the home 22. Carew-Gibbs broke from the resulting maul and twisted his way to the foot of the posts, only for ball to be lost a phase later and fly-hacked clear. The ever dangerous home full-back nearly prized open the visiting d when he countered on 22 minutes, but an inside pass was forward halting the attack. Back came Cam, kicking a penalty to the exiles 22, but first turned over at the lineout, then finding their rolling maul held after a subsequent penalty was kicked to the same spot, losing the put in after Kyle Coulter effectively wrapped up the carrier. With the 2 physical teams going at it toe to toe, the contact area was brutally contested. On the half-hour mark, it was Cam’s turn to miss a penalty when the exiles were pinged for a binding offence in the tight. 3 minutes later, and with the home side back in the Cornish 22, Chalkley again stole a lineout cleanly, before Dan Phoenix launched a massive clearance from deep in his 22 into the home half. With an impressive tackle count from the likes of Joe Lynch, WCG, Coulter, Mark Osei-Tutu and Niko Mirosevic-Sorgo, Cornish forced Cam back and back until they forced an error, Skipper Ed Carne launching a counter of his own only to be held up on the home 22. With time almost up on the half, an errant Cam clearance found Dave Funston, him countering, then linking with Phoenix and Dave Theobald to carry the ball up. When Freddie Cruz reversed the play, Cam were pinged on the 15m line for a high tackle. This kick was no gimme, but Phoenix struck the ball beautifully from distance, giving his side a hard earned 3-0 half-time lead.
With a slight nudge on in the tight, Cornish frequently made ground at the set play, and on 43 minutes they struck. NMS broke from the base on half way and headed blind. His short pop pass found Freddie Cruz, who arrowed a pass at Matt Hakes hugging the right flank. Hakes juggled the ball, and as so often happens, this made the cover hesitate, the wing outside his man in a flash and looping an inside pass to Phoenix arriving at pace, him sprinting clear of the cover to slide in for a well executed try, Chuqi Cruz, whose thumping tackling belies his size, taking his side out to a 10-0 lead. Stung by the scores either side of the half, Cam upped the tempo, and on 47 minutes they landed a converted try of their own, this one the result of a series of phases and a great line taken by their 8 to crash across the line, battle joined. There was additional cost to Cornish from this passage of play, Freddie Cruz concussed and replaced by Chris Wright, forcing a wholesale reshuffle of the backline, which saw Phoenix moving to 9, Carne to full back, Funston to centre and Wright onto the wing. Lynch was also replaced at this point, Jamie Robert-Tissot on in his stead. Any thought that the try and the reshuffle would open the floodgates was quickly dispelled by a period of controlled rugby by the visitors, Theobald producing his best carrying game of the season (and perhaps many seasons), and Carew-Gibbs a constant menace. The frustration amongst the home side had begun to result in backchat to the referee, whose patience finally snapped on 58 minutes. The kick was again from distance, only just inside the Cam half, but Phoenix again struck the ball like a howitzer, bisecting the uprights and taking his side back out to a 13-7 lead. This passage of play saw the tiring Coulter replaced by Tony Pellow, Osei-Tutu moving into the row. Just when the exiles required controlled possession, they faltered, losing the restart. Cam piled on the pressure, made a half-break into the 22, and then saw a player dive over the line wide left, the try awarded despite the ball being lost forward in the act of scoring. The home kicker produced a great kick to give his side the lead for the first time in the match. Still, the exiles weren’t cowed, Chalkley continuing to pinch lineout ball, but Cornish perhaps not putting boot to ball as often as they might with a slight breeze now at their backs. On 66 minutes, Cornish won a scrum when Cam were pinged for not using the ball despite a warning at a ruck, and when Sam Vaughan made a break, they home side were pinged for offside. Crucially, the kick didn’t find touch, Cam able to return the ball with interest, then winning a penalty. Gaining good field position on 73 minutes, the home side were pinged at a retreating scrum, then marched back 10 for more chat to the referee. Now though, it was Cornish who lost a lineout and the danger was cleared, WCG withdrawn to allow Coulter to return. The exiles tried everything in the closing minutes, and were unfortunate not to win a penalty at a scrum just inside the Cam half, when the home side knocked the ball on at the base but then played it in front of the knock on, the referee unsighted. With time running out, a fracas broke out on the far side of the pitch, Cam losing a man to the bin for more backchat. Cornish kicked the ball to the home half, but despite strong carries from Sam Matanle and Carne, the ball was lost and game was up, Cam victors by the solitary point.
Once the final whistle sounded, two well matched sides enjoyed the post match festivities in the bar, Cam relieved to win, but not so surprised that it was a tight game, as these so often are. They are a big and physical side, who have taken the scalps of all 3 of the other teams up there in the top 4, and they are well set to top last seasons agonising 3rd place finish. They also remain great hosts, so it would be a loss to the league if they did go up!
For the third week running, the level of the Cornish performance improved, but the challenges arrive thick and fast in this league, so that improvement will need to be maintained if the steady climb up the table is to continue.