Saturday, November 17

Tribute South West One (West)

Cornish All Blacks 66

Devonport Services 15

THE Cornish All Blacks bounced back from their Tribute Cornwall Cup quarter-final defeat at St Ives by thrashing Devonport Services 66-15 at Polson Bridge to maintain their six-point lead at the top of the table.

In total there were nine different scorers of their ten tries with man-of-the-match Shaun Crawford at the double.

Joint coaches Ian Goldsmith and player/coach Ryan Westren have shown they are not afraid to big decisions and they did the same again on Saturday, dropping regulars Levent Bulut and Reuben Edwards to the second team for their 76-0 victory at Wadebridge seconds on Friday night.

Sam Snell and Ben Hawke also made way as Jordan Duke, Shaun Crawford, Jake Crabb (making his first appearance of the season) and Martin Kneebone came in.

In the run-up to the game, the Plymouth-based club had questioned how the All Blacks are top despite conceding on average more than 23 points game and they looked like they could potentially back up those claims as winger Toby Knowles scored within 69 seconds following a brilliant 40-metre run down the field by one of the centres.

However the All Blacks, who have now scored 410 points in ten games this term, fought back brilliantly — grabbing their try bonus point by the 23rd minute.

First, skipper Lloyd Duke played in brother Jordan for the easiest of finishes before blindside-flanker Torin Clarke touched down from a driving maul from a lineout.

Crawford then got in on the act with one of their best tries so far this term.

Services fly-half Matt Anstis played a kick towards the scoreboard side of the ground where scrum-half Adam Collings was waiting.

Collings then then passed to full-back Tom Sandercock who made some yards before giving the ball to Dan Pearce.

Pearce then took it to the edge of the 22 before offloading to Westren who stepped inside his man and ran 40 metres before playing in Crawford some 30 metres out. The inside-centre then showed great strength to get to the line despite the best efforts of the covering defender.

The All Blacks were scoring every five minutes and they got their fourth try as from a five-metre scrum as Collings passed to Crawford who had the easiest of run-ins from close-range.

Westren pulled his hamstring in the lead up to Crawford’s first score and had to be replaced by Hawke.

Despite that, they kept up the momentum and added three converted tries before the break — all through the forwards.

Glenn Coles, who enjoyed a brilliant afternoon in slotting over eight of his ten conversion attempts, made ten metres before drawing his man and offloading to replacement prop Chae Jenkins to run in from the same distance.

Then, the impressive Rikki Bentham burrowed his way over from a couple of metres following a series of pick and gos, before Crabb marked his opening appearance in the first team for the season by showing his strength to score from five metres despite the attentions of two Devonport tacklers.

At 47-5 up at the break, the game was all but over as a contest.

Any hopes of a quiet start to the second 40 were evaporated inside three minutes as the All Blacks grabbed their eighth try.

Marc Williams received the ball from Collings before offloading to Clarke, who showed quick hands to get the ball to Kneebone to run in unopposed from ten metres out.

Despite conceding tries with alarming regularity, Devonport were dangerous with ball in-hand and replied through Luke Kenny after a wonderful break by Rhys Williams, which was only stopped by Collings’ tap-tackle. However the ball was worked out wide for Kenny to score.

By the 17th minute of the second-half there had already been five tries.

Try number three came when Collings sniped his way over from a couple of metres after some good forward play although Devonport again replied with another excellent effort, this time by hooker Sam Bennett.

After a lineout from a penalty close to the line, Devonport worked the ball over to the other side of the field before coming back towards the clubhouse side where Bennett scored. Again the conversion attempt went wide.

At 59-15, with more than 25 minutes to go it was a case of whether the All Blacks could grab 100 points or whether Devonport could get a losing bonus point.

Brandon Rowley kept up his excellent recent try-scoring form by running through a poor tackle to score from 25 metres before Coles converted once more to make it 66-15.

From there on, Devonport showed why they were fifth heading into the weekend as they camped themselves in the home 22 for the last quarter but failed to get a fourth try despite being held up twice over the line.

The All Blacks showed plenty of courage to hold out and record their biggest win of the season ahead of this weekend’s trip to Metz Way to take on bottom side Coney Hill (2.30pm).

Player/coach Ryan Westren admitted that Devonport’s pre-match comments coupled with a good week’s training had worked a treat.

He said: “We had a hard week’s training where we had a few home truths and put the St Ives game to bed. It was our best week’s training since pre-season where we got our intensity back and reset a little bit.

“We responded really well to their try to be 47-5 up at half-time and we were so dominant which was really good to see.

“They questioned in their local paper why we’re top of the league when we’re conceding an average of 20/30 points a game but we’ve been averaging around 50 ourselves. There was a big focus to show why we’re top and a real attacking force and it was also nice to keep them below that threshold.”

Westren is delighted with how his side have come on.

He said: “There are still a few things to work on but the link between the forwards and backs went up another level and there’s a really good spread of scorers. Last year we relied on two or three players to score all our tries but this year at least five people have scored five or more and that shows we’re playing a brand of rugby which includes the whole team instead of a few individuals.”

Westren also had special praise for three of his players.

He said: “In the forwards, Rikki Bentham had his best performance of the season and really upped his work-rate and if he brings that for the rest of the season he’ll be a forced to be reckoned with while Shaun Crawford also had his best game of the year in the backs. I’d also like to give a special mention to Brandon Rowley. He’s trimmed up a bit, got himself into better shape and it’s starting to show in his play.”

Saturday’s game in Gloucestershire against a side that hasn’t won yet and have had to concede twice has the potential to be a classic banana skin, and Westren is wary.

He said: “We’ve got nothing to gain and lots to lose so we need to play like Saturday again. There’s no pressure on them and everything to gain but we’ve got a different mindset to what we’ve had over the last four or five years.

“But they won’t go the whole season without winning because someone will take them lightly, probably one of the top teams, and we’ve got to make sure our attitude is right on Saturday and win.”

Cornish All Blacks —

Sandercock, Pearce, Westren, Crawford, Kneebone, Coles, Collings; Bentham, J Duke, Knight, Williams, Crabb, Clarke, L Duke (captain), Rowley

Replacements: Jenkins, Lightfoot, Hawke

Tries: J Duke, Clarke, Crawford 2, Jenkins, Bentham, Crabb, Kneebone, Collings, Rowley

Convs: Coles 8

Pens: N/A

Cornish All Blacks’ man-of-the-match: Shaun Crawford