Saturday, December 14

South West Premier

Cornish All Blacks 20

Drybrook 14

A DEPLETED Cornish All Blacks put in a superb team performance as they picked up their second home win of the season against mid-table Drybrook at Polson Bridge.

The hosts led 10-0 at the break thanks to Alex Bartlett’s fifth minute converted try and Dan Pearce’s penalty.

After Pearce slotted home another penalty, Drybrook got back into the contest through Ben Large’s converted try.

Pearce crossed the whitewash to extend the lead back to 13, and although the Gloucestershire side rallied to score with two minutes to go, Launceston held on for a morale-boosting victory in their fight for survival.

Joint head coaches Ian Goldsmith and Ryan Westren had a nightmare week trying to name their matchday 18 due to a host of injuries and unavailabilities.

In the front row, props Rikki Bentham and Rory Cinnamond were injured while Rhys Carpenter was working, leading to Bartlett’s first start of the season at loosehead-prop.

There was good news that number eight Brandon Rowley was fit enough to return having missed the Camborne defeat, which allowed Harry Lightfoot and Lloyd Duke to return to their usual positions at six and seven.

In the backs, Adam Collings was preferred to Dom Mulberry at scrum-half, Westren was only fit enough to start on the bench and was replaced by Tom Sandercock at inside-centre, while Reuben Edwards was away, which allowed Alfie Lang to slot in at full-back.

Launceston were made to play towards the clubhouse in the first-half and they took the lead inside five minutes.

A superb kick into the far right-hand corner was fielded into touch by Drybrook’s left-winger Mitch Baldwin five metres from his own line.

After the All Blacks won the lineout, the driving maul was stopped, and after several phases, Bartlett crashed over from close range. Pearce converted the simple conversion.

Drybrook had won five and lost five of their ten games this term and instantly put pressure on. However they knocked on close to the try line.

Hooker Mikey Addis nearly broke through but was denied by a superb Sandercock tackle, while the hosts were let off when flying full-back Ollie Moore dropped a pass with Baldwin on his outside and only Pearce to beat.

As the half-hour mark approached Pearce was put into touch by Baldwin before Collings’ involvement in the rest of the first-half was brought to an end after he was sin-binned for coming in at the side of a ruck. This meant Sandercock switched to nine.

Former Wadebridge man Gary Gynn was brought off the bench after a couple months out injured, and made a big impact with his ball-carrying ability.

Launceston extended their lead through Pearce’s simple penalty before a remarkable two-minute spell right up to the whistle.

Moore made a superb break down the left-wing and looked as if he had too much gas to get to the line. However Lightfoot managed to tap tackle him and force Moore to knock the ball on. However referee Kevin Williams hadn’t noticed and the game continued with the hosts defending stoutly and Drybrook getting closer and closer to the line.

However just as it looked as if the inevitable score was coming, scrum-half Regan Marsh dropped the ball to bring the half to a close.

Launceston missed a glorious chance for a second try just two minutes after the restart. Glenn Coles intercepted a pass in his own half. However as he got into the Drybrook 22, with players rushing towards him, he decided to pass to the onrushing Alfie Lang who was tackled before Greg Thomas was held up, albeit illegally. Pearce kicked another easy penalty to make it 13-0.

The Greens knew they needed the next score and despite having the majority of possession, had to wait until the 58th minute for their first try as inside-centre Ben Large broke through from 25 metres. Veteran fly-half Tim Stevenson knocked over the kick to reduce the hosts’ advantage to six.

However five minutes later the hosts went 20-7 up. Following a Drybrook lineout deep inside their own 22, they dropped the ball leading to a scrum.

From there, the All Blacks eventually went out wide where Sandercock flung over a long pass for Pearce to touch down in the left-hand corner. He then nailed the difficult conversion.

Pearce did miss a penalty with nine minutes to go as the visitors knew they had to score two converted tries.

They did manage one of those with two minutes to go as Stevenson barged his way over from a couple of metres, before adding the two points himself.

With time up, Pearce’s penalty went wide once more, but it didn’t matter as Collings soon booted the ball into the stand to signal the end of an absorbing contest.

With bottom side Newbury Blues beating Brixham and Bracknell picking up a losing bonus point at Okehampton, the All Blacks move to within a point of safety.

Westren admitted the victory was a real confidence booster.

He said: “First and foremost, the win was the most important thing. Over the last month or so we’ve been close on a number of occasions so it’s nice for the boys to come out on the right side of the result.

“I felt the basis of the victory was us working really hard and putting into practice what we’ve trained. In games we’ve gone off script, but over the last month they’ve become less and less, which has kept us in games right to the end.

“It was great to get that home win just before Christmas. We want to make Polson Bridge a fortress and we’ve not been able to do that this season. Teams have been coming here thinking they have a chance. We’ve got great supporters and we want to make it a really difficult place for sides to visit.”

Westren praised a number of players.

He said: “The scrum was a big plus. Greg Thomas doesn’t often have to put in a 80-minute performance but due to injuries and unavailability he had to, and I thought he was outstanding, and not just in the scrum. He was really good in the loose and with his tackling, he’s really stepping up now.

“Tom Bottoms was very consistent again, Tom Sandercock has been in and out for various reasons, but was defensively superb, and it was great to have Gary Gynn back after a long absence. Hopefully through the winter months we can use his experience and skillset to our advantage.”

However Westren had particular praise for young prop Alex Bartlett, who given a late call-up from the bench.

He said: “Alex got man-of-the-match on the day and it felt like a real coming of age performance from him. He’s had a few opportunities over the last year or so but hopefully the players and supporters will have taken note of that performance. He also finished off his try really well.

“He’s someone who came through the minis and juniors and the colts, and that’s what it’s about at the end of the day, developing players from within and that’s a prime example. We want the minis and juniors to think they could be out there playing for the first team.”

Saturday’s results mean more and more and clubs are coming into the relegation picture, and Westren wants that to continue.

He said: “From our point of view we want as many teams as possible to be in the race and the league has tightened right back up. Four or five teams are now in it, so it’s all to play for. I feel as a group we’re only going to get better, so that’s hopefully the case.”

Saturday sees the first round of return fixtures with the All Blacks making the trip to the Devon coast to take on Exmouth at the Imperial Recreation Ground (2.30pm).

The Cockles thrashed Launceston 76-24 at Polson Bridge back in September, but have been on a poor run of form, having won just once in their last six outings to slip down to ninth. An All Blacks five-point win with Exmouth gaining no bonus points, will see Launceston move ahead of them before the Christmas break, if Bracknell lose at home to leaders Barnstaple.

Westren said: “The Exmouth result really hurt. Hopefully the boys have that in their minds ahead of the weekend, we certainly owe them one.

“With the way the game transpired we gave them so many opportunities by coughing up the ball to easily. But with the improvements we’ve made I’m expecting it to be a real ding-dong battle. It’s a place we can go and get a result at.”

With the fixture taking place the Saturday before Christmas, Westren admits circumstances will determine their matchday 18.

He said: “We’ll have some coming back but there will be changes through availability and injuries. But that’s the reason why we have a squad.”

Cornish All Blacks —

Lang, Pearce, Crawford, Sandercock, Kneebone, Coles, Collings; Bartlett, Bulut, Thomas, Bottoms, Clarke, Lightfoot, L Duke (captain), Rowley.

Replacements: Hawken, Gynn, Westren.

Tries: Bartlett, Pearce.

Convs: Pearce 2.

Pens: Pearce 2.

Cornish All Blacks’ man-of-the-match: Alex Bartlett.