Saturday, February 9

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Cornish All Blacks 17

Bridgwater & Albion 35

THE Cornish All Blacks put in their worst performance of the season as they fell to a 35-17 defeat to Bridgwater & Albion on Farmers’ Day at Polson Bridge.

Albion arrived in North Cornwall looking to close the gap between the two teams to just five points, and did precisely that as they took advantage of some woeful tackling by the home side, who were flat from the outset.

After a two-week lay-off, joint coaches Ryan Westren and Ian Goldsmith named the same starting 15 that started the 22-8 victory at Teignmouth, although Andy Knight was available and was named on the bench instead of Mitchell Hawken who impressed on his debut last time out.

Both teams like to play an open, expansive game but it was the visitors who started the better and took the lead inside three minutes.

After the home side were penalised for a knock on, the ball was worked out through the backs to outside-centre Rob Gurnett who held off a series of weak tackles to run in from 40 metres. Fly-half Stuart Heal slotted the extras.

To the home side’s credit, they fought back well and got on the scoreboard through a Glenn Coles penalty to make it 7-3.

The home side’s forwards were starting to get on top and when referee Mike Oliver penalised Bridgwater at the breakdown, Launceston skipper Lloyd Duke opted for a scrum. Eventually with the visitors being pushed back close to their line, Oliver spotted an infringement and awarded a penalty try.

With a seven-point lead the All Blacks were on top, but failed to push on as Bridgwater’s dangerous backline enjoyed the time and space given to them.

They should have scored a second try on the left-wing but failed to gather the ball cleanly, but they didn’t have to wait long.

Full-back Dan Pearce was stripped of the ball near his 22 and the ball was worked out towards the left-hand corner by James Collings and Kyran Devitt for the onrushing Richard Bright to do the rest. Heal missed the extras but Bridgwater led 12-10.

The Bridgwater captain missed a further penalty but added two in the space of three minutes at the end of the half, one of which saw winger Martin Kneebone sin-binned for infringing at the breakdown, to give them an 18-10 cushion at the break.

The Somerset club had the better of the opening exchanges in the second-half and scored a third try on 51 minutes as Heal received a pass from scrum-half Tom Fournier before storming his way through some more poor tackling from ten metres.

At 25-10 down the All Blacks continued to battle away and got themselves back into the contest four minutes later. An attempted clearing kick was well charged down by Reuben Edwards, and with the ball falling to fly-half Coles with plenty of space on the right-wing, he ran a short distance before passing to Edwards who ran the remaining 40 metres to slide in next to the clubhouse corner. Coles added the extras.

Just before the hour, Bridgwater extended their advantage to 11 points as Heal kicked a penalty following good work by lock Dan Kemmish.

The All Blacks always had a chance with Edwards and winger Aiden Jacob particularly dangerous, and their cause was helped on 68 minutes as prop Craig Blyde was yellow carded, but they failed to string together any meaningful attacks.

Bridgwater defended well and added gloss to the win on 79 minutes when a nice backs move ended with winger Will Monro receiving a long pass on the overlap for their bonus point try.

Again Heal converted and Bridgwater had become the third side to win at Polson Bridge this season.

However the All Blacks were relieved to find out that leaders Okehampton had lost 32-29 at North Petherton despite gaining both losing bonus points, which means that with seven games to go, the All Blacks are three points off the lead having played all but one of the top six ahead of this weekend’s trip to eighth-placed Hornets (2.30pm).

Player/coach Ryan Westren was left bemused by their performance as they fell to a fourth defeat in six.

He said: “We didn’t keep the ball which is the first issue and we couldn’t put enough pressure on them defensively, so it’s something we’ll have to look at this week, but it’s not a new problem, we’ve had it all along.

“We knew there would come a point where we wouldn’t be able to score 60 points every week and them 30 and now they’re still scoring 30 and we’re not at the moment. But if the boys want to make a tackle they will, but if their head isn’t in it then they won’t.

“But we’ve come up against a side in Bridgwater who’ll punish mistakes. It’s the first time besides Okehampton away that we’ve been truly beaten. They were two results that we didn’t have a look in. But giving up possession like we did so frequently is unacceptable.”

Westren admits he’s got mixed emotions about their league standing but is glad to still be in with a chance after Okehampton’s setback in Somerset.

He said: “It’s a double edged sword, we’ve missed the chance to go top but we’re still very much in the hunt, and to a certain extent the top two is still in our hands. “But that isn’t going to happen without a change in attitude. For the next eight to ten weeks I want to see some blood, sweat and tears and see the boys make this a main priority. If we want to do something special you sometimes need to make it your main priority for a bit!

“But hopefully we can still achieve the goal we set out to at the start of the year!”

One man who is likely to be involved in the title push is back-rower come winger Aiden Jacob, who has impressed greatly with his excellent running and fierce tackling after being given an unexpected chance against St Ives back in January.

Westren said: “Aiden has shown up well in every game and at the moment he’s made that shirt his own. This time six weeks ago he wouldn’t have been in the conversation for a place on the wing. He’s a back-row by trade but he’s shown that he’s more than up to it.”

A trip to Weston-super-Mare to take on Hornets on the 4G pitch is Saturday’s task, and Westren hopes that winger Will Morton could return.

He said: “Circumstances have transpired that he’s highly likely to come into contention. For the rest of us (Westren, Adam Collings, Marc Williams and Torin Clarke), it probably will come a week too soon, but March 2 is the target for the rest of the injured players."

Cornish All Blacks —

Pearce, Jacob, Edwards, Crawford, Kneebone, Coles, Sandercock; Bentham, Bulut, Thomas, J Duke, Goldsmith, Lightfoot, L Duke (captain), Rowley

Replacements: Jenkins, Knight, Mulberry

Tries: penalty try, Edwards

Convs: Coles

Pens: Coles

Cornish All Blacks’ man-of-the-match: Aiden Jacob