National League Three South West
Cornish All Blacks 43
Newton Abbot 12
THE Cornish All Blacks secured their first five point victory of the season, with a thrilling 43-12 win over Newton Abbot at Polson Bridge, writes Suzanne Cleave.
The Launceston side has grown in confidence over recent weeks, winning the majority of their games since the start of the new year, but no-one, in particular Newton Abbot, would have predicted the scoreline.
Seven tries, four scored in the first-half, gave supporters something to shout about.
The result, their fourth win in five in 2017, was pleasing to all, none more so than Launceston’s head of rugby, Jimmy Tucker, who said: "There was an air of confidence in the team all week. We believed we could win and win well, but to put that into practise is very satisfying. We’ve had a few victories recently but to put so many points on the board brings us some happiness.
"This is part of the journey. We’ve got a few wins under our belt. We’ve got to learn how to win points and the more we score all help us on that journey. Today we looked pretty threatening, it was a fantastic result."
The Cornish All Blacks were dominant throughout the game, and players never showed any hint of tiring.
They scored three tries in the first 20 minutes, by Marc Williams. Fred Bulut and Tom Sandercock, two of those converted by Martin Kneebone. The home side let Newton Abbot into the game, and a try came their way thanks to Jake Monnington, converted by Rob Avery-Wright.
But a try by Ryan Westren a few minutes before the half-time whistle, put the home side firmly in the lead at the break.
There were moments in the second-half that Newton Abbot looked threatening, but they failed to increase their score. The Cornish All Blacks, on the other hand, were on fire.
Andy Knight, who had come off the bench at the end of the first-half, made a great impact for the team. He powered through the Newton Abbot defence to touch down for a converted try.
The All Blacks were gelling as a team in a way that had not been seen for some time. The buzz had returned and the passion was evident to see.
A converted try by replacement Gregory Thomas put the All Blacks out of danger, and then in the dying minutes of the game, Rikki Bentham went over for the side’s seventh try of the game. The uncharted territory of a five point victory had been smashed and with it a standing ovation from the 580 strong crowd which had packed into Polson Bridge for the annual Farmers Day.
As a result of Saturday’s fixtures, the All Blacks are now just two points from safety after Lydney’s vital 11-5 victory over Salisbury who drop to second bottom as a result of their defeat.
Next week the All Blacks are on the road once more with a trip to league leaders Old Redcliffians.
Both sides scrapped out an 18-18 stalemate back in October.
Cornish All Blacks
Kneebone, Theobald (Dawe 16), Westren, Sandercock, Dawe (Thomas 3) Loydall, Stevens; Bentham (Knight 34), Bulut, Parsons (Bentham 60), Williams, Duke J, Faamatuainu, Duke L, McDonald (Osborne 51)
Tries: Williams (7), Bulut (14), Sandercock (19), Westren (36), Knight (52), Thomas (71), Bentham (79)
Convs: Kneebone (7) (19) (52) (71)
Pens: N/A
Newton Abbot
Price (Smith 61), Lang, Gill, Monnington, Bond, Avery-Wright R, Avery-Wright O (Kenny 58, Teisina 66), Radford, Dore, Cole, Milton, Murphy, Avery, Kenny (Blackmore 50), Gray
Tries: Monnington (27), Bond (33)
Conv: Avery-Wright R (27)
Pens: N/A
Half time: 24-12
Full time: 43-12
Referee: Nathan Howarth
Man of the match: Tom Sandercock / Andy Knight
Attendance: 580
Sin bin: N/A