2nds lose, but much improved

Guernsey Seconds lost the most competitive Fallaize Cup for a few years and showed how much they have progressed with some structure behind them this season.
Guernsey flew out of the blocks and Andy Rigden gave them the lead a few minutes in with a penalty in front of the posts. The lead lasted only a couple of minutes though, as Jersey collected a misplaced pass and never really looked back, capitalising on any Guernsey mistake and eventually led 29-3 at the break.
From the restart, Guernsey upped their game and broke into the Jersey half time and again. Eventually a Jersey prop was sin binned for repeated infringements and Guernsey took advantage by electing to scrum at a penalty close to the line, skipper Carl Gardner was tackled short of the line but was able to reach out and just dot the ball down. Rigden converted.
Both sides made changes throughout the team with around fifteen minutes remaining fly-half Alec Bailey managed to exploit a gap and race through to score Guernsey’s second try, which Gardner converted. Jersey saw another yellow card as their fly-half was penalised for diving onto Bailey as he scored but Guernsey were not able to close the gap any further as the Jersey defence held out.
Considering Guernsey have conceded 70+ points in both of the previous two years in this match, Coach Dave Wallace was delighted with the effort put in by his team.

Team : Layton Batiste, Callum Murdoch (Tom Chamberlain), Matt Bacon (Jack Webber); Kit Hughes, Sam Yabsley; John Morris (Geraint Cooper), Jake Gallienne, Leon Gardner (Rory Quesnel); Carl Gardner, Alec Bailey; Will Luscombe, Ben Challinor; Tim Coates (Michael Sermon), Andy Rigden (Matt Ceresa), Sam Stables (Matt Horton)

Scorers : Tries – Carl Gardner, Alec Bailey; Conversions – Andy Rigden, Carl Gardner; Penalty – Andy Rigden

Further report courtesy of Chris Lake, Jersey Evening Post http://www.thisisjersey.com/section/sport/

AFTER crushing the Guernsey 2nds away last year, the Jersey RFC’s second team didn’t have it all their own way at St Peter on Saturday, although they dominated the first half with an outstanding display.
However, the second half belonged to Guernsey as, 29-3 up at the break, they gave away simple tries; couldn’t score themselves; and were clinging on grimly before retaining the Fallaize Trophy 29- 17 at the end.
‘If you’d have given me 29-17 before the break I would have taken it,’ said Guernsey coach Dave Wallace afterwards.
‘That scoreline was good for us. We had three colts, all Guernseyborn, playing in the team and we knew that some of you guys have played for the 1sts, three divisions above.
‘It’s a big step up. But I’d like to think it’s a coming of age for some of our players.’
Wallace didn’t want to single out players but agreed that Carl Gardner and 49-year-old John Morris helped to keep his side together when, at another time, they could have crumbled.
And Jersey captain Ian Henderson praised the opposition for their second-half performance. ‘Full credit to them,’ he said. ‘It seemed like every time they were camped in our half they came away with points.
‘And our own penalty count, against us, was far too high. But for a game like this, the players, at times, tried to do too much instead of doing the simple things, as they would in other games. That, and too often letting themselves down with a poor pass when they ought to have scored.’
So, Jersey made hard work of it despite scoring four tries, a penalty and three conversions before the interval.
Guernsey took the lead through Andy Rigden.
The first try was touched down by full-back Richie Stevens in the eighth minute when he ran clear from his 22, beat two men through sheer speed, and set up a neat conversion for scrum-half Niall McDonald.
After Guernsey’s Andrew Rigden had missed a couple of penalties, Ryan Morgan kicked through and was first to the line for another converted try, and a Jersey penalty saw a 17-0 score-line with the home side comfortably on top. Still, they were giving away far two many penalties to the opposition and Guernsey’s No 10, Alex Bailey, was slowly but surely starting to take command.
There was little he could do, however, when flanker Brian Rennison’s quick tap penalty saw him cross the line, nor was he on the left wing when Morgan brilliantly avoided two tackles to make it 29-0.
A Guernsey penalty made it 29-3 before they walked off the pitch and before, in the last 40 minutes, Bailey and a fired-up Sarnian pack took control.
Virtually from the restart Guernsey took the game to the home side, and following five penalties and a yellow card for prop Russell Holland, for hands in the ruck, Guernsey fired back into a game they never saw as lost.
Sustained pressure and a Jersey side going backwards in the scrum saw scrum-half Gardner scramble over. Rigden converted. Then Bailey scored to make it 29-15 with 12 minutes remaining. This time Gardner converted and, at 29-17, there were only two converted tries in it.
So, at the end of an enjoyable match, played, on the whole, in a very good spirit, Jersey 2nds clung on to win. They also gave virtually all of their young replacements a run-out . . . but of the two men in charge, Wallace was right to be the happiest coach for he was apprehensive of the Jersey side while his own players, eventually, rose to the occasion.