Guernsey roared on to victory

GRUFC 1st XV 41, Trojans3

IT WAS a performance fitting of the occasion. The Guernsey Rugby Club hammered Trojans in their first game in front of the Garenne Stand.

With both sides unbeaten in their previous two Hampshire League One matches, it had been billed as an early-season top-of-the-table clash, but it turned out to be a rout for the dominant home side.

Early nerves meant that the Sarnians fell behind in the opening three minutes but they soon settled and in the second half they produced some outstanding rugby at times, scoring five tries in addition to the first-half touchdown.

The initial jitters were understandable as a large crowd turned out to support the green-and-whites and the roar echoing around the stand only served to make the players anxious to perform.

That caused errors and Trojans were able to take advantage when fly-half Pennington kicked a penalty after Guernsey were caught offside.

But the lead lasted for just three minutes as Stuart Lloyd-Jones calmed his troops with a penalty of his own from distance.

From that point, the home side always looked the more dangerous, especially when they spun the ball out wide, although for much of the first period there was frustratingly no end product.

Just to add to the tension, there was also a brawl involving the majority of the players on 26min. although very little came of it.

Eventually, the breakthrough for the home side arrived on 37min.

A scrum just outside Trojans' 22 was popped up by number eight Jim Regnard to scrum-half Ben Le Huray and an enormous gap opened up in front of him, which he had no hesitation in exploiting to have virtually a clear run to the line.

Lloyd-Jones' conversion made the half-time score 10-3.

After the break, it was time to turn on the style.

On 49min., a superb move from right to left through virtually all the backs resulted in wing Darren Holding laying the ball back inside for Lloyd-Jones to scurry over.

Straight from the restart, Ben Mahy began another attack, this time from left to right across the pitch with both centres Ian Johnson and Carl Johnson getting involved before Steve Burt's pace took him past the last line of defence and in for the try.

Now 22-3 up, Guernsey were coasting and coach Rob Box began to ring the changes with all of the squad tasting some action.

Meanwhile, Trojans were struggling as three players succumbed to injuries and one of the replacements was forced to spend time in the sin-bin.

The next try came with nine minutes remaining.

Strong runs from Steve Hale and Regnard made for a promising build-up, although the chance seemed to have gone when Trojans full-back Smith gathered a loose ball.

However, his clearance went straight to Holding who scampered over for a deserved score.

Moments later, Lloyd-Jones and Willis set up a score for fullback Rolfe and the trouncing was completed on the full-time whistle with substitute Darren Jones racing over after another good break by Le Huray.

'I am pleased for the lads today,' said Box.

'We again proved in the pack that you do not have to be big; it is about having the right technique and our scrummaging was great.

'Our backs were a bit dry in the first half but the captain said to the team at half-time that the forwards had been doing great work and if they kept doing it, the backs would not let them down and they lived up to their word.

'What we have got is a great team spirit and a bunch of guys who want to play for each other,' he said.