St Jacques slip to third straight loss

ST JACQUES are still to win on the pitch in the JRA/Emeraude Lines League season. Veteran side Jersey Wanderers inflicted the all-blacks' third defeat with their 12-3 victory at the KGV on Sunday.

Steve Byrne scored both the visitors' tries and Jerry Willis added a conversion. Corne du Toit replied with a penalty for St Jacques, who were disappointed not to get more from the game.

'It was a game we should have won. We basically let ourselves get sucked in to playing their 10-man game,' said club captain Steve de Jersey.

'We were playing a very strong Wanderers side. A number of their team have played for Jersey firsts, and they know how to play the ref and the game to their strengths. They keep it in the forwards and use the crash ball through the centres.

'We were just not shipping the ball out quickly enough and were letting it get tied up in the pack.

'I told the lads that we needed to spin the ball to the youngsters out wide and we would outpace them, but we played them at their game.'

The home side still created chances to score, though, and they were disappointed not to add to their tally for a variety of reasons.

'We spent large periods camped in their half. We had a try disallowed, unjustly in our view, and we lost another scoring opportunity through ill-discipline when a penalty was reversed,' de Jersey said.

However, it seems likely that St Jacques will be awarded the points for their fixture with Les Quenne-vais after the Jersey side could not raise a team to travel at the beginning of the month.

Meanwhile, Guernsey Rugby Club seconds also suffered defeat in their latest JRA fixture, going down 32-13 away to Les Quennevais.

On Sunday, St Jacques vets will play their GRUFC counterparts in the Simon Chandler Cup.

The match kicksoff at 11am at the KGV.