Visitors win typically-passionate inter-insular

Guernsey 8, Jersey 18

'IT WAS a typical Guernsey-Jersey battle,' was home captain Andy Yabsley's spot-on assessment of yesterday's inter-insular clash at Foote's Lane. Plenty of entertainment, loads of passion and some decent rugby made for a cracking game, which was deservedly won by the visitors although they were pressed hard by a spirited Sarnian team.

Things looked ominous for the home side when a textbook catch and drive line-out from five metres out by the Caesareans resulted in prop Jim Brimelow scoring the opening try with only three minutes on the clock, but the Guernsey response was excellent.

Using the St Jacques duo Simon Ogier and Steve de Jersey as first-up runners to good effect and with Lucas Meaney impressing whenever he joined the line from fullback, the Sarnians made plenty of ground in a solid period of pressure.

During that time, flyhalf Jim Rowe reduced the gap to two points with a penalty but two other attempts were unsuccessful and Guernsey failed to take the lead they deserved at that point.

Credit, though, must go to Jersey's defence because while the home side missed out on those six points, their opponents did not give them a sniff of a try until late on and they were rarely allowed within 20m of the line.

To rub salt into the wounds, Jimmy McCormack slotted over a penalty of his own on a rare Jersey foray into the Guernsey half to re-establish a five-point cushion that was maintained until half-time.

The tide turned after the break and it was the reds who exerted pressure on the opposition and they eventually made it count after a couple of frustrating moments. The first came when flanker Paul Maltby knocked on with the line at his mercy on the left wing while moments later John Swift had raced through a gap in the Guernsey defence only to be called back for a forward pass.

However, fullback Swift's influence on the game was becoming greater by the minute and it was he who joined the line to supply the crucial pass to Dave McCready and set up the centre's crucial try with just over a quarter-of-an-hour remaining.

McCormack added the conversion to make it 15-3 and the game was virtually out of Guernsey's reach. A further Jersey penalty 10 minutes later ensured that was the case.

There was enough time, though, for the Sarnians to chalk up the try their efforts on the day deserved as the ball was worked through several pairs of hands out to left wing Alex Miller, who touched down.

Yabsley later agreed that if Guernsey had got the reward for the pressure in the first half, it could have been a very different story.

'We put a very good side together but Jersey's defence kept us out in the first half and probably won them the game,' said the skipper, who was pleased with his side's efforts.

'As a pack, our rucking was top drawer and I must say the referee, Paul Berghouse, was very good,' he added.

Jersey captain Shawn Queripel paid tribute to both sets of players. 'It was a very good game and a good advertisement for Channel Islands rugby,' he said.

Queripel said that Jersey had done a lot of work on their defence in preparation for the inter-insular and of his side's superb rearguard action in the first half he added: 'defence wins you games'.