Jersey flex their muscles as they power to victory

Jersey 34, Guernsey 6

POWER proved to be the key as Jersey regained the Siam Cup for the first time in three years on Saturday at St Peter.

At half-time, with just two points separating the teams, it was anyone's game.

However, it was the hosts' team-talk at the interval that did the trick and the message was simple – 'keep it in the tight and our pack will dictate'.

The bigger Jersey forwards and their fresh substitutes did just that and with aplomb in a match that was, disappointingly, not much of a spectacle.

Valiant Guernsey fought hard and were still within seven points when the match entered injury time, but by then they were out on their feet and cruelly conceded three more tries to give the hosts an extremely flattering margin of victory.

The first of those was a penalty try awarded by referee Luke Pearce at a five-metre scrum when the home side got the inevitable push on and it signalled the end for the visitors.

'It was a closely contested match until the last 15 minutes,' said Guernsey player-coach Jordan Reynalds.

'There was only a converted try in it until that scrum and penalty try.'