1st XV 'Saints'
Matches
Sat 22 Oct 2011  ·  Tribute Western Counties West
Truro
29
6
St Austell RFC
1st XV 'Saints'
Penalties: M Shepherd (2)
Truro 29 St Austell 6

Truro 29 St Austell 6

Paul Hayes23 Oct 2011 - 13:54
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Truro ran out deserved winners in a feisty Cornish derby at a windswept St Clements Hill.

St Austell slumped to their biggest league defeat in over a year and perhaps more surprisingly the normally free scoring Saints failed to cross the line for even a solitary consolation try. Saints failure to match Truro’s aggressive and physical approach meant that they had little quality ball to work with in a match littered with penalties and off the ball incidents. The penalty count was 19-4 against Truro who also received two yellow cards and if Referee Mr Andy Robinson had eyes in the back of his head it could have been a lot more.

The home side started the game with a strong wind blowing at their backs and immediately put the Saints under pressure. The fired up Truro pack drove Saints backwards and once within sight of the visitors try line played a smart blindside moved that allowed full back Chevvy Reed to touch down in the corner with only two minutes gone. Fly half Jake Champion just failed with the conversion but this was to be his only miss in difficult conditions. Truro continued to apply pressure and were content to give away penalties to disrupt any Saints possession. Young Saints prop Josh Durant was knocked out on 12 minutes but much to the consternation of the large travelling support the Referee deemed the clash an accident. Replacement Will Hancock came on straight into the resulting scrum and with the Saints pack having to adjust Truro launched an excellent move for their second try. Quick ball from the base of the scrum stretched the visitors’ defence allowing Reed to hit the line at pace. Evading a number of tackles he scored in the right hand corner with Champion making light of a difficult conversion. Saints at last sprang into action with a series of forward drives that started to put some pressure without really finding the gap. Skipper Andy Ashwin deserved better when his clever drop goal attempt hit the cross bar. Truro continued to infringe at times of danger but against a stiff wind scrum half Matt Shepherd was only able to take one penalty from three attempts. Another injury saw influential centre James Earp carried off to be replaced by Sean Haren. With half time looming Saints would have felt confident of exploiting the wind in the second half. However Truro scored a crucial third try when winger Luke Trescothick charged out of the home 22 making at least 30m. Truro’s forwards quickly recycled the ball through a number of phases against a now stretched Saints defensive line. The ball was spread wide and with a clear overlap Mark Lea had the simple task of touching down. Champion again converted to make the score 19-3. Saints tried to hit back and a promising move was cut short by a Truro high tackle. This time the referee had no choice but to issue a yellow card to flanker Garth Dodgson. Shepherd just failed with the penalty attempt right on half time.

Now with the wind at their backs it was Saints turn to apply the pressure and with just 3 minutes gone Truro were down to 13 men with another yellow card for persistent infringement. Tenacious defence by Truro kept Saints at bay although Shepherd added another penalty to reduce the deficit. Saints had to adjust again when lock Adam Pearce, who had been one of Saints best ball carriers, came off injured following a knee in the back. The visitors came close on a number of occasions but were held up just short and with parity in numbers restored the game developed into a midfield stalemate. Saints dominated possession but were unable to deliver a scoring chance as Truro kept them out of range of the try line. It was Truro who finished the stronger as the belief ebbed away from the visitors. In the 74th minute poor tackling following a Truro scrum allowed Dodgson to score with Champion again converting the try. With the clock ticking down a penalty in front of the post allowed Champion to seal victory with the final three points of the match.

After the highs of last week’s fine performance against Torquay Athletic this was a bitterly disappointing come down for Saints especially against their nearest rivals. On the day Truro thoroughly deserved their victory as they never let Saints settle and took their chances to build an assailable lead. Saints never matched the physicality of the Truro team and were uncharacteristically loose in defence. The only bright spot on the day was Saints Man of the Match Sean Haley who dominated the line outs. Truro’s experience at this level showed and Saints will have learnt from today’s game and will look to bounce back against Bideford next week.

Match Stats:

St Austell: Durant (Hancock 12), Hughes, Martin, Pearce (Black 49), Haley, Grigg, Jeffs, Evans, Shepherd, Ashwin (Captain), Chenoweth, Earp (Haren 29), Welland, Newberry, Murley

St Austell: Tries –
Cons –
Pens - Shepherd (2)

Truro: Tries – Reed (2, 15); Lea (35); Dodgson (74)
Cons – Champion (3)
Pens – Champion (1)

Yellow Cards: St Austell: None Truro: Dodgson (38); Tidball (43)

Red Cards St Austell: None Truro: None

Referee: Mr Andy Robinson (CRRS)

Saints Man of the Match: Sean Haley

Match details

Match date

Sat 22 Oct 2011

Kickoff

15:00

Meet time

13:00

Location

Instructions

Please make every attempt to attend training on Thursday in preparation for our league match on Saturday.

Meeting time is 13:00 sharp to ensure we depart at 13:15 (Estimated journey time 30 minutes). Our aim is to arrive at Truro RFC well before 13:45 and ready to start our warm up by 14:10. Please advise Paul Hayes (Saints Team Manager - 07515 881 799; paul-hayes@dsl.pipex.com) of ANY issues regarding your availability OR change in meeting arrangements. Please check in with Paul to confirm your arrival at meet time, please note we will not be charging match fees for this match.

Dress code:
Pre-match: Black polos with black shorts or tracksuit bottoms.
After match: C2C shirts, blue jeans, brown shoes.

Competition

Tribute Western Counties West
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Kit & Matchday Sponsor - Sharps Molson Coors
Player Sponsor - Coastal Building and Joinery LTD
Player Sponsor - River Valley Holiday Park
Player Sponsor - Chris Powley Electrical Services
Player Sponsor - Davey Digger Hire
Player and programme Sponsor - The Hewas Inn
Player Sponsor - Duke of Cornwall Supporters Club
Player Sponsor - Rebellion Roast House & Moonshine Bar
Player Sponsor - The Polgooth Inn
Player Sponsors - Paul & Jan Hayes
Player Sponsor - JAWS
Player Sponsor - P.C.Tonkin & Son
After Match Shirts / Player  - Adam Kellow Plastering
Player Sponsor - D Nottle Scaffolding
Pitchside/Programme/Matchday Sponsor - River Valley Garage
Kit Sponsor - Build Cornwall
Senior Kit Sponsor  - D Nottle Scaffolding
Kit Sponsors - Cornwall Mortgages
Player Sponsor - Duke of Cornwall Pub
Player Sponsor - Top Notch Joinery
Senior Shirt Sponsor & Pitch side Board Sponsor - Gripsure UK
Player & Kit Sponsor - The Par Inn
Senior Shorts Sponsor - CraneTec
Kit Partner - Samurai
Shirt Sponsor - Build Cornwall
Senior Shirt Sponsor - Cornwall Mortgages
Senior Kit Sponsor - Noott Marine