DEVONPORT Services’ wait for a first National League point at home goes on after they were well beaten 52-17 by an impressive Clifton side at the Rectory on Saturday.
Services, who were unbeaten at home last season, remain propping up all the rest of the teams in National Two West following their promotion, with just two points to their name from their opening six games – both from try-scoring bonus points picked up on their travels.
Jumping up to National League rugby as an amateur side was always going to be tough for Devonport, but the frustrating thing for them is that they have not been able to play the side that got them promoted due to injuries.
On Saturday, their list of absentees included Dylan Daley, Richard West, Kyle Felton, James Hocking, Mark Friend, Mike Rickard, Harrison Coonick, Matt Neyle, Toby Knowles, Henry Gliddon and Joe Stansfield.
But head coach Ben Russell says they cannot keep using their injuries as a reason for not performing better and that they need to find a way to be more competitive.
“It is what it is, and we can’t keep using it as an excuse,” said Russell after Saturday’s loss. “We had 20 players on the day, but we just weren’t good enough individually.
“We were well off it. I think that is the worst performance I have been involved in.
“We just compounded error after error and it’s just not us.
“Clifton were good. They showed that they are one of the better sides in the league. They were physical, moved the ball well and won the collisions. But it just wasn’t very good from us. I can’t really say anything else.”
He added: “Some boys were brilliant, but some were nowhere near it, and we just have to work hard and be better.
“We just have to keep working hard and grafting. We have to change our luck and change our fortunes – and that’s only going to come from working hard.
“Individuals have to want to get down the club and do their extra to get better.
“And I also have to look at myself and try and work out what I can do to make us better.”
Russell did admit there were some positives with a number of youngsters getting their chance.
“Bertie Fordham is only 19 years-old but was one of the best players on the park,” said Russell. “But Gregs (Matt Gregory) is playing the best rugby I’ve seen at the club and yet he’s one of the oldest.
“We have got boys on there who are doing an unreal job and looking like they should be playing at this level, but we just have to try and bring everyone else up to that level.”
After going 19-0 down and been out-played, Services did pull a try back before half-time to make it 19-7.
They were then pressing for a second try at the start of the second half, but Clifton intercepted a pass and ran the length of the field to switch the momentum again.
“That interception killed us,” admitted Russell. “We just coughed up the ball too easily.”
Services just could not keep hold of the ball in the opening stages of the game and by 14 minutes they were 12-0 down after powerful winger Alex Kilbane scored two tries on the left.
Clifton did have number eight Niall Gibbons yellow carded on 20 minutes, but Services could not take advantage.
The home side then suffered a double blow on 29 minutes when lock Mike Hunt, getting his chance due to injuries to the likes of Friend, Rickard, Felton, Hocking and Stansfield, was injured making a good run. It that wasn’t bad enough, he was also harshly penalised for a double movement and Clifton scored from the penalty.
The visitors went for touch, and they pressed from the line-out before prop Jake Buckley forced his way over and Tom Quinlan added the conversion.
Services then had replacement Oli Symons yellow carded, but going down to 14 men seemed to wake them up. They defended really well to keep Clifton out and just before half-time they scored a try through Aiden Taylor, which young fly-half Leighton Stark converted.
Devonport did come out well for the start of the second half and George Pooley made a great break, only to be stopped on the 22 by a high tackle that cut his eye and forced him off for treatment.
Stark kicked the resultant penalty to make it 19-10.
At this point, it looked like Services might produce a good comeback as they were getting on top, but on 48 minutes Kilbane intercepted a pass in his own 22 and looked certain to score his third try. However, Tom Davies did brilliantly to stop him, but centre Matt Smith was in support to collect the ball and go over for Clifton’s fourth try.
After that it was one-way traffic for an impressive Clifton side, who included former Ealing and Bristol South African Luke Daniels at full-back.
Hooker Tom Anderson added Clifton’s fifth before centre Marcus Nel scored two and Jay Evans claimed their eighth.
However, the final word did go to Services, with youngster Fordham scoring a fine try in the left corner after Andy Pond had done well.
Devonport now have two big away games against fellow strugglers Hinckley and Macclesfield in the next two weeks.
REGIONAL ONE SOUTH WEST
IT was another weekend to forget for Ivybridge, who were crushed 80-15 away at in-form Barnstaple on Saturday in Regional One South West.
That defeat followed on from a 49-15 home loss to Launceston and a 78-8 reverse at Royal Wootton Bassett.
So far, Ivybridge’s only win is a 34-32 home success over fellow strugglers Sidmouth.
The Bridgers once again had to make a host of changes to their team due to injuries and they handed a debut to 18-year-old full-back Aaron Joynt, who scored their first try at Pottington Road.
Henry Trudgill added a second late on to go with a penalty by Matt Grieveson, but that was as good as it got for the Bridgers as Barnstaple ran riot.
The home side ran in 12 tries – 10 of which were converted by Tyler Gordon-Oke.
Ivybridge did keep them at bay a bit in the first half, with Barnstaple only getting four tries in the opening 40 minutes courtesy of Cameron Johnson, Jake Patrick, Jordan Petherbridge and James Fraser.
But after the interval the floodgates opened and Johnson bagged three more, to go with further touch-downs by Brandon Moore, Arthur Marks, Albert Stretch, Gordon-Oke and Connor Swan.
“Their kicker kicked everything, which didn’t help, but we gave them tries by sliding off tackles,” admitted Ivybridge team manager Neil Thomson.
“A couple of their tries were scored from their own 22 when we were attacking.
“We know what team we put out and what we have to do. We were playing quite well, but second half we seemed to dissolve again. Then we had two players who had to come off with head injuries and a yellow card.
“Next week we have Brixham, but we are home and hopefully we will have a few players back.”
Thomson, though, was full of praise for youngsters James Cantin and Michael Jensen, who he described as ‘superb’.
COUNTIES ONE WESTERN WEST
UNBEATEN leaders Plymstock Oaks had to dig deep against a stubborn Penryn side to keep their 100 per cent record going.
Oaks scored three late tries to claim a 31-12 victory at Horsham Fields that keeps them at the top of the table on points difference ahead of Paignton.
After easing to big wins over Bude, Redruth II, Bideford and Tavistock, Oaks had to really show determination to bag the five points on Saturday.
With 10 minutes to go the match was level at 12-12, but Oaks did finish strongly to secure the win and the try-scoring bonus point.
“It was a much tougher game,” said head coach Lewis Paterson. “Penryn were decent. They came up with a big pack and they did really well in the scrum.
“They have players that have been around for a while, and you know what you get with them – they have some big Cornish lads who are direct runners.
It was a good learning curve for us. They did everything they could to slow the game down when we like to play fast and it worked.
“We picked a young, mobile pack and we struggled in the scrum and we dropped a lot of balls so there were a lot of scrums. We played to their strengths and so made it very hard for ourselves.
“But it showed our character and our depth. We played a lot of young lads and we probably would have folded if that was us a year or two ago, so to get a five-point win was important.”
Oaks, who were missing Alex Chapman, Mac Lewis, Lewie Riley and Ollie White, did get off to a good start with a try by hooker Joe Donnelly.
However, Penryn took a 7-5 lead into the break, with converted try just before half-time.
After the interval, Joe Brearley put Oaks back in front with a try, which Paterson converted.
But Penryn levelled on 51 minutes and the score stayed at 12-12 until the 72nd minute when Matt Jackson touch-down to put Plymstock back ahead.
And it got better in the final few minutes with Brearley adding a second and replacement Will Scantlebury also crossing.
Tavistock suffered a heart-breaking 36-34 home loss to fellow strugglers Redruth II on Saturday.
Tavistock paid for a poor spell just before half-time when they conceded three tries to trail 31-12 at the break.
They were then playing catch-up. It did look like they were going to come back but Redruth won the match with a late try.
Tavistock did pick up two bonus points for scoring six tries and finishing within a score of their opponents, but they had wanted five.
“We started okay and put some good phases together, but capitulated just before the half, conceding three tries in no time to make it 31-12,” said captain Hammy Kerswill.
“Second half we really upped our game and dominated in many facets. We took it to them excellently with Shooie (Andrew Schuttkacker), (Toby) Teague, (Andrew) Craddock and (Ethan) Lamerton particularly strong with the ball in hand.
“We scored on four occasions we entered their half but with four minutes to go after one of their tries, their second-row collected their own kick-off and made in-roads only to catch us short and score moments before time.
“We did win a penalty on the halfway line late on and got into their half, but we knocked on in midfield.
“It was a spirited performance but a game that was lost in that 10-minute period (before half-time).”
Charles Bowden and Liam Watts both scored two tries for Tavistock, with Lamerton and Freddie Fuller also crossing the whitewash. Fuller kicked two conversions.
A try by Watts in the first half, where he produced an excellent solo effort with a chip and chase, was probably the highlight.
COUNTIES TWO CORNWALL
LEADERS Saltash had to dig deep in the second half to overcome a dangerous Perranporth side 48-19 at Moorlands Lane.
Having cruised to easy victories in their previous games, the Ashes got a bit of a wake-up call in the opening 40 minutes on Saturday.
They were second best to a Perranporth side who disrupted Saltash’s normally free-flowing style.
The Ashes had taken the lead in the 15th minute when captain Jay Moriarty scored on the left wing.
But the visitors, who had started the day in third place, went in front after 20 minutes when a home yellow card resulted in a Brewers penalty, which eventually led to a converted try.
Shortly afterwards a breakaway try from inside their own half gave Perranporth a 14-5 lead.
The Ashes were very flat and could not capture their usual brand of rugby but did reduce the gap when a driving maul allowed hooker Rob Walsh to touch down.
This seemed to spur Saltash to up their game in an extended first period and Will Morton got a try which was converted by Ryan Cruickshanks to give them a narrow 17-14 lead at the interval.
The second half got off to a good start for Saltash when Danny Snook darted over the Brewers’ line after 43 minutes for a converted try as the home side wrestled back control of the game.
Perranporth continued to look dangerous in their attacks, but Moriarty eased the pressure when he scored a converted try after 58 minutes to make it 31-14.
Another forward drive by Saltash was rewarded with hooker Walsh touching down again, but Perranporth hit back with their own try six minutes later.
However, a converted score by Will Morton and a touch-down by Lewis Stuart right at the end gave Saltash a flattering victory.
The Ashes will face another big test next week when they visit fellow unbeaten side Helston, who sit in second place two points behind the Moorlands Lane club.
COUNTIES TWO DEVON
DEVONPORT Services II continued their winning start to the season with a 35-7 victory at city rivals Tamar Saracens on Saturday.
The match also doubled up as a Lockie Cup semi-final, so Services II can now look forward to a final at the end of the season.
Services II scored five tries at the Parkway, courtesy of Kane Taylor-Young, Dylan Harbour, Yianni Costas (2) and Tom Richards. All were converted by veteran Matty Anstis.
Tamar Saracens’ points came from a Joey Pook try in the first half, which was converted by Rob Hall.
Services II player-coach Richards said: “We’re very happy with the win, but credit to Saracens, they came to play and you can see exactly why they have turned some teams over in this league.
“I said to the boys, let’s really work hard on our defence and that came through trumps as we did really well in that area.
“Credit to Saracens, they stopped the momentum for us and made it difficult for us.
“But I was really impressed with our boys. There was a lot that filled in again and that depth we have is shining really well, especially with some boys having played on Wednesday (against the Royal Navy U23) as it was a quick turnaround.”
Tamar Saracens’ director of rugby Pete Lethbridge said: “We started off okay in their 22 and threw the ball around a little bit, but they capitalised on a missed pass.
“They scored three tries pretty quickly, and two of those were from our mistakes.
“But then we got back into it and we were quite pleased. Our scrummaging went well, as did our line-out. We gave a good account of ourselves.
“I was quite pleased with it considering they are putting a lot of points on a lot of teams.
“I think they had a really strong side out, but we fronted up well.
“We were a little bit slow around the breakdown area and so our backs didn’t get a lot of clean ball and when they did we messed up a bit with some missed passes, but overall we were really, really happy. They, along with Torquay, are probably one of the favourites to go up.
“I think the boys are a little bit disappointed, but we made a good fist of it and they (Services) knew they had been in a game.”
OPMs have moved up to sixth in the table after they backed up their win over Exmouth II with a 17-0 away victory at South Molton on Saturday.
Fred Smale scored their opening try with a good run before captain Billy Garratt scored with a pick-and-go. Both tries were converted by Matt Smale to give the Old Boys a 14-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, there was just a Matt Smale penalty, but OPMs were not bothered as they picked up four valuable points on their travels.
“We probably left three or four tries out there,” said captain Garrat.
“But I think this is about the first time in seven years we have won away to South Molton. I think the last time we won there it was one of my first seasons in the first team.
“They are very good at home. They are very physical and know how to play their pitch well, with the slope.”
But there was away disappointment for Plymouth Argaum who lost 22-19 away at Exmouth II after conceding a last-gasp try.
Argaum had gone 17-0 down, but they hit back with tries by Al Percival, a penalty try and one from Jamie Venner to be leading 19-17 going into the final minutes.
“We were 19-17 up and got a penalty and kicked to the halfway line, but we lost the line-out,” said Argaum head coach Dean Avery. “They’ve kicked the ball long and we didn’t deal with it and they ended up tackling us over the line to get a five-metre scrum. From that they moved the ball with ease wide and scored in the corner to win the game.
“It was absolutely gutting, but I was more gutted because we played so poorly.
“We had a really, really poor start. We couldn’t keep hold of the ball and just played really poorly.
“Since I’ve been at the club it was one of the poorest games as we had a good side out. We just didn’t perform on the day. There was just a catalogue of errors throughout the game.
“I am looking forward to sitting down with the team and going through the video this week as it just wasn’t good enough.”
COUNTIES THREE
OLD Techs kept up their impressive start to the season in Devon South & West with a 55-17 home win over Paignton II on Saturday.
Techs did most of the damage in the second half as they only led 26-17 at the break.
Will Booth, Ollie Davey, Ben Hockey and Connor McQueen scored tries for them in the opening four minutes, then after the interval wingers Dan Pullen and Kieran Hurrell both scored twice, to go with another from replacement Sion Norville.
“The first half was pretty even,” said Techs’ Shaun Bedford-Smith. “They were causing us problems with their pick-and-go and driving game.
“But second half it was just a case of going through our patterns and getting the ball wide.”
Bedford-Smith felt the turning point was on about 30 minutes when Paignton II had loads of pressure, but Techs defended really well to keep them out and then eventually they went up the other end and scored.
Techs have a 100 per cent record so far in the league, with four bonus point wins from four.
But there was disappointment for Plym Vic, who conceded a late penalty to lose 25-22 at home to fellow strugglers Totnes.
The game looked like it was heading for a draw, but Plym Vic gave away a silly penalty and Totnes took advantage to kick the three points.
“It was very annoying that it was a game that was so close – so nip and tuck – and if we had just managed to get a penalty or a breakaway, we could have just pipped Totnes as opposed to the other way around,” said Plym Vic chairman Chris Hunt.
“It was a good evenly contested match and it just builds that knowledge base. In a game that is more even you can see the bits that need work on more clearly.”
He added: “In the first half Totnes’ best player was probably our pack – we just gave them too much space, too much room and they were very quick to spot it.
“They were contesting rucks when we weren’t and it just gave them that edge to get that one or two scores ahead.
“Our penalty count did not help us. The referee was shouting at us but we just sort of ignored it until he blew up for a penalty.
“But it was pleasing that we got a few tries and it wasn’t all bad.
“We just missed those bits that help you close out a game. We just gifted them a bit too much. We got a bonus point out of it, but it was annoying we didn’t get the win.”
Josh Hughes scored two tries for Plym Vic, who handed a debut to Josh Wills, to go with one from Connor Turner, with Chris Barratt kicking the rest of their points.
In the same division, Plymstock Oaks II enjoyed a 52-24 away victory at Kingsbridge II.
The first half at High House was pretty tit-for-tat, but Oaks led 27-17.
Oaks II captain Dan Larn said: “Making substitutes at half-time we started to look really dangerous, and with Kingsbridge down to 14 for the first eight minutes of the half we were able to add another two tries to our tally.
“Kingsbridge weren’t out by any stretch and continued to make good progress whenever they had the ball. Unfortunately they just couldn’t capitalise on many of the opportunities they had.
“We continued to apply the pressure, with man-of-the-match Dion Todd, and runners Ben Ross and Andy Porter all getting multiple tries on the board.
“Had we been more clinical we could have put a few more points on the board, but we did the hard work and came away very happy with the result.
“Personally, I was very grateful to the lads that stepped up this week and played out position, I even managed to add ‘winger’ to my résumé.
“Kingsbridge were terrific under the circumstances and credit to them for giving so much effort all the way to the final whistle.”
Unbeaten leaders Ivybridge II were handed a walkover by Tavistock II, who have yet to fulfil a fixture this term.
In Counties Three Cornwall, Saltash II were beaten 58-21 by leaders Launceston II.
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