DEVONPORT Services made light of Storm Bert on Saturday to claim their second successive home win in National Two West.
Services overcame mid-table Loughborough Students 17-0 in tough conditions at the Rectory to boost their hopes of staying up.
The home side’s forwards were immense as they out-scrummed and out-fought their young Leicestershire opponents.
Services had to play into the gale-force wind in the first half, but they kept the ball brilliantly and deservedly led 10-0 at the break.
Loughborough also played better into the wind after the change of ends, but Services just would not let them cross their line and the home side added a third try to move three scores ahead.
Even though the game was won in the closing stages, Devonport pulled out all the stops to keep their try-line intact and become the first team in the league this season to nil an opponent.
“To nil them was just fantastic,” said Services head coach Ben Russell. “The work-rate and effort from the lads was just unreal.
“They just didn’t stop fighting to the end and there were some outstanding performances from one to 20.”
He added: “I think we played the conditions very well in the first half against the wind. We kept the ball very well and went to our strengths against them, which was our scrum and line-out.
“We knew what Loughborough would bring, and we knew with the conditions they would not be able to play their whole game. We talked about when Chew and Barnstaple came here last year in these conditions and how it is like being in the trenches and we are good at that.”
Services did have chances, particularly in the first half, to score an extra try, which would have secured them the bonus point, but Russell was just happy with another win.
“The conditions in the second half just got worse for both teams,” he said. “Yes, I would have loved to have got a fourth try and a bonus point, but I’m very happy with another home win.”
Russell feels his team, who lost their opening eight games and have remained amateur, are now feeling more comfortable at National League level.
“It has taken a while,” he said. “It’s a massive step up in physicality and the pace of the game, but we can compete. We just have to keep making our performances better and backing them up each week.
“The boys now have a well-earned week off.”
He added: “We had looked at this last block of three games and we were aiming to get two wins, and we have managed to do that.”
Services did have Tom Davies red-carded in the dying seconds of Saturday’s match for a second yellow card, but they were convinced he should not have picked up a second booking.
“He (the ref) got the wrong person,” said Russell. “It was Shaun (Crawford) that made the high tackle.”
Although Services remain bottom of the table despite the win, they are now only three points behind second-from-bottom Macclesfield and nine behind Hinkley in 12th. Both those teams still have to visit the Rectory in the new year.
Right from the word go on Saturday, it looked like Services knew it was a game they could win.
All Loughborough’s victories this season have come on their own artificial pitch and the weather conditions certainly suited Services better.
Devonport did have to defend early on as they initially struggled to get out of their 22, but once they got their first scrum and pushed Loughborough back 15 metres and got a penalty, it was clear that there was probably only going to be one winner.
Loughborough were just penalised and penalised at scrums as they just could not handle Services pack. Towards the end of the game, they had a prop sin-binned and they had to go to uncontested scrums, which actually helped them.
Devonport did have a lot of pressure midway through the first half after an initial break by Billy Sutton, making his first National League start, but they were unable to score.
However, they finally did get a try they deserved in the 29th minute. After intense pressure from some good pick-and-go work, they got advantage and Richard West put in a great kick to the right corner where George Pooley was able to gather and score. West’s conversion looked like it was going to go over but the wind just blew it back and it hit the bar and bounced the wrong way.
On 32 minutes, Services were awarded a penalty in the 22 after making 70 metres with strong running and good handling. But even though it was a kickable penalty, they opted for a scrum. From the set-play the home forwards got the push on and eventually James Hocking broke off from number eight and then fed Henry Gliddon to score in the right corner.
Services, with captain Matt Gregory really leading from the front, probably could have got another try before the break, but the 10-0 lead they had was thoroughly deserved.
The heavens opened in the second period and Services had to defend hard early on.
Saracens academy product Tayo Adegbemile came so close to scoring for Loughborough on 47 minutes, but Services did brilliantly to stop him and then they defended a five-metre line-out well.
Eventually, Devonport were able to get to the other end of the field and they got another penalty. Again, they refused the attempt at three points and went for the corner. From the line-out they pressed and after minutes camped on Loughborough’s line prop Oli Symons managed to get over for Services’ third try, which West converted.
In the 61st minute, Services had centre Davies yellow carded for a high tackle but nine minutes later Loughborough were also reduced to 14 men with prop Tom Dye sin-binned after his team had been warned about their scrum penalties.
In the final 10 minutes, Loughborough had a number of chances to score, including a great one from fly-half Ben Taylor, but Services pulled out all the stops to deny them.
Then with the last play of the game, after Davies had been shown a second yellow card, Services turned the students over on their line and replacement Charlie Groves broke. It looked like he might run the length of the field but with just one man to beat, he tried to off-load to a team-mate and the ball went to ground.
Devonport Services II’s also had a good win on Saturday. They beat their Tiverton counterparts 45-10 in the Devon 2nd XV Cup at Keyham.
Services II were missing quite a few players and so it took them a while to settle.
However, they went in at the break 26-10 up thanks to tries by Josh Martin, Yianni Costas, Tyler Busfield and Sam Fincham, with Leighton Stark kicking three conversions.
After the interval, Ethan Hilland, the returning Tommy Pullinger and Owen Kerswell added further tries, two of which were converted by Stark.
Also in the Devon 2nd XV Cup, Plymstock Oaks II were beaten 38-5 by Crediton II in gale-force conditions at Horsham Fields.
Oaks actually took the lead with a try by Nathan Akers after just seven minutes, but Crediton hit back with two tries to take a 14-7 advantage into the break.
The visitors added a third try early in the second half before adding three more in the final 20 minutes.
In Counties Three Cornwall, Saltash II were narrowly beaten 24-17 away at Roseland.
The Ashes had gone 17-7 up after 23 minutes with tries by Frank Cozens, Daryl Lumsdon and Pete Edwards, but Roseland pulled it back to 17-7 with a try and a penalty. The home side then snatched a winning try from a scrum in the 68th minute.
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