DEVON’S senior men’s team survived a few nervous moments against a lively Staffordshire side to reach Twickenham for a second successive year.
Devon narrowly triumphed 27-20 at Ivybridge’s Cross-in-Hand ground on Saturday to reach the Division Two final of the County Championship, having last season won the Division Three title at English rugby’s HQ.
The hosts, who had beaten Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire in their group games, did really have to dig deep in the closing minutes.
They had winger Matt Crosscombe yellow carded with nine minutes to go, and Staffordshire threw everything at them. Devon held the visitors up over the line in the 79th minute before surviving a Staffordshire five-metre scrum with the final play.
The visitors, who had finished as runners-up in their pool, did start really well in the wet conditions and took a 7-0 lead after just two minutes with a converted try from close range.
It was a tough opening few minutes for Devon as they also lost Plymstock Oaks prop Harvey Courtis, who has signed for Plymouth Albion for next season, with a serious-looking knee injury.
But a Joel Ashworth penalty on 10 minutes did settle their nerves a little bit.
Staffordshire, who had half-backs Benny Elliot and Chaz Bunting impressing, did have a lot of pressure after that and Devon really had to defend well to keep them out.
After turning down the posts on one occasion, Staffordshire did eventually go for a penalty kick in the 18th minute and fly-half Elliot put it over to edge them 10-3 ahead.
But Devon then had a good 10 minute spell, that ultimately won them the game.
Brixham full-back Ashworth kicked another penalty before his team-mate Jordan Watson finished off a great counterattack move to make it 13-10.
Brixham hooker Harry Rodwell then scored from a catch-and-drive move and Ashworth added the conversion to put Devon 20-10 ahead.
Staffordshire did reduce the gap just before the break with an Elliot penalty and 13 minutes into the second period they levelled the match when scrum-half Bunting scored under the posts after good play from flanker Keifer Laxton.
Devon, with Oaks’ Lewis Paterson finding touch well with kicks, did regain the lead when replacement Louie Drennan cut through a couple of attempted tackles to score a fine try, which Ashworth converted.
But Staffordshire really threatened late on to pull level. Hooker James Davies and flanker Macauley Green could not have come closer to scoring.
The visitors did get a penalty after they were held up and opted for a scrum with the last play of the match. It was re-set, but Devon then pushed them off the set-piece and earned a penalty to win the game.
They will now play Cheshire in the final at Twickenham on Sunday, June 22.
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