DEVONPORT Services are going to have to tighten up defensively if they are to have any hope of staying in National Two West.
After losing 53-17 away at Taunton on the opening day of the campaign, they were beaten 68-33 by Redruth at the Rectory on Saturday in their first home match of the season.
They did pick up a try-scoring bonus point and made a real game of it in the second half. They did actually have their Cornish visitors worried at one point, but they gave themselves far too much to do after trailing 40-7 at half-time.
“If that scoreboard keeps happening week in, week out, then we are going to go down,” admitted Services head coach Ben Russell. “We can’t be conceding 50 or 60 points per game. We have to buck up our ideas and defend better.”
On Saturday’s match, he said: “We gave them too much in the first half – we didn’t front up, we didn’t get off the line and we gave them some really soft tries off turnovers. Every 50-50 they got on it and won it.
“We put ourselves on the back foot in the first half going 40-7 down.
“But in the second half we brought it back to 40-26 and then there was a decision by the referee in the corner. They intercept right on our line when he’s about a yard off-side. It could have been a penalty try and a yellow card, but that (decision) has killed us.
“If we had scored that then we were right in the game and we were really in a purple patch and they were struggling to handle our attack. But that took the game away from us.
“However, the first half wasn’t good enough. We have given them soft tries.
“When they got into the 22, they kept it really well and tight. It was a war of attrition with their physicality and we didn’t match it.”
Services biggest problem was their set-piece. They just struggled to win any line-out ball and their scrum was under pressure for much of the match against an experienced Redruth pack.
Devonport have lost key forwards like Oli Symons, Matt Gregory, Bertie Fordham and James Hocking and the new-look pack has not yet gelled.
However, their backs do look very sharp, but the pack need to be winning set-piece ball to feed them.
They could not have asked for a worse start on Saturday as they found themselves 14-0 down after just nine minutes.
Redruth, who had beaten Bournville 61-10 in their opening match, scored in the opening three minutes when the experienced Tom Cowan-Dickie scored a converted try from close range following a line-out.
Young impressive scrum-half Sam Bray then scored a stunning try following a line-out 40 metres out and fly-half Joe Cummins again added the conversion.
But Services did pull a score back on 13 minutes when number eight Jake Bond scored from close range after a tap penalty after an initial great run and kick forward down the wing by Harrison Coonick, who did later limp off with a hamstring injury.
However, almost from the restart, Redruth responded with centre Jack Simmons powering through some non-existent defence from a scrum move.
Devonport then had player-coach Shaun Crawford yellow carded and the visitors quickly added a fourth try from a five-metre scrum courtesy of number eight Finley Wolstencroft.
And before Services returned to 15 players, the Reds added a fifth try through winger Noah Clifford after the home side had failed to gather a Bray box kick.
It then got worse for Devonport as the Cornish side added a sixth score deep in injury-time when the lively Bray added his second after spotting a gap from close range.
Considering Redruth’s dominance in the first half, their large travelling following were probably hoping for 80 or 100 points, but Devonport did come out for the second half looking like a different side.
The hosts scored three unanswered tries to bring it back to 40-26 and were threatening to make it a one-score game.
Henry Gliddon, who had come on for the injured Coonick, scored a try out of nothing to begin the home side’s comeback.
Redruth then had winger Jack Counter yellow carded after the visitors had received a warning for the number of penalties they were conceding and Services made them pay instantly with Gliddon getting his second.
Five minutes later, Devonport were awarded a penalty try after a deliberate knock-on close to the line by Luke Johnson was deemed to have denied a certain try in the corner.
Redruth responded with a touch-down by replacement Robert Baragwanath after they pushed Devonport off a scrum on their own line.
Services did look like they were going to close the gap again. They were attacking right on Redruth’s line and looked certain to score in the right corner, but somehow visiting full-back Finn Love has intercepted and run the length of the field to score.
Devonport were adamant that the full-back was offside when he intercepted and denied a certain try, but the officials were not interested and it took the game well and truly beyond the hosts.
The visitors then made it 61-26 with another try from Baragwanath from a scrum.
Finn White did pull one back for Services deep in injury-time and it looked like that might be the last act of the game, but the referee decided there was still time for one more play and Redruth scored from the restart kick courtesy of fly-half Cummins, who also finished the day with nine conversions.
While Services were in league action, other amateur sides were playing friendlies ahead of the delayed start to the other divisions on September 26.
OPMs and an Ivybridge XV played out a competitive game at King George V Playing Fields.
The Ivybridge side eventually won 24-15, but it was a pretty even contest.
It was supposed to be Ivybridge’s second team, but it did include a few players who are likely to be in their firsts.
Ivybridge led 12-5 at the break with Jack Guyver scoring the first and then he made their second for Owen Alp to score and Matt Grieveson added the conversion.
OPMs’ first half effort came in between those scores when Will Varley scored a fine try down the left wing.
In second half both teams scored two tries each, with new hooker signing Cam Wallace and back Angus Harris scoring for Ivybridge and Matt and Fred Smale touching down for OPMs.
Afterwards Ivybridge head coach Steve Atkinson said: “It was a good contest in the end and it was nice to get another run out.
“We went with a couple of lads who will be potential ones due to availability and then predominantly Vandals lads so it was good to get some combinations together instead of playing mixed games.”
Plymstock Oaks gave notice of their intention to make an instant return to Western West by beating an understrength Saltash side 66-5 at Horsham Fields on Saturday.
Oaks were relegated to Counties Two Devon on the final day of last season, with Saltash staying up ahead of them.
But Plymstock have strengthened their squad massively over the summer and experienced new arrivals Tyler Busfield, Al Thomas, Joey Pook, Richard West, Tom Richard, Brandon Bonsor, Matt Neyle, Aiden Taylor and Toby Moss all got a run out against Saltash.
Harvey Searle, Lewis Paterson and Moss all scored two tries each for Oaks, with Neyle, Pook, Taylor and Thomas also touching down and Neyle adding the extras with the boot.
Oaks’ second team were narrowly edged out 39-33 by Tamar Saracens also at Horsham Fields on Saturday.
Sarries had been 26-3 down at half-time but came back strongly second half, with Dane Waryck scoring twice and Hayden Coles, Lew Swatton, Adam Corbett and Jacob Blazdale also on the scoresheet for the visitors.
Oaks II’s tries came from Toby Moss, Duncan Bibby, Dan Jewell (2) and Mitty Caqara.
“It was a really good game,” said Tamar Saracens’ Pete Lethbridge. “We were really good in the second half and it was really encouraging, especially as we were missing a lot of our new signings.”
Old Techs beat higher league Liskeard-Looe 31-24 away on Saturday.
Scrum-half Theo Jones bagged a hat-trick of tries for the Weston Mill side, with Brett Tunnicliffe and Sammy Matts also scoring at Lux Park.
Tavistock continued their pre-season with a 29-7 away victory over lower league North Tawton on Friday night.
Ollie Plummer scored a hat-trick for Tavistock, with Ollie James and Liam Watts also touching down. Freddie Fuller added the extras.
Plympton Victoria started their pre-season campaign with a tough game against a strong New Cross side at St Mary’s Field.
Plym Vic were beaten 63-3, with Chris Barratt scoring the home side’s only points.
“They (New Cross) were strong and organised and it was our first game so some rust was to be expected,” said Plym Vic’s Chris Hunt. “However, a test is always a good thing.”
Gallery from Devonport Services v Redruth
Gallery from OPMs v Ivybridge
All pictures are low resolution and are protected by copyright so should not be used without permission.