After a rejig of the leagues, Sidmouth Quins started life in the catchingly named Counties 3 Tribute Devon East with what is likely to be one of the toughest fixtures of the year, welcoming a new look Cullompton 2nds to The Blackmore. Cully had a tough time last year, struggling to raise a team on a number of occasions, but have been bolstered by the entry into adult rugby of a successful Colts side, and ultimately it was the cohesion and discipline at the breakdown, alongside a couple of standout individual performances, that enabled them to squeeze over the line in an entertaining contest which could have gone either way right up until the last whistle.
The match kicked off in glorious autumn sunshine in front of a good crowd and Cullompton, playing down the hill, were first on the attack. The Sidmouth defence initially held strong, but failed to clear their lines on a couple of occasions and eventually the pressure told with Cullompton scoring from a quick tap penalty near the posts, the conversion was added. 0-7.
From the restart Cullompton were straight back on the attack and they extended their lead when they created an overlap for their left winger to score, the conversion was missed. 0-12.
It looked like a landslide could be on the cards, but the Quins shook off the summer cobwebs and started to play some rugby in the Cullompton half. Led by typically strong carries from centre Tom Osborne and Number 8 Henry Thomas, Sidmouth spent most of the next 15 minutes in the Cullompton half, and they were rewarded when a missed clearance kick was fielded by Adam Squance on the left wing, he beat two men and fed Full-back Billy Collin. When he was pulled down short of the line the ball was recycled and fed wide for centre Ben Pratt to beat his man to score in the corner, Squance converted from the touchline. 7-12.
Sidmouth had their tails up, and took the lead when Osborne returned the Cullompton full-back’s kick for a 50-22 to give Sidmouth a line-out 10 metres from the Cullompton line. Although the first lineout was repelled by the Cully defence, the second went to plan with flanker Yan Mercan being driven over for a try. Squance added the conversion to put Sidmouth 14-12 up.
Cullompton didn’t lie down and a Sidmouth mistake from the restart allowed them to hit back right on half-time when their centre dummied his way through a disorganised Sidmouth defence to score under the posts, the try was converted. 14-19 at half time.
The 2nd half kicked off with Sidmouth playing down the hill and all to play for. They levelled the scores when a loose Cullompton pass on the Sidmouth 10 metre line allowed debutant Wing Ollie Hanson-Harvey to scoop up the ball and outsprint the defence to score in the corner for his first of (what should be) many senior tries for Sidmouth. Squance was unlucky with his conversion attempt drifting just wide.
Indiscipline at the breakdown along with some interesting interpretation of the laws from the man in the middle had been a factor throughout the game, and with Cullompton camped on the Sidmouth try line, Billy Collin was adjudged to have killed the ball (on his feet….using both hands….?) while attempting what would have been a try saving turnover, and was shown a yellow card (no penalty try though??). Cullompton opted to take the penalty quickly and after multiple phases the Number 8 forced his way over for a try, again the conversion was missed. 19-24 with 20 minutes to go.
With Sidmouth losing fly-half Jake Allen to a knee injury, a reshuffle in the backline saw Osborne move to 10 and Pratt having to return from the bench carrying an injury along with Tom Robins making a long-awaited return to the fold. Some of the continuity was lost, but Sidmouth dug deep and when Cullompton were penalised just inside their half, up stepped Squance to nonchalantly knock over the kick from all of 45 metres. 22-24.
With the crowd behind them, Sidmouth repelled three waves of Cullompton attacks and when the ball was turned over, Flanker James Perchard-Richards and Veteran 2nd Row Nick Mills combined to take play into the Cullompton half. When a Cullompton forward was adjudged to have held on in the tackle, the ever-reliable right boot (or flip-flop!) of Squance was on hand to kick the penalty. 25-24, ten minutes left.
As with previous matches between the two sides, this one was going to the wire and Cullompton took the lead again when they created an overlap for their Full-back to score in the corner, the try was unconverted. 25-29.
Sidmouth hit back almost immediately when a bemused Cully 2nd row was shown a yellow card for ‘an offence’ that neither side could really identify! Squance gleefully accepted the offer of 3 points to ensure a grandstand finish with 5 minutes to go. 28-29.
Alas, a mistake from the kick-off meant that Sidmouth would have to go the whole length of the pitch to score the try that would give a bonus point victory, and when the attack broke down just outside the Sidmouth 22, the Cullompton back row descended to force a penalty which their fly-half converted. The kick was followed by the final whistle, making the final score 28-32 to Cullompton.
Sidmouth will rue the first ten minutes when they didn’t get out of the blocks, and indiscipline at the breakdown alongside isolated runners meaning that possession was given up too easily in crucial moments. As far as the first game of the season goes, a losing bonus point is not the worst outcome against a side who will surely be pushing for promotion, but the Quins will consider this one that got away.
Picking up where he left off last season, Adam Squance was man of the match, but honourable mentions go to the back row of Thomas, Mercan and Perchard-Richards each of who’s tackle count must have been in the 20s, Prop Richie Hull who put in some big hits in defence (who needs a straight nose anyway?) and looks to have stepped up a level from last season, Scrum-half Kade Hayman who performed well behind an often retreating pack in a position he doesn’t play very often and Skipper for the day Neil Barratt who has clearly spent the summer writing some (a)rousing post-match speeches!
Thanks as always to the matchday backroom staff of Stu Cavin, Jamie Wride, John Hamill and Boffer.
The Quins have a bye week next week, but travel away to Exeter Athletic in a fortnight