Sat 1 Oct 2022
Sidmouth Quins welcomed New Cross to Sidford looking for their second win of the season and an improved performance from the week before.
New Cross kicked off in glorious autumn sunshine and Sidmouth were straight on the attack forcing a penalty which Adam Squance converted. 3-0
New Cross hit back with a try that made the most of their considerably sized pack, running through phase after phase in the shadow of the Sidmouth posts. Despite some excellent defence, the pressure told and a chance was created for the winger to score in the corner, the conversion was just wide. 3-5.
Sidmouth dominated the next ten minutes, the forwards gained control of the breakdown and the backs started to play the type of rugby that anyone who was watching last season knows they can play. With Scrum-Half Aidan Summerfield keeping the tempo high, Glenn Channing pulling the strings from Fly-Half and Centre’s Billy Collin and Joe Herbert carrying powerfully, Sidmouth moved the ball from one touchline to the other and soon created a chance for Squance to dive over in the corner. His conversion drifted just wide. 8-5.
The rest of the half was one-way green traffic with Sidmouth creating several chances to score, but frustratingly too often the last pass went astray. However, they stuck to their task and scored two tries that fans of the dark arts of the scrum would greatly approve of.
First, after several rucks, Squance couldn’t gather a poor pass from Channing on the New Cross line meaning New Cross had a defensive scrum 5 metres out with the opportunity to clear their lines. But it was not to be as the Sidmouth pack pushed their bigger opponents off the ball, allowing club stalwart Number 8 Rhys Thomas to touch down for one of the simpler tries that he has scored in a green shirt. Squance converted. 15-5
With the final play of the half, Summerfield took a quick penalty and linked with second rows Tom Butler and Jack Holloway who carried deep into the New Cross 22. From the ensuing ruck the ball was moved wide to Squance who broke one tackle and offloaded to Mark Bishop. He was held up just short of the line but when the New Cross Second-Row was adjudged to have killed the ball, the referee showed him a yellow card. With the opposition pack a man light, Sidmouth opted for a scrum 5 metres from the New Cross line, and pushed the New Cross pack over their own line, allowing Thomas to score his second try on his return to the playing fold. Squance’s conversion drifted wide making the half-time score 20-5.
With fresh legs replacing old ones, Sidmouth would have been hoping to kick on, but to coin a phrase, rugby is a game of two halves and it was New Cross who hit the ground running. Despite the attentions of Sidmouth flankers Yan Mercan and James Perchard-Richards tackling everything that moved, New Cross executed a simple gameplan of using their big strike runners to gain momentum in tight channels and after multiple phases they scored a try just wide of the posts which was converted. 20-12.
Shortly after the restart, the game was halted for ten minutes when Mercan sustained a serious leg injury which brought to an end another quality performance full of powerful carries and tackles from the young flanker. We wish him well for a speedy recovery.
Following the restart it was New Cross who again seized the initiative, and after several phases and some uncharacteristically slack defence, they scored another well worked try from a lineout.
With New Cross on the front foot and a lack of structure and discipline meaning coaching staff Stu Cavin and John Hammill’s jovial expressions from half-time were now a distant memory and growing sterner by the minute, Sidmouth were in danger of being overrun. Matters were made worse when with 16 minutes left to play, Herbert was adjudged to have deliberately knocked when attempting an interception and was given a yellow card.
However, a game can hinge on a moment of excellence. And so it was when, with 10 minutes left on the clock and against the run of play, Channing - who admits that he “has one break a game in me, so I have to use it wisely” - chose his moment. He threw an audacious dummy on halfway to beat one man, engaged 2nd gear to beat another, and then drew one more before offloading to replacement centre Ollie Perez on the New Cross 22. He had plenty of work to do, but broke through one tackle and sidestepped the full-back to score a fine try. Squance added the conversion 27-12.
Needing to score 3 times in the final 8 minutes, New Cross seemed to tire, and their frustrations were evident for all to see when their hooker was sent-off for a cynical punch on Perez, who rode the punch well and lives to fight another day. Channing kicked the penalty into the 22 and from the ensuing lineout, the ball was moved wide to find Herbert, fresh from his enforced rest, to power over in the corner despite the attentions of two would be tacklers. The conversion was missed and the final whistle sounded giving Sidmouth a 32-17 win.
That result means Sidmouth are up to 4th in Counties 3 Tribute Devon East, 4 points off early pacesetters Crediton 2nds and OPMs. With no game this week, Sidmouth’s next fixture is a tough away day at Okehampton 2nds on October the 15th.
New Cross kicked off in glorious autumn sunshine and Sidmouth were straight on the attack forcing a penalty which Adam Squance converted. 3-0
New Cross hit back with a try that made the most of their considerably sized pack, running through phase after phase in the shadow of the Sidmouth posts. Despite some excellent defence, the pressure told and a chance was created for the winger to score in the corner, the conversion was just wide. 3-5.
Sidmouth dominated the next ten minutes, the forwards gained control of the breakdown and the backs started to play the type of rugby that anyone who was watching last season knows they can play. With Scrum-Half Aidan Summerfield keeping the tempo high, Glenn Channing pulling the strings from Fly-Half and Centre’s Billy Collin and Joe Herbert carrying powerfully, Sidmouth moved the ball from one touchline to the other and soon created a chance for Squance to dive over in the corner. His conversion drifted just wide. 8-5.
The rest of the half was one-way green traffic with Sidmouth creating several chances to score, but frustratingly too often the last pass went astray. However, they stuck to their task and scored two tries that fans of the dark arts of the scrum would greatly approve of.
First, after several rucks, Squance couldn’t gather a poor pass from Channing on the New Cross line meaning New Cross had a defensive scrum 5 metres out with the opportunity to clear their lines. But it was not to be as the Sidmouth pack pushed their bigger opponents off the ball, allowing club stalwart Number 8 Rhys Thomas to touch down for one of the simpler tries that he has scored in a green shirt. Squance converted. 15-5
With the final play of the half, Summerfield took a quick penalty and linked with second rows Tom Butler and Jack Holloway who carried deep into the New Cross 22. From the ensuing ruck the ball was moved wide to Squance who broke one tackle and offloaded to Mark Bishop. He was held up just short of the line but when the New Cross Second-Row was adjudged to have killed the ball, the referee showed him a yellow card. With the opposition pack a man light, Sidmouth opted for a scrum 5 metres from the New Cross line, and pushed the New Cross pack over their own line, allowing Thomas to score his second try on his return to the playing fold. Squance’s conversion drifted wide making the half-time score 20-5.
With fresh legs replacing old ones, Sidmouth would have been hoping to kick on, but to coin a phrase, rugby is a game of two halves and it was New Cross who hit the ground running. Despite the attentions of Sidmouth flankers Yan Mercan and James Perchard-Richards tackling everything that moved, New Cross executed a simple gameplan of using their big strike runners to gain momentum in tight channels and after multiple phases they scored a try just wide of the posts which was converted. 20-12.
Shortly after the restart, the game was halted for ten minutes when Mercan sustained a serious leg injury which brought to an end another quality performance full of powerful carries and tackles from the young flanker. We wish him well for a speedy recovery.
Following the restart it was New Cross who again seized the initiative, and after several phases and some uncharacteristically slack defence, they scored another well worked try from a lineout.
With New Cross on the front foot and a lack of structure and discipline meaning coaching staff Stu Cavin and John Hammill’s jovial expressions from half-time were now a distant memory and growing sterner by the minute, Sidmouth were in danger of being overrun. Matters were made worse when with 16 minutes left to play, Herbert was adjudged to have deliberately knocked when attempting an interception and was given a yellow card.
However, a game can hinge on a moment of excellence. And so it was when, with 10 minutes left on the clock and against the run of play, Channing - who admits that he “has one break a game in me, so I have to use it wisely” - chose his moment. He threw an audacious dummy on halfway to beat one man, engaged 2nd gear to beat another, and then drew one more before offloading to replacement centre Ollie Perez on the New Cross 22. He had plenty of work to do, but broke through one tackle and sidestepped the full-back to score a fine try. Squance added the conversion 27-12.
Needing to score 3 times in the final 8 minutes, New Cross seemed to tire, and their frustrations were evident for all to see when their hooker was sent-off for a cynical punch on Perez, who rode the punch well and lives to fight another day. Channing kicked the penalty into the 22 and from the ensuing lineout, the ball was moved wide to find Herbert, fresh from his enforced rest, to power over in the corner despite the attentions of two would be tacklers. The conversion was missed and the final whistle sounded giving Sidmouth a 32-17 win.
That result means Sidmouth are up to 4th in Counties 3 Tribute Devon East, 4 points off early pacesetters Crediton 2nds and OPMs. With no game this week, Sidmouth’s next fixture is a tough away day at Okehampton 2nds on October the 15th.
