Jersey RFC fight back to stay in the Championship

Monday 28 April 2014

It was a nail-biting final match of the season but Jersey RFC will play a third season in the Green King IPA Championship after a win at Bedford this weekend.

It’s been a stressful season for the Reds who went into the match at the bottom of the table, but their 41 - 31 win at Goldington Road on Saturday means they’ve fought off relegation.

Jersey were first on to the scoreboard with an Aaron Penberthy pen. Bedford’s James Pritchard levelled it moments later, but the home team were then reduced to 14 players.

Jersey stepped up the pressure and scored their first try of the afternoon through Nick Campbell; Penberthy converted. Nicky Griffiths got the second before Bedford scored a try of their own.

Jersey were then reduced to 14 men as Ryan Hodson got a yellow card and Bedford took advantage and the lead with a converted try. Not to be held down, back came Jersey and it was Drew Locke who scored the third try to make it 17 - 25 at half time.

The first score in the second period was always going to be important, and although Jersey extended the lead with a penalty, it was Bedford who scored the first try. At 24-28 it was anyone's game, and very tense.

Penberthy again extended the Reds' lead before Mike Le Bourgeois scored a great try against his old teammates for the home side, to tie the score at 31 each.

Jersey took the bold move with about ten minutes to go when awarded a penalty and spurned the chance to take three points which would have seen them restore their lead, and instead kicked to the corner looking for the fourth try. From the resultant line out Jersey drove forward and were finally awarded a penalty try as Bedford illegally tried to halt the Jersey maul, and Penberthy again added the extras.

Again Bedford fought back, but Penberthy got the final word with a penalty, and that was how it ended.

Meanwhile Ealing were chipping away at the Rotherham's score at Vallis Way but finally went down 29-36 and are the relegated team.

It was relief for coach Harvey Biljon and all the players as the final whistle blew, and Jersey survive to go forward next year and compete for their third season in the second tier of English rugby.

Speaking after the match the team’s Press Officer Tom Innes said: “It was a real ding-dong encounter and topsy-turvy because although we got an early lead, it was very tight in the first half.

"We got a very important try at the end of the first half, and just managed to keep our noses in front until 60 minutes when it went level – at that stage we weren’t sure a draw was going to be enough and we just had a final burst of wind.”

 “The players are quite emotional, they’ve been criticized because they’ve under-performed in recent weeks, and lost matches they should have won and with Goldington’s sloping pitch, we had to win a hard one.

“It showed great character to win this match. It’s been a tough season, emotional for the team but they’re happy to come out on the right end of it.”

The players have three or four days of training this week and a chance to get a bit of rest before the Reds go for another win over Guernsey in the Siam Cup next Saturday.

Tom said: “We’d really like to finish on a high. We need one more push to keep it in Jersey’s cabinet.”