BY beating England 3-2 at St Peter yesterday afternoon Jersey’s mixed touch team proved, for the third time in a row, that they are the best in Europe.
And their winning try in a dramatic final was a great example of the wonderful sporting atmosphere created over a tremendous weekend.
With Justin Thomas charging for the line for a ’sudden death’ extra-time score an England defender threw himself across to make a touch - and many of the crowd and the match officials thought he might have made it.
But no, honesty prevailed and the shattered defender confirmed to the ref that he had missed - and Jersey had retained the title for the second time.
The trophy that they first won four years ago in Edinburgh, retained two years ago in Cardiff, and won, for the third time, at a sodden Jersey Rugby Club yesterday afternoon, is now firmly at home in the Island and will stay here for the next two years.
Jersey, quite simply, have one of the best mixed touch teams in Europe and the world - and they stopped England getting a clean sweep of Euro trophies - the red rose nation taking the men’s, ladies and seniors trophies.
Despite drawing early on, 5-5 against Thailand (part of the round-robin games that included ‘rest of the World’ teams’, Jersey went on to beat Wales 3-1, Scotland 5-3, England 5-3 and France 5-0 on Saturday before losing to South Africa 4-1 on Sunday and then, in turn, trouncing Guernsey 11-2 on the way to the semi-finals, when they beat Scotland 5-0.
England beat Wales, to reach one of their four finals.
Jersey, in front of a 500-strong crowd, were the first to score when player/coach Kevin McGinty broke clear and went over the line on the right.
England, however, came back strongly, and two scores by Joss Pettitt and Zarene Dallas made it 2-1 to England before McGinty scored again, courtesy of good work by the tireless running of Thomas.
England, by this time, were applying a huge amount of pressure in front of the Jersey line, and without the never-ending defence of the Jersey side, which included a fit Jay Bartle, back and in form following several months away, the game could have been lost before the ‘drop-off’ sudden-death finale.
Chrissie Hefford, outstanding throughout the weekend, had come close to scoring two minutes before the hooter went to signal extra time, but a desperate lunge was adjudged to have touched her before she grounded in the corner following good work from McGinty.
Tension mounted as the drop-off period saw a player from each side removed from play until only three faced three.
With Hefford, Thomas and McGinty on the pitch Jersey made it a hat-trick of trophy triumphs in the eighth minute of extra time; Again it was made by McGinty, who unloaded the ball to Thomas, who charged overin the left-hand corner to win the match, and the Ernst and Young European mixed touch championship, 3-2.
It was no more than a much fitter Jersey team deserved.
However, magnaminous in defeat, they praised the host ‘country’ and were also full of praise for the organisers of a tournament which has seen 500 players from 12 countries, including Australia and New Zealand taking part.
‘It’s the best European tournament we’ve been to,’ said Cary Thompson, the Australian president of the Federation of International Touch.
‘FIT now has 30 member countries and the game is played by one and a half million people in Australia and New Zealand alone.
‘Our government put in 642,000 dollars into the sport this year and although it is an amateur sport, we reckon the potential is tremendous - it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
‘All the family can play, and in some areas around Sydney, complete families, plus their neighbours, make up teams.
It’s in the top seven most popular sports in Australia.
It’s also gaining in popularity in Europe, with Belgium, Portugal and Greece - all three asking to be included in the next European competition in two years’ time.
‘There is currently an Asian region, a South Pacific region and a European region.
And Jersey has done a great job in hosting the European championships.
This island has been a real credit to its residents.’ For Cliff Chipperfield, chairman of the Jersey Touch Association, Jersey’s win was the cherry on top of the icing cake.
‘I loved seeing 500 players, featuring in 32 teams, lining up for the opening ceremony on Saturday morning,’ he said.
‘And many of these teams will be back.
The Home Nations have already said they’ll be here for our beach tournament in August.
Next year we’ll target our own touch league, locally, and also try to set up a touch competition for teenagers, after school, in town.’ In Australia touch is the largest participation sport in both primary and secondary schools, and although Australia were in Jersey as unofficial ‘guests’ in this European competition, they are easily head and shoulders better than most of the European sides they played against.
However, for the mixed team to win the European title for three tournaments in a row says as much for their determination, fitness level and overall organisation as it does for a solid defence and quick runners, both male and female.
As Morag Obarska, Jersey team manager said after her team had won, ‘It was the best way to end this weekend.
I’m thrilled for the team to have won the triple.
We won because of teamwork.
Everyone played out of their skins.
‘It was a sudden death play-off which we won with a golden try at the end.
But England couldn’t be faulted.
They were tough opposition.
At three on three at the end we just managed to make that final break-through and I’m just delighted for Kevin (McGinty) for the hard work he’s done with the squad, coaching them so well over the last two years.’ Jersey: Chrissie Hefford, Julia Hackland, Zoe Smart, Claire Le Maistre, Kelly de la Haye, Clare Foster, Heidi McGinty, Justin Thomas, Kevin McGinty, Matt Gambles, Jason Hosty, Andy May, Jay Bartle, Chris Veal.
In the final of the junior schools’ tag rugby competition, held immediately before the touch finals, St John beat Bel Royal 14-11.
Results: European - Men’s final: England 2, Wales 0.
Women: England 2, Wales 0.
Senior men: England 3, Wales 1.
Rest of World - women: Australia 3, Colonials 2.
Men: Australia 6, New Zealand Universities 2.
Seniors: Australia O35 4, Australia O40 0.
Mixed: South Africa Presidents 10, Galaxy 5.
Article posted on 12th July, 2004 - 12.00am
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