AFTER this win against a dour Chobham RFC, Jersey are one game away from repeating the feat of the mighty Richmond two seasons ago – going a whole season unbeaten in London South-West, Division III.

If they do win against Effingham at home in two weeks’ time they will have set a Channel Islands record of going not just a season, but 15 months, unbeaten in league rugby.

The week following that, there is the little matter of the Siam Cup to play for, which is why JRFC coach Dai Burton is keeping a watchful eye on Guernsey, who are second in the division below Jersey at the moment.

‘I know they lost on Saturday but, if they win their last game, they’ll go up anyway,’ he said.

‘Our players know they’re playing for Siam Cup places, although the pack are probably playing better at the moment than the threes.

‘They seem over anxious.

Andy Whelan, for example, who had a good game at centre, made some good runs through the middle but the linking with him when he got tackled was poor.

‘There were too few fluid passages of play.

I know that the threes go for long periods without the ball, when their main contribution is in defence, but they, like the forwards, need to be on top of their game.’ So despite the scoreline there were some nervous moments although Jersey couldn’t have started better.

After eight minutes Chobham were given a scrum five minutes from their try-line.

Having won the ball, the Chobham scrum-half then attempted a hasty kick to safety, which was charged down by back-row forward Ian Henderson.

Steve O’Brien neatly touched down in the corner.

Virtually from the restart Chobham claimed their first points of the match when Brett Els – whose contribution to Jersey’s winning run this season has been massive – was adjudged to have lain too long on the ball.

The Chobham No 10 kicked the penalty.

Five minutes later Jersey’s score went into double figures when they were given a penalty.

O’Brien tapped the ball to himself, side stepped once, then twice, and ran clear beneath the posts.

Darren Toudic converted.

The next try came with the assist of captain Danny McAlister, who made half a break before unloading to Els who ran clear beneath the posts to make it 19-3 after the conversion.

Jersey seemed to be coasting home, but when winger Matt Davenport-Brown reacted, angrily, to a high tackle in the 25th minute and was sin-binned, Chobham scored their first try with a catch and drive from the line-out.

‘The funny thing was, we’d watched them rehearse this move before kick-off,’ said Burton.

They caught the ball and then most of their threes joined the pack.

Yet we still allowed them to score.’ Winning 19-8 at half-time, Jersey took a 26-8 lead in the 43rd minute when Davenport-Brown atoned for his indiscipline by latching onto the final pass in a move which saw the ball move left to right to left again following good handling from pack and threes alike.

Toudic converted.

Jersey were, effectively, in an unassailable lead which was added to when second-row forward Roger Quirk did the most unexpected thing.

He took a quick tap-penalty himself and dived over.

Again, the try was converted, and although Chobham were to score when their flanker – also their captain and their man-of-the-match – ran in for a converted try in the last quarter, the game was Jersey’s.

There was even time enough for full-back Gareth Jeffreys to score a fine individual try, running the ball in from 80 yards out after Chobham had dropped it.

Toudic converted.

However, this was not the best that Jersey have played this season.

There are still too many mistakes in midfield; too many anxious moments.

Defensively, though, Jersey have improved tremendously over the year.

They also want the next two wins and are, metaphorically, straining at the leash to get them.

Jersey: Nobes, Chamier, Brimelow (Davies), McAlister, Quirk, Els (Grant), Henderson, O’Brien, Miles, Toudic, Davenport-Brown, Whelan, White (R Allan), Milner, Jeffreys.