FOR the second time this season Jersey United Banks reached a final only to see their chances of winning it evaporate before 80 minutes had been played.

First it was the final of the Hampshire Plate which they lost to a very good, very quick Southampton University side.

Yesterday at St Peter it was the Sugden Cup final, which saw Jersey 2nds bully them in the forwards and tackle like demons in the threes.

And although the final score suggests that the difference between the teams was simply one converted try, this was far from the truth, for the 2nds missed two kickable penalties and four conversions.

They also looked to be the team in form and, as Banks’ captain Julian de Gruchy said afterwards: ‘We did all the defending, they played all the rugby.

I could count our attacking moves on the fingers of one hand.

They surprised us in the forwards, which meant we never had a platform to attack through our threes.

At the end of it – they deserved to win.’ The surprise feature of the game was the way the 2nds’ pack knuckled down to playing powerhouse rugby from the start.

On paper, at least, the Banks’ forwards should have won at least 50 per cent of the ball.

As it was, time after time they were driven back in both set scrums and the line-out, and there could have been no argument in the ninth minute when, from a penalty kick into the corner and a catch and drive, prop forward Jim Brimelow crashed over.

Banks enjoyed the next score less than ten minutes later when they were awarded a scrum in the 2nds’ 22.

Big No 8, Nick Trower, drove for the line, scrum-half Tim de Gruchy followed this up with a darting run as he evaded at least two tackles before popping the ball up to Peter Haworth, who touched down from three yards out.

Jim McCormack converted.

Banks were 7-5 in front but three minutes later went 10-7 behind to the best try of the match.

After the 2nds had regathered the ball and played it left, it then re-appeared on the right, where slick handling by forwards and threes alike saw full-back Phil Lane take a half-decent pass to cross over the line, virtually unopposed.

The 2nds were back in front and would remain so for the rest of the match.

The third try, made by the second row, was scored by scrum-half Paul Nayar in the 32nd minute and although the Banks narrowed the score to 15-14 on the stroke of half-time when Nick Trower stole in following another half-break by Tim de Gruchy, a try converted by McCormack, it was a score very much against the run of play.

By now the 2nds had missed two kickable penalties and three conversions.

Territorially, they dominated.

They rarely looked like losing line-out ball and at times they pushed the Banks’ pack back yards at a time.

Following the break the pattern was to be repeated, although no-one could fault the Banks’ defence which was heroic to a man.

However, a simple kick to touch from a penalty, followed by another catch and drive in the 45th minute, led to a John Larose try which, even with another 35 minutes to play, effectively took the game away from Banks.

In the last ten minutes they raised their game and McCormack was to have a penalty attempt which flew narrowly wide of the posts, but the 2nds, on the day, played neater rugby in the threes and dominated too often in the loose.

‘We’d already decided we’d take them on up front, and the pack played well,’ said 2nds captain Will Grant.

‘It was a team performance – and we’ve had a good season.’ While the 2nds have now added the Sugden Cup to their JRA/Emeraude Lines’ League success, for the Banks this was a painful reminder that getting to a cup final is one thing .

.

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winning it is very much another.

Jersey 2nds: P Lane, K Hayes, D Carswell, H Giesen, H Bonn, J Allan, P Nayar, J Larose, D Snook, J Brimelow, G Davies, M Collins, B Pirouet, R Kenwright, W Grant.

Subs (all used): D Tanguy, M Soley, M Le Mottée, J Felton.

Jersey United Banks: R Stevens, P Hand, A Bacquet, J de Gruchy, A Hunter, J McCormack, T de Gruchy, S Wallace, S Queripel, R Trower, P Haworth, I Murphy, E O’Brien, N Brennan, N Trower.

Subs: H Jacques, H Trower, P Greenwood, N Walker.

THE Macmillan Cup, played between veterans Jersey Wanderers and Beeches, was won by the veterans 35-12.

Full-back Kevin McGinty did most of the scoring for the Wanderers with two tries, two conversions and two penalties.

Guy Hinks and Rad Montgomery also got their name on the scoresheet, although the best try of the game came from stand-off Justin Thomas who latched on to a Steve Byrne pass two yards from the line after McGinty had made the initial break from inside his own half.

For Beeches Scott Goldhawk and Andy Dawson scored a try apiece, with Peter Stockley adding a conversion.

The score was 20-7 at half-time.

WITH no league game on Saturday afternoon JRFC manager Dai Burton sent out – and played in – a relatively inexperienced side against a Richmond Park 2nd XV at St Peter.

Although the visitors won 39-12 the Jersey side scored the first and last tries of the match through 17-year-olds John Felton and Kevin Quénault.

Another Youth player, Phil Lane, converted the first try.

Jersey RFC are sponsored by Insinger de Beaufort.