FOR the first time in their history, Jersey Rugby Club have finished a season unbeaten in every league game they have played.

This 20-6 win against second-placed Effingham and Leatherhead crowned a remarkable season, although the 650-strong crowd were treated to a rarity after 15 minutes of the second half – uncontested scrums.

After the visitors’ hooker, Ben Sangster, was stretchered off early in the first half with a neck injury, his replacement in the front row, Pete Smith, was helped from the pitch in the 55th minute again through injury.

The game was effectively over after that, although the rules governing the London South-West League Division III are vague when this happens.

Three years ago when visitors Chobham also lost two front row players, the game was ordered to be replayed.

It wasn’t – because of cost.

Instead a point each was given to either side.

This time, according to referee Paul Berghouse, the RFU could ask, again, for the game to be replayed if Effingham and Leatherhead make an official complaint.

That won’t happen, according to Effingham’s South African coach, Paul Gething who said: ‘In my opinion the result stands.

Twice they fed off our mistakes and they deserved to score because of it.

I’ve no complaints.’ So, the last 25 minutes saw plenty of movement in the threes, a static scrum and no points scored.

As Jersey’s main advantage had been in the pack, where prop Marcus Nobes had caused all sorts of problems to his opposite number, Dai Burton was rightly frustrated his team hadn’t been able to turn scrummaging advantage into points.

‘It became a bit of a non-game after that.

It was frustrating, because we had been driving them back in the forwards while, not for the first time this season, we were too anxious in midfield where we didn’t play well.’ His smile, followed by a group photograph with the rest of the team, told a different story, however.

Twenty games, 20 wins; 771 points for, 293 against.

Forty points from a maximum of 40, ahead of Effingham in second place with 26 points.

And Effingham, defensively, weren’t a bad team.

They even took the lead in the first minute through a Jon Grady penalty.

Twenty-two minutes later Jersey took a lead themselves, one which they were never going to squander when centre Andy Whelan powered his way a yard to the line before popping the ball to scrum-half Dave Miles who drifted over.

Darren Toudic converted.

The next try came seven minutes from the break when the Effingham scrum-half fumbled the ball after his pack had won it at a set scrum.

Steve O’Brien was the first to react as he picked it up and outpaced a startled Effingham defence on the left-hand side of the pitch to score.

After winger Matt Davenport-Brown was sin-binned for what looked like a hard but fair tackle, 35 minutes into the game, the visitors scored another penalty immediately before half-time.

However, they never looked like scoring tries, unlike Jersey, who took their score first to 15-6 with a penalty two minutes into the second half and then to 20-6 when another powerful run by O’Brien was clinically finished by replacement winger Richard Finch this time wide on the left.

Despite not being at their best, Jersey had looked, for the first 55 minutes, the side most able to cross their opponents’ try line.

After that the theatre evaporated as a spectacle and with 16 men leaning into each other, but neither pushing or moving, the game was all but over.

Jersey: Gareth Jeffreys, James Milner (Richard Finch), Mark White, Andy Whelan, Matt Davenport-Brown, Darren Toudic, Dave Miles, Marcus Nobes (Matt Banahan), Doc Snook, Josh Chamier, Roger Quirk (Gareth Davies), Danny McAlister, Brett Els, Steve O’Brien, Ian Henderson.

Effingham and Leatherhead: Tim Rendle, James Tubesei, Jason Evans, Joe Gardy, Alan Ryan, Nick Losardo, Grant Holmes, Tom Pringle, Ben Sangster (Pete Smith, Bob McGonigle), Nigel Maycock, John Stocker, Ben Hillman, Robbie Nicholas, West Montgomery, Steve Hunt.

Other results: Effingham and Leatherhead 2nds 26, Jersey 2nds/Wanderers 24.