JERSEY RFC have moved up to fifth place in the Powergen London 2 South League following a 31-20 win at Thanet Wanderers on Saturday.

After the game Jersey’s head coach, Dai Burton, praised his players for their commitment, but said that in the dying minutes their lack of fitness could have cost them the game.

‘Players were walking to rucks or line-outs.

Although their overall fitness was one of the reasons why they won promotion last year, in this division they need to go up to another level again.

‘With ten minutes to go we were 31-15 ahead but, as we’ve done so often in the past, we let them back into the game when they scored from two phases of play following a catch and drive from a line-out.

We should have had the game well won by then.’ In fact the game should have been Jersey’s early on in the second half when a Darren Toudic try, on the wing, made it 24-3.

Instead of that, Jersey conceded a try in the corner and a ‘shocking penalty try’ when, according to Burton, ‘the players and spectators were still waiting for the referee to blow his whistle for a Thanet pass that was a good four yards forward.’ However, the win moves Jersey away from the relegation zone and despite conceding two penalties and three points in the first two minutes of the first half; after that Jersey scored four sparkling tries.

Having withstood wave upon wave of Thanet pressure, after 15 minutes scrum-half Paul Nayar chipped a delightful ball into midfield which was taken cleanly by the last person in the Thanet defence who, in turn, was dumped on the ground by centre Matt Howe.

The ball fell free and full-back Gareth Jeffreys picked up and, unopposed, ran beneath the posts.

Toudic converted.

Even when Richie Griffiths was sin-binned for not releasing the ball on the ground, Jersey withstood the pressure to change ends 7-3 ahead.

After the break, Jersey raced into a 21-3 lead; the first try of the second half coming when Steve O’Brien handed off his opposite number and ran 30 yards to score.

Toudic converted; as he did five minutes later when the ball was passed to him on the blind, giving him enough room to dive over in the corner for Jersey’s third try.

So far, so good; and a 38 yard penalty, in front of the posts with less than 20 minutes to go, meant that Toudic had scored 14 points from a Jersey total of 24 to the home side’s three.

But, as usual, the Island side relaxed and allowed the opposition back into the game, first when their winger ran in a well-worked try, then again when hooker Josh Chamier was adjudged to be in the wrong by wrestling the ball out of a Thanet player’s hand when, only seconds before, Thanet had both passed the ball forward and then knocked on.

‘Although they were awarded a penalty try, it was a diabolical decision,’ said Burton.

‘Their body language before then suggested that they were resigned to losing.

Now, with a converted penalty try to their name, they were only 24-15 down and back in the game.’ Quick thinking Thankfully, Jeffreys’ quick-thinking from a mark and free-kick saw the ball passed to Griffiths whose break led to O’Brien taking the pass, running free to score again under the posts.

Toudic converted and, despite allowing Thanet to score the last try of the game, for the last few minutes Jersey defended both in depth and in numbers.

‘For the last seven minutes we were having to protect our try line,’ said Burton.

‘But the game should have been tied up, and won, ages before that.’