JERSEY RFC Ist XV are currently the highest they have ever been, in any league, since the club first played rugby over 125 years ago.

This crushing 69-15 win over Old Mid-Whitgiftians has moved them into third place in London South Division II, a point ahead of Sevenoaks, whose 29-12 defeat by Portsmouth means that the two clubs have now swapped places.

For coach Dai Burton, whose main aim at the start of the season was to consolidate the team’s position in the league, following their promotion just over a year ago, this was a game which both he, and the players, obviously enjoyed, although for the first 20 minutes of the second half, they allowed the visitors in with two quick scores.

‘In the first half we played some of the best rugby we’ve seen at St Peter for quite a while,’ said Burton, ‘although at the start of the second half it took some time to get going.

‘We’ve two games to play, with our last game, against Guildford, being the biggest one all season.

We lost narrowly to them, away, and I know that they’re looking to finish the season in top spot.

‘But with the kind of rugby we’re playing at the moment, they won’t be looking forward to playing here at St Peter.’ Having won four games in succession, and in front of a 350-strong crowd, Jersey were 7-0 in front with less than three minutes played.

Playing flowing, fluent rugby, the ball was moved from forwards to threes before winger Mark Le Mottée scored a neat try which stand-off Sam Cummins converted.

He was to score the second try, ten minutes later, following neat play first in the back row, who were devastating throughout the game, before the visitors’ No 8, Nick Taft, was sin-binned in the 17th minute for rucking a man away from a ball which was already being recycled to the threes.

Jersey, too, were to have Nathan Kemp sin-binned in the second half for a tremendous tackle on a player whose dummy run without the ball fooled both him, and most of the rest of his team.

With Kemp off, the tempo of the game lowered to a whisper, but by now the body language of the Old Mid-Whitgiftians told the crowd that they just wanted to pack away their boots, and go home.

They were 50-8 behind, following a rout of tries, including a typical Steve O’Brien burst from the back of the line, a Kemp pick up from a scrum five in the 25th minute, the first of his hat-trick by Latu Maka’afi wide on the right, a rare Dave Miles score, playing pick-up to a rumbling No 8 run by Kemp, plus another O’Brien score close to half-time.

Cummins converted four of the tries.

In return, with a scoreline of 43-3 at the break, Old Mid-Whitgiftians No 9, James Orchard, had replied with a penalty mid-way through the half.

Between the 41st and 45th minute the visitors took advantage of a sluggish Jersey team to score two tries, one converted, via No 8 Taft and hooker Mark Dean, but after that Jersey simply powered away.

Maka’afi scored again, replacement Brett Els scored, following two outrageous dummies, Maka’afi was then given a clear run to the line by centre Mark White and the final score was made by O’Brien, touched down by James Milner, on the wing.

Replacement Darren Toudic converted two of them.

‘This was a better team than the one which beat us at the start of the season,’ said Old Mid-Whitgiftians’ coach Paul Hodges afterwards.

‘The Tongan, the No 8 and the hooker have tightened the pack up a lot.

Although we lost to Jersey at home at the start of the season, the pack then, were pedestrian.

Now the lines of running are much, much better.

As for us; we’re down now.

We’re out of this division.’ Team: Marcus Nobes, Josh Chamier, James Brimelow, Roger Quirk, Ian Henderson, Neil Carter (Brett Els), Nathan Kemp, Latu Maka’afi, Dave Miles, Sam Cummins (Darren Toudic), Jim Milner, Steve O’Brien, Mark White, Mark Le Mottée, Gareth Jeffreys.