JASON LEONARD CUP
CORNWALL U.20, 7 – 41 DEVON U.20
By Bill Hooper, Recreation Ground, Camborne
Cornwall Under 20s made a disappointing start to this season’s campaign, well beaten by a very good Devon side who dominated the game from start to finish.
The Devon win saw them retain the Brunel Cup, which both sides play for annually.
Head coach Richie Kevern was understandably very disappointed by his side’s performance. “We were second best today, what disappointed me most was the vulnerability of our set-piece. Our lineout never got going, whilst our scrum was OK for sixty minutes, when Devon brought on their replacements we went backwards.
“The lads will need to have a long hard look at themselves, ahead of our next game at Somerset next month.”
Cornwall were awarded an early kickable penalty, sadly Jack Statton’s effort went wide of the posts.
Devon were soon on the offensive, a speculative hack towards the Cornwall line saw flanker Isiah Akinrowo win the race to dot down the try.
Cornwall’s scrum was going well during this point of the game, they got a penalty that Statton kicked to the corner from the catch and drive, hooker Pete Harris bagged the try converted by Statton.
Disappointingly for Cornwall that was a good as it got. Devon began to dictate play with fly-half Matt Smale pulling the strings.
They got their reward when prop Dan Butt broke a tackle to score, Smale adding the extras before slotting a penalty shortly after.
Under pressure, Cornwall lost a player to the sin-bin, allowing Devon to pile on the pressure with wing Josef Webber dotting down in the corner, Smale’s conversion giving the visitors a useful 22-7 half-time lead.
Despite Devon also finding themselves down to fourteen men early in the second half, Smale scored and converted Devon’s fourth try.
Cornwall’s woes in the set-piece continued and when Devon brought on their replacement front row, their final semblance of parity vanished.
Further tries from wing Austin Crow, and skipper George Pooley with a conversion from Stark Leighton completed the win for a worthy Devon side.
Cornwall U.20: Penhallurick, Roskilly, Statton, Hammersley, Keogh, Walsh-Newton, Chapple; Lawrence, Harris, Williams, Knight, Perkin (Capt), Lister, Eddy, Ellery.
Replacements: Pope, Holt, Oakley, Derry, Symons, Evans, Richards.
Cornwall scores: Try Harris 10, Con, Statton 11
