Jersey RFC v Cornish Pirates RFC Preview

WHO JERSEY ARE FACING

Cornish Pirates Rugby Club.

Founded: 1870

Home Ground: The Mennaye

Head Coach: Ian Davies

Last season: Sixth

Last season:

A largely disappointing season began well, winning away at St Peter, and home to Plymouth before a poor spell saw them lose against Bristol, Newcastle and Scottish and only draw with struggling Doncaster. Beating fancied Leeds preceded a second drawn match this time against Moseley. The topsy turvy season continued with an eight try demolition of Rotherham before another poor performance gave Bedford a 32-6 win at Goldington Road. High flying Nottingham and for the second time Plymouth were both narrowly beaten before Bristol succumbed 32-17 on New Year’s day, what was perhaps the best display of the season so far. With a play-off spot well within their grasp, a shocking run of form then saw the Pirates lose to Scottish, Newcastle, Leeds, Bedford, Rotherham, Nottingham and Munster in the cup, with only wins against Moseley and Doncaster before the end of season victory against Jersey. With only ten league wins it was a season of transition for the Cornishmen building for 2013-14. Despite this poor end of season form, Canadian International Matt Evans finished the season as top try scorer with 14, and with Josh Lewsey coming in as CEO and performance director the Pirates looked set fair for a good season.

This season so far:

Sadly for the Pirates Lewsey lasted only a few months in post before joining up with the Welsh national side. On the field the Pirates could not have asked for a tougher start to the season with a tie against pre-season favourites Bristol, at the same venue where Jersey was undone by Plymouth. The Sky TV cameras having witnessed a belting first game were not disappointed in the second, where the Pirates sneaked a 23-21 victory. Back on home turf, and one of the few remaining Friday night matches at the Mennaye, saw the Cornishmen take only a losing bonus point, having been sunk by Leeds. Morale boosting bonus point wins over struggling Ealing and Moseley followed, before the British and Irish Cup interrupted proceedings. In the same group as Jersey, a comfortable home win over Ulster and then an eight try destruction of Ayr away has put the Pirates top of the group, and all set for a double header against Jersey later this month that will go a long way to deciding who wins the group. Back in the league a vastly more experienced and streetwise London Welsh side ripped the Pirates apart, 41-6, showing what a years experiance at the top table of English rugby will give a side. Scottish then took the opposite trip west where the Pirates got back on track with a 16-8 win, before last weekends 16-13 win against struggling Bedford. Head Coach Ian Davies said ‘we are developing as a squad with some of the new boys adapting really well. Hard work is the name of the game’

Previous with Jersey:

With a lot of expectation and a side very much used to winning in the National Leagues, it was a wake-up call to the home faithful when the Pirates kicked off Jerseys first year in the Championship. A Matt Evans hat-trick in a 20-6 Jersey defeat gave hope for the future, but a stark reality check that any mistakes at this level will be duly punished. Injuries to key players, including Guy Thompson, hindered the Jersey challenge and the game will not be remembered well by Grant Pointer who dislocated his shoulder playing for today’s opposition. The return match will be remembered for several reasons. Having secured another season in the Championship the week before beating Doncaster, Jersey could relax and enjoy the first ever live streamed rugby match on social media network, Twitter. With the Pirates out of contention for a play-off spot, both sides were able to play good entertaining rugby, with Jersey showing that they could and possibly should, have finished higher up the table. A cracking start saw the Islanders up by 11 at the interval with a try from Ed Dawson and a penalty try, aided by a stunning performance by viewers and sponsors man of the match Thompson. Pirates rallied with a brace of tries and four second half penalties to put them out of sight, but Le Bourgeois gave the travelling fans something to take home with a try and conversion to leave the final score 28-24 to Pirates.

Head Coach Ian Davies said this week, ‘Jersey over there will be really tough as they'll go all out to show that they've quickly recovered from their defeat at London Scottish last weekend. A few ex Pirates will also no doubt been keen to perform against their former club.’ The first of four matches between the sides this season and with another two matches before mid December, these sides will get to know each other very well. After four straight league defeats, in a period where they have had a point’s deduction, and after a morale sapping defeat last weekend against a powerful London Scottish, Jersey desperately need to get back on track. Facing a Pirates side who sit in fifth place (despite them only scoring 11 points more than Jersey), will be far from easy, and even with several former Pirates in the ranks, a big performance is required to get a win this afternoon, to distance the Islanders from bottom spot.

ONES TO WATCH

Kieran Hallett

DoB:                                        2nd June 1985

Height:                                    5' 11" (1.79m)

Weight:                                   13st 12lbs      (88kg)

Position:                                 Fly-half

Signed at the beginning of last season, Hallett began his career at the Northampton Saints Academy before moving to the Bedford Blues making his debut at 19. From there he moved to Ulster and then onto Plymouth Albion where he was club captain for two season. Next up was Nottingham, where he also finished his degree in Geography.

In his first season for the Pirates Kieran ended up as the club's leading points scorer. In total he amassed 221 points in 26 appearances, including 154 in the Championship. He featured in a couple non-cap internationals for Ireland under 19’s, and for the under 21’s in the Six Nations,  before the 2006 Junior World Cup held in France, where he was the third highest points scorer in the tournament.

Presently the clubs top scorer this season with 58 points having played and scored in every game this season.

                     

Tom Kessell

DoB:                            21st Feb 1990

Height:                        6'         (1.83m)

Weight:                       13st 4lbs        (84kg)

Position:                     Scrum-half

Local lad Kessell actually started his rugby career with the Pirates back in 1995, playing for the club's youngest mini-rugby team, but moved away from the area joining Bath. Several seasons in the lower leagues followed before he joined Championship Plymouth. He signed for the Cornish Pirates in April, 2011, making 54 appearances and scoring nine tries. Selection for the England Counties team saw Tom tour Canada in 2010, when he started in two of the three games, with tries in all three.

With four tries already this season, including three in the last two matches, Kessell’s turn of pace has also seen him play on the wing, but scrum half is where his damage is done.

Jake Parker

DoB:               18^th Oct 1990

Height:                        6' 2” (1.88m)

Weight:            16st 3lbs (103 kg)

Position:          Back-row

Truro born Parker was one of three Loughborough Students to sign for the Cornish Pirates this summer. On moving to Loughborough, Jake helped the Students side gain promotion to National 1 in 2012, and then helped them consolidate their place at the level in the following season.

At Loughborough he studied Sports Science with Management, and then a Masters in International Management. During his four seasons there, the head coach at Loughborough, Dave Morris, described Jake as being one of the most selfless players he'd had the privilege of coaching. Equally comfortable at Flanker or at Eight, he has represented both England under 16’s and 18’s. Parker is another young Pirate with a very exciting future.

Craig Holland

DoB:               5^th Oct 1991

Height:                        5' 11” (1.79m)

Weight:            12st 9lbs (80kg)

Position:          Full-back/wing

Another former Loughborough Student joining the club this season, Holland actually played when the students made the trip to Jersey for the National Two play-off match in 2011.

Holland learnt his rugby at Brighton College in Sussex, playing alongside former Pirate and now adopted Islander, Ben Maidment.

Joining Loughborough University in 2010 to study Sports Science, his time there enabled him to develop as a rugby player and with over 70 first team matches he scored 74 tries, helping Loughborough to achieve promotion to, and then survival in National One. During this time he also represented the English Students side.

An outstanding athlete, Holland has also performed to a high standard at both cricket and athletics at school and youth age groups for Sussex and English Schools athletics.

Jersey RFC Vs Cornish Pirates RFC

By James Hewlett

 

 

Cornish Pirates Rugby Club.

 

Founded: 1870

Home Ground: The Mennaye Field

Head Coach: Ian Davies

Last season: Sixth

 

 

Last season:

A largely disappointing season began well for the Cornishmen, winning away at St Peter, and then at home to Plymouth, before a poor spell saw them lose against Bristol, Newcastle and Scottish and only draw with struggling Doncaster. Beating fancied Leeds preceded a second drawn match, this time against Moseley. The Pirates’ topsy turvy season continued with an eight try demolition of Rotherham, before another poor performance gave Bedford a 32-6 win at Goldington Road. High flying Nottingham and for the second time Plymouth were both narrowly beaten, before Bristol succumbed 32-17 on New Year’s day, what was perhaps the best display of the season so far. With a play-off spot well within their grasp, a shocking run of form then saw the Pirates lose to Scottish, Newcastle, Leeds, Bedford, Rotherham, Nottingham and Munster in the British and Irish Cup quarter finals, with only wins against Moseley and Doncaster before the end of season victory against Jersey. With only ten league wins it was a season of transition for the Cornishmen, building for 2013-14. Despite this poor end of season form, Canadian International Matt Evans still finished the season as the leagues top try scorer with 14, and with World Cup winner Josh Lewsey coming in as CEO and performance director, the Pirates looked set fair for a good season.

 

This season so far:

Sadly for the Pirates Lewsey lasted only a few months in post before joining up with the Welsh national side. On the field the Pirates could not have asked for a tougher start to the season with a tie against pre-season favourites Bristol, at the same venue where Jersey was undone by Plymouth. The Sky TV cameras having witnessed a belting first game were not disappointed in the second either, as the Pirates sneaked a 23-21 victory. Back on home turf, and one of the few remaining Friday night matches at the Mennaye, saw the Cornishmen take only a losing bonus point, having been sunk by Leeds. Morale boosting bonus point wins over struggling Ealing and Moseley followed, before the British and Irish Cup interrupted proceedings. In the same group as Jersey, a comfortable home win over Ulster and then an eight try destruction of Ayr away has put the Pirates top of the group, and all set for a double header against Jersey later this month that will go a long way to deciding who wins the group. Back in the league a superior and streetwise London Welsh side ripped the Pirates apart, 41-6, showing what a years experience at the top table of English rugby will give a side. London Scottish then took the opposite trip west, where the Pirates got back on track with a 16-8 win, before last weekends 16-13 win against struggling Bedford. Head Coach Ian Davies said ‘we are developing as a squad with some of the new boys adapting really well. Hard work is the name of the game’, and they do appear to be a better outfit than last term.

Previous with Jersey:

With a lot of expectation and a side very much used to winning in the National Leagues, it was a wake-up call to the home faithful when the Pirates kicked off Jerseys first year in the Championship. A Matt Evans hat-trick in a 20-6 Jersey defeat gave hope for the future, but a stark reality check that any mistakes at this level will be duly punished. Injuries to key players, including Guy Thompson, hindered the Jersey challenge that day, and the game will not be remembered well by Grant Pointer who dislocated his shoulder playing for today’s opposition. The return match will be remembered for several reasons. Having secured another season in the Championship the week before beating Doncaster, Jersey could relax and enjoy the first ever live streamed rugby match on social media network, Twitter. With the Pirates out of contention for a play-off spot, both sides were able to play relaxed, good, entertaining rugby, with Jersey showing that they could and possibly should, have finished higher up the table. A cracking start saw the Islanders up by 11 points at the interval with a try from Ed Dawson and a penalty try, aided by a stunning performance by viewers and sponsors man of the match Thompson. The Pirates rallied with a brace of tries, and four second half penalties to put them out of sight, but Le Bourgeois gave the travelling fans something to take home with a try and conversion to leave the final score 28-24 to Pirates.

 

There will be less of a relaxed atmosphere this time out after recent results. Head Coach Ian Davies said this week, ‘Jersey over there will be really tough as they'll go all out to show that they've quickly recovered from their defeat at London Scottish last weekend. A few ex Pirates will also no doubt been keen to perform against their former club.’ The first of three matches between the sides before mid December, these sides will get to know each other very well. After four straight league defeats, in a period where they have had a point’s deduction, and after a morale sapping defeat last weekend against a powerful London Scottish, Jersey desperately need to get back on track. Facing a Pirates side who sit in fifth place (despite them only scoring 11 points more than Jersey), will be far from easy, and even with several former Pirates in the ranks, a big performance is required to get a win this afternoon, to distance the Islanders from bottom spot.

 

 

 

PIRATES TO WATCH

 

Kieran Hallett

DoB:                                        2nd June 1985

Height:                                    5' 11" (1.79m)
Weight:                                   13st 12lbs (88kg)
Position:                                 Fly-half

Signed at the beginning of last season, Hallett began his career at the Northampton Saints Academy before moving to the Bedford Blues making his debut at 19. From there he moved to Ulster and then onto Plymouth Albion where he was club captain for two season. Next up was Nottingham, where he was able to finish his degree in Geography.

In his first season for the Pirates, Kieran ended up as the club's leading points scorer. In total he has amassed 221 points in 26 appearances, including 154 in the Championship. Internationally he has featured in a couple non-cap internationals for Ireland under 19’s, and for the under 21’s in the Six Nations,  before the 2006 Junior World Cup held in France, where he was the third highest points scorer in the tournament.

Presently the clubs top scorer this season with 58 points having played and scored in every game this season.

 

Tom Kessell

DoB:                            21st Feb 1990

Height:                        6' (1.83m)
Weight:                       13st 4lbs (84kg)
Position:                     Scrum-half

Local lad Kessell actually started his rugby career with the Pirates back in 1995, playing for the club's youngest mini-rugby team, before he moved away from the area joining Bath. Several seasons in the lower leagues followed before he joined Championship Plymouth. Selection for the England Counties team saw Tom tour Canada in 2010, when he started in two of the three games, scoring tries in all three. He signed for the Cornish Pirates in April, 2011, and has made 54 appearances, scoring nine tries.

With four tries already this season, including three in the last two matches, Kessell’s turn of pace has also seen him play on the wing, but scrum half is where his damage is done.

 

Jake Parker

DoB:               18^th Oct 1990

Height:            6' 2” (1.88m)
Weight:           16st 3lbs (103 kg)
Position:          Back-row

Truro born Parker was one of three Loughborough Students to sign for the Cornish Pirates this summer. On moving to Loughborough, Parker helped the Students side gain promotion to National One in 2012, and then helped them consolidate their place at that level in the following season.

At Loughborough he studied Sports Science with Management, and then a Masters in International Management. During his four seasons there, the head coach at Loughborough, Dave Morris, described Parker as being one of the most selfless players he'd had the privilege of coaching. Equally comfortable at Flanker or at Eight, he has represented both England under 16’s and 18’s. Parker is another young Pirate with a very exciting future.

 

Craig Holland

DoB:               5^th Oct 1991

Height:            5' 11” (1.79m)
Weight:           12st 9lbs (80kg)
Position:          Full-back/wing

Another former Loughborough Student joining the club this season, Holland actually played when the students made the trip to Jersey for the National Two play-off match in 2011.

Holland learnt his rugby at Brighton College in Sussex, playing alongside former Pirate and now adopted Islander, Ben Maidment.

Joining Loughborough University in 2010 to study Sports Science, his time there enabled him to develop as a rugby player and in over 70 first team matches he scored 74 tries, helping Loughborough to achieve promotion to, and then survival in National One. During this time he also represented the English Students side.

An outstanding athlete, Holland has also performed to a high standard at both cricket and athletics at school and youth age groups for Sussex and English Schools athletics.

 

Ed Dawson, Jersey RFC Interview

Ed Dawson

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 90kg

Date of Birth: 17/10/1989

Born: Jersey

Position: Wing

Previous Clubs: Taunton

Outside Interests: Shooting and Spear Fishing

One of Ben Harvey’s mantras is that Jersey Rugby will only progress as far up the rugby pyramid as is possible with home grown talent. Losing Michael Le Bourgeois (the first local born professional) in the summer was a blow to this philosophy, but has shifted the focus onto other players. One of these is 24 year old winger Ed Dawson. The only Jersey born player to start the opening Championship match of the season against Plymouth Albion at Sandy Park, and the longest serving player in the squad last time out versus Leeds, he has rewarded the faith shown in him by scoring a try in the Plymouth game, another in the win against Bedford and his third of the campaign verses Bristol the following week.

Harvey points out that there are possibly more Jersey born players in the squad now than there were in the 60’s and 70’s. With around 50% of Island residents currently not actually born here, to have so many in a professional squad playing at such a high level; is testament to the work both the club and the players have put in. None more so than Dawson who has been one, if not the most consistent of these in recent seasons. With the focus on developing local talent, much has been said and written about youngsters such as Jack Burroughs, James Voss and Luke Stratford. Dawson has been so good he has almost been forgotten when talking about the Jersey youth, but despite being only 24 years old, he has played 116 first team matches to date.

With the Club turning fully professional in the summer, many players left, but Dawson stayed. He signed a new contract at the back end of last season with Harvey saying, ‘Ed has really grown in stature this season and become a mainstay in the team through his impressive displays.’

Dawson was introduced to the game by his two older brothers when he was five, ‘They used to like playing against me then, I think I was always going to play rugby, I’ve always loved it from an early age and just carried on playing. I don’t think there was ever an influence, if there was, it was just my love for the game.’

At seven years old Dawson left Jersey to go to Mount House boarding school in Devon. At 13 he moved on to Kings College in Taunton before taking a travelling gap year. ‘As I was at school at Kings, I thought I may as well play for their Colts (Taunton), and I also played a couple of senior games for them.’

Dawson credits his team mates as his rugby influences and those helping him to develop, rather than any big international stars: ‘It’s been the players around me, I started off as a young very inexperienced winger having moved from flanker, I was lucky to play with guys like Sam Tuia. As Jersey started buying in more experienced players I always wanted to be as good as them and learn from them.’

Despite this influx of players, having Jersey roots is as important to Dawson as it is for the fans who turn up every home match. ‘Being local for me has been fantastic, I love the Island so much. Playing at home the support I get has been fantastic; it’s great to have a proper professional sport on the Island. It’s amazing we can have international sportsman playing in our local team, such as Elvis (Taione) for Tonga and Kingsley Lang has played recently for Zimbabwe. People come every week, it has changed people’s weekends.’

I asked Ed if having friends and family in the crowd makes the expectation easier or harder? ‘I think as a Jersey boy I get a lot of leeway, it makes it easier for me. There are a lot of biased people out there, I know some of the old boys always say when I score, leave it up to the Jersey boy to score the tries. I do get a lot of praise, there’s a lot of pride in the local boys and in Jersey as a team.’ Much deserved though as Dawson has been a regular try scorer for Jersey since his debut in National Two South in 2009.

Well placed to oversee the change from top amateur side to fully professional, Dawson has seen a massively positive change in the mindset on and off the pitch. ‘Everything has changed, professionalism throughout the Club, everything is about rugby. Where things were looked at once, they are now looked at twice; it’s all taken much more seriously. It’s not about having a kick around with your mates, it’s all so much more focussed when its rugby time.’

The only locally born player in the starting XV to play Plymouth in the opening match, Ed scored a fine try in a first half where Jersey dominated. With three tries in three games, the cross-field kick from Niall O’Conner to Dawson wide on the left was a feature of the opening matches. I asked Ed how much of that was talent, how much was hard-graft off the pitch? ‘That’s just heads-up rugby’, he said: ‘I see there’s a bit of space and call for Niall, it’s really Niall who puts it on a sixpence. It’s not the most difficult skill I have to perform, I still have to catch them, but credit must go to Niall to make it easy for me.’

It’s easy to forget in this new professional era and the fact that Dawson seems to have been in the team for some time that both he and Jersey have played at Twickenham in the National Two Champions final against Ampthill and District. Not only that, Dawson actually scored a try in the game, something that many players can only dream of. ‘I remember Ross Cubie Kenwright at the time, he gave me a really good pass,’ he said. ‘I didn’t really have to do much except for run it in. I remember it being a really good team try. Cubie had to perform a really good skill to put me over the try line, he was always good at that, but it’s really good to say I have scored at Twickenham.’ And what of the game itself? ‘I remember at the time I was bricking myself,’ he said, ‘I think for the first half an hour I struggled to get into the game. I was still quite a young naive player. The whole Twickenham big changing room experience got to me a bit. It took me a while to find my feet.’

Over a century of Jersey games has made Dawson one of the more recognisable faces in the squad, but what has given him the most satisfaction? ‘My ability to come up the leagues,’ he said, ‘I don’t think I have found my ceiling, I have been able to adapt to every league I have been in. I feel comfortable in the Championship. I don’t feel it is too good for me or that I am out of my depth, I am proud of the way I have adapted and improved every season. Since coming from London One, there has been wingers brought in naturally over the years, but I have strived to be better. I don’t fear the competition it just makes me train harder having someone to beat, it’s a good opportunity to make yourself better, one day they could bring in someone more talented, but that’s professional sport.’

One if not the most consistent Jersey player over the last few seasons he has made the number eleven shirt his own, but it has not always been easy for him. ‘I do sometimes plateau during the season, all I can do is train as hard as I can, stay out as long as I can on something I am uncomfortable with to make it comfortable, turn a negative in to a positive.’

Away from the pitch Dawson is fairly relaxed about the game; ‘I love my shooting and spear fishing, I will shoot anything, within the law’, he joked, ‘I don’t find rugby gets on top of me, I don’t mind being out on my own.’ Dawson uses the Tiger Woods principle, ‘It’s Tiger Woods’ 14 steps, if he hits a bad shot, he thinks I have only got 14 steps then it is out of my mind. If you do something wrong on the pitch you have to let it go, otherwise it will just eat you, and that will just hurt your confidence in the end.’

But the focus is very much on rugby, and Dawson still believes he and Jersey can progress further and higher. ‘Becoming a professional rugby player is my main achievement, I never thought when I was younger I would be able to do that. I’m proud of where I am in the Championship but there are always targets to aim for.’

And for those youngsters looking to follow in the footsteps and become the next Ed Dawson? ‘When you are young just keep at it, even if at the time you feel you are not doing very well, or are just sitting on the bench, not being picked, keep at it, because I was very lucky when I got in at the root level and progressed with Jersey. If I was a youngster coming in at the Championship standard I would be very intimidated and a bit disheartened with the standard above me, just keep at it, keep at it, if other people are telling you that you are good enough, you are good enough, have belief in yourself.’

At just 24, Dawson is a young man still learning his trade, and with his best years ahead of him his future looks very promising indeed. With the Jersey Academy bringing on a glut of talented youngsters the future of Island rugby is in safe hands.