TIVERTON 53-16 CREDITON RFC 1ST XV

WITH a rivalry that stretches back more than a century, there is always plenty to play for when we face Tiverton.

A trip over the hills is always a tough ask and, with the relative form of both sides, this wasn’t going to be an exception.

We knew we would have to be physical and there were no surprises in the first half.

Tiverton like to hold onto the ball and we stood up well to their attacks.

Tivvy did look sharp but we weren’t troubled by their structure. We were though having to defend for long periods and our discipline was being tested.

With a tendency to try and smother tackle, we do get frequently penalised for high tackles. One of these gave Tiverton an opportunity to get the scoreboard moving and the kick at goal was successful.

Our discipline continued to let us down, giving the home side ample opportunity to make easy territory. A line-out catch and drive got them over the line for a converted try and we were 10-0 down in as many minutes.

It took another 10 minutes for us to have a meaningful attack. Winning a line-out ourselves, Jake Clarke was able to regather a chip over the top from Ollie Avery-Wright. We worked the ball well through the hands and young winger Tom Hunt went over in the corner to make it 10-5.

High tackles continued to be an issue and another penalty put Tiverton 13-5 ahead before we responded with three points of our own. Another converted try extended Tiverton’s lead before we struck a further penalty to make it 20-11 at the break.

At this stage, the game still felt very much in the balance and the conversation at half-time was very positive. If we fixed our disciplinary issues then we would be well and truly in the game.

Unfortunately, the penalty count continued to rise along with missed tackles and Tiverton were pretty ruthless. With five tries in the second period, they ran away with it as we were only able to manage one from Luke Jones.

No doubt about it, this was a tough loss to take. After an improved display last time out against Okehampton, there was a genuine feeling we could step on again.

We must remember that we are a young transitioning squad, starting again after recent successes. We’ll continue to fight and give our supporters something to cheer about again very soon.

This season is providing a different challenge for us than the last few and we are determined to get back to where we belong.

This coming Saturday, November 15, the 1st XV have an early opportunity to get revenge as we host Tiverton in the Semi Final of the Devon Senior Shield. The Colts welcome Kingsbridge in the Colts Cup.

Rob Avery-Wright, John Gurzynski and Jay Harris