En Voyage_Issue#11_Flickbook

GUERNSEY RAIDERS CELEBRATE SUCCESS
ALL PHOTOS © MARTIN GRAY – GUERNSEYSPORTPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
After years of disappointment, Guernsey triumphed
46-30, seven tries to four, ending Jersey’s run of
nine successive wins. In fact, it was the first ever
clean sweep for Guernsey RFC, with the club’s
second team, ladies and veteran teams all celebrating
victory in the annual clash, making club history.
‘Only two of us in the team had won the Siam
Cup before, so it was something that a lot of the
boys were hungry for and, from my point of view,
it’s great that the boys got to experience that,’ said
Head Coach of 12 years Jordan Reynolds, who has
overseen the side’s rise from the seventh tier to the
fourth tier of English rugby, their highest ever level.
‘There was a lot of emotion running through
the players and the community, a lot of tears
on the sidelines from people turning out to
support us. It must be disappointing for Jersey,
I can understand that, but the Jersey coach
said something that’s true: it’s one year of
heartache for them - it’s been 10 years for us.’
Throughout the match, the Sarnians were
never behind. They raced into an early 10-0 lead
thanks to tries from Ned Brown and Luke Sayer,
and they withstood some strong second half
pressure from their Jersey visitors to score
two late tries, wrapping up their win.
Although many had Guernsey as favourites
ahead of the match, following their
promotion to National Two, recent success
was no guarantee of confidence, Jordan
said. ‘I wouldn’t say we were confident at
all. We’d not won for 10 years and the last
two years’ were pretty close games. Jersey
is a fantastic side and there’s a lot of pressure
that comes with a game like that. But playing
at home was a big factor for us. The home
crowd always makes such a huge difference.’
Last year’s strong yet unsuccessful performance
against Jersey, however, inspired confidence in
Team Captain Lewis Hillier, who agreed that the
home crowd helped drive the boys to victory.
‘I can’t speak for the entire team, but I was
definitely confident going into it. We had a chance
to draw with Jersey last year and we showed a lot
of dominance. This year, we were coming off the
back of a successful season and playing at home
in front of a packed crowd, and their belief in the
team really inspired us,’ said the 29 year old.
AFTER YEARS OF DISAPPOINTMENT,
GUERNSEY TRIUMPHED 46-30, SEVEN
TRIES TO FOUR, ENDING JERSEY’S RUN
OF NINE SUCCESSIVE WINS.
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