This RFU Intermediate Cup clash was eagerly anticipated as it brought together the league leaders and the only team to have beaten Cobham all season. Luke Bliss and Andy Alexander came onto the bench and both took their opportunities when they were presented.
Early pressure from Cornish, playing with a gusting wind behind them, could not be translated into points when fly half Philip Dale was unable to convert a penalty . It was Cobham, somewhat against the run of play, who took the lead after ten minutes when the versatile Josh Brown broke through the Cornish defence and utilised a basketball - some might say a netball- pass to allow winger James MacDonald to score. Weir converted defying the wind( 7-0)
Cornish came straight back and it needed the first of many strong tackles from back row Dave Baker to prevent the visitors scoring under the posts but the 'diminutive' Dale, as the Cornish coach referred to him, put Cornish on the scoreboard with a penalty. (7-3)
(In fact neither team were able to get 'on the scoreboard' all afternoon as the numbers were locked away in a shed so home and away supporters were required to use their mental arithmetic skills to keep up to speed).
Cobham's running game has been a feature of their success this season and in particular Matt Goddard's strong running and from the territory gained Trepant dived over to extend the lead (12-3 ).
Weir's conversion (14-3) was the last successful kick of the game as the wind increased It was going to be tries that would decide the final outcome and it was Cornish who achieved that next try. The Cobham scrum was struggling against a pack that looked heavier and when an infringement gave Cornish the line out close to the home side try line they showed they could emulate Cobham in the rolling maul and prop Mark O'Leary emerged triumphant 14-8.
With the wind dictating that a significant proportion of the first half had been played in the Cobham half it was the incisive running of Wehbe and Goddard that was making the difference and Cobham's third try for Max MacDonald was set up by a deft offload from full back Johnny Wehbe 19-8.
With the wind behind them Cobham will have gone into the second half confident of extending that lead but in the first five minutes they lost second row Tom Webb to a yellow card for a high tackle infringement and could not withstand Cornish's expansive running as they put themselves back into contention 19-13.
Another aspect of Cobham's game this year has been their ability to bounce back and so it was on this occasion as a quick line out to Wehbe released Max Macdonald to outpace the defence 24-13. Cobham will have wanted that to have been the final scoreline but Cornish number 8 Mark Osei -Tutu had different ideas and Director of Rugby Steve Pope may have been disappointed that a blindside play from a scrum saw Osei-Tutu go over virtually unopposed as the defence failed 24-18
Director of Rugby Steve Pope said at the conclusion of the game :-
1. Josh Brown
2.Joe Davis
3.Ben Joyce
4.Jules Kunkler
5.Tom Webb
6.Dave Baker
7. Rob Fleming
8.Richard Trepant
9.Robbie Kennard ( Captain)
10 Ollie Weir
11.Max MacDonald
12.Matt Goddard
13.Charlie Rooke
14.James Macdonald
15. Johnny Wehbe
Subs
16. Andy Alexander
17.Luke Bliss
18. Jean-Louis Gravier
19. Alex Alves
Tries :-James MacDonald ,Trepant, Max MacDonald ( 2)
Conversions :-Weir ( 2)
