Chairman's Welcome
2019 has been designated UNESCO International Year of Indigenous Languages, so in a show of support for our Island’s native tongue, this week’s message from the chairman has been translated into Jèrriais. Our opponents also have their own language of course, so we extend our welcome to them with a few words of Cornish.
Dynnargh dhe Jersenys ha chons da Morladron! Re waynnyo an gwella para! [Welcome to Jersey and good luck Pirates! May the best team win!]
Les Rouoges sont hétchis pouor la coupe! [The Reds are up-for-the-cup!]
We are delighted to welcome back our old friends from Cornwall. Games between the Reds and the Pirates are invariably close and I am sure this one will be no exception. The Championship meeting earlier in the season finished unusually weighted in Jersey's favour at 33-10. Ex-Pirate Aaron Penberthy was in great form that day scoring 18 points including an increasingly rare drop-goal.
J'sommes rêjouis d'r'atchilyi nos vièrs anmîns Cornouaillais. Les gammes entre les Rouoges et les Pithates sont d'amors jouées à un fi près et j'sis seux qu'ché s'sait d'même chutte fais. La rencontre dé Championnat y'a eune pause dans la saîson s'adonnit rarement en faveu d'Jèrri par 33-10. L'ex-Pithate Aaron Penberthy avait d'la bouonne forme chu jour-là et mèrtchit 18 mèrques et chenna en mèrtchant en dro, v'là tch'est d'pus en pus rare.
This is the fourth consecutive season that the Reds have reached the quarter-final stage of the Cup competition and have made the semis for the last three years.
Chette-chîn est la quatrième saîson d'siette qu'les Rouoges sont av'nus jusqu'au quart d'finna d'la compétition d'la Coupe et pouor les dreines trais années jusqu'au d'mié-finna.
We don’t know where this year will take us in the competition, but this squad of players are keen to leave their mark on the club’s history, that’s for sure!
Jé n'savons pon par iou qué ch't' année nos mèn'na dans la compétition, mais ch't' êtchipe dé joueurs sont entchinnés d'mèrtchi l'histouaithe du clobe, véthe.
Thank you all for your support. We truly appreciate it. [Mèrcie bein des fais pouor tout vot' souôtchein. J'sommes vraînment r'mèrciants.]
Come on you Reds! [Hèque les Rouoges!]
Mark Morgan, Chairman
Harvey’s pre-match thoughts...
London Irish 27 - 3 Jersey Reds
Jersey hopes of repeating their giant-killing feats of recent seasons were dashed at the Madejski Stadium by a ruthless display by the leaders of the Greene King IPA Championship.
The Reds had done a job on London Irish when the Exiles had visited the Island back in November, but the champions elect were not in the mood to be ambushed a second time.
The visiting Jersey side failed to fire in their televised challenge to table-toppers Irish, who clinically executed a four-tries-to-nil win that left the Reds without even a bonus point, the first time this season they have finished empty-handed.
Today's Opposition
As well as being the second longest-standing member of the Greene King IPA Championship (since 2003), Cornish Pirates are a club with a proud cup tradition.
The Pirates won the British & Irish Cup in its first season, defeating Munster 'A' 23-14 at the Recreation ground in Camborne in May 2010. Only twice in the nine seasons of the B&I were the Pirates missing from the knock-out stages, so it is little surprise that they have also progressed to the quarter-finals of the inaugural Championship Cup.
Qualification came as a result of finishing second to London Irish in pool 3, winning four out of six games including a win over the Exiles at the Mennaye Field in Penzance in the final round. The quarter-final trip to Jersey is a repeat of the 2016 B&I Cup, when the Reds won through to the last four with a 36-20 victory.
The Pirates have performed well in this season's Championship and currently lie just one point and one place behind the Reds. Having topped the league across the first six rounds of action, the Pirates the lost three consecutive league matches to Jersey, Bedford and London Irish, but recovered their form after the cup break with recent home wins over London Scottish and Hartpury.
Although the Reds have won the last six matches against the Pirates in league and cup, the overall record since 2012 is much closer, with nine Jersey wins to their rivals' seven.
The Pirates' recent good form may be linked to a feel-good factor in the Duchy of Cornwall about the long-running project to build the new Stadium for Cornwall in the county town of Truro. The S4C has cleared a number of major funding and logistical hurdles and is currently on target to be started this Spring.
The history of the Pirates dates back to the establishment of two clubs, Penzance, formed in 1876, and Newlyn (1894). The rivals actually stopped playing each other from 1929-32 because of public order concerns, but in 1945 they merged.
Meet the opposition
Coaching Team
Appointed as Co-Coaches at the Cornish Pirates in 2016, Gavin Cattle and Alan Paver are both very well-known and respected in Championship circles, having a wealth of experience behind them. They appeared as players for the Pirates in memorable successes, including winning the EDF Energy National Trophy at Twickenham in 2007, plus becoming the first-ever winners of the British & Irish Cup in 2010. Also listed among their personal honours are featuring for the RFU Championship XV against the Maori All Blacks and playing for the Barbarians.
Joining Paver and Cattle this season as a coach is another long-standing ‘Pirate’ in the shape of former captain Chris Morgan. Now aged 37, after first appearing for the Pirates on loan from Bristol in 2005-06, Morgan signed for the Pirates in 2008. Another member of the 2010 British & Irish Cup winning side, he has also played for the Barbarians.
None of the coaching trio are Cornish, however the county has happily adopted them, greatly appreciating their wholehearted commitment, which has helped create an excellent team spirit.
Callum Patterson
As the Pirates strengthened their squad ahead of the 2018-19 season, it was announced in April 2018 that centre Patterson was joining from Ulster on a one-year contract.
Ballymena-born, he was educated at Ballymena Academy and then attended Harpers Adams University in Shropshire, when he played for Newport Salop and Shropshire.
Also a Ballymena player and possessing a great work ethic, after finishing University Patterson worked in agriculture for two years, played for Ulster 'A' - including a trip to Jersey in January 2017 - and was rewarded in 2016 with a place in Ulster senior squad.
To date all but ever-present in the Cornish Pirates side, 26-year-old Patterson has made 18 appearances for the club... and this week signed a new two-year contract to extend his stay in Cornwall.
Dan Lee
Devonian back-rower Lee, 25, started playing rugby first at South Molton and then Crediton.
He later attended Ivybridge College, was a member of the Exeter Chiefs Academy, and then signed for Plymouth Albion from where he had short loan spell at Barnstaple.
After first representing the Cornish Pirates as a guest player at St Austell in August 2014, Lee signed for the club shortly afterwards on an arrangement that enabled him to play for and skipper Taunton during a successful 2014-15 season.
Injuries have frustratingly hampered Lee’s availability, however in games played for the Pirates he has displayed great potential; now restored to fitness, he has accumulated 55 appearances for the club.
Charlie Maddison
Date of birth: 24/06/1991
Place of birth: Hexham
Height: 6'2"
Weight - kg: 109
Weight - st: 17st 1lbs
Previous clubs: Rotherham
Sponsors: Citigroup
Will Homer
Date of birth: 24/10/1995
Place of birth: Winchester England
Height: 5'9"
Weight - kg: 87
Weight - st: 13st 7lbs
Previous clubs: Bath, Yorkshire
Honours: England 16's, 18's, 20's
Sponsors: Centamin
Support Your Club
SPECIAL CUP OFFER - Sticker Pack only 99p!
Jersey Reds have become the first professional rugby club to produce a sticker pack on the App store and they are now available to buy at 99p for THIS WEEKEND ONLY! Please support the club!
The profits from all purchases of this sticker pack go directly to the Reds to support their Professional, Athletic, Women and Minis and Juniors teams.
Guard of Honour
Jersey Reds U12's
Today’s GOH and half time game is brought to you by the U12’s Squad. They have had a busy first season in the Waterfall Sussex League. They have been placed in Division One and have played the top teams in the county! Although the games have been tough they have always maintained the strong and positive attitude we have come to expect from our Minis and Juniors.
The second half of the season sees us drop down into Division Two which gives us the chance to play much more competitive games with our return trip to Haywards Heath being next weekend. We are also hosting a numbers of UK clubs here in Jersey throughout the coming months.
With a move to secondary school the boys are now experiencing a much more physical game and we have seen some great improvements in all aspects of play. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the children in the squad along with their parents and most of all the coaching team, we have without whom none of this would be possible.
The Minis and Juniors is something we all should be very proud of.
Christa Roberts, U12’s Manager
HARVEY PENS NEW CONTRACT
Jersey Reds' Harvey Biljon has committed his future to the Island after signing a new deal stretching to summer 2024.
The newly-titled Director of Rugby, who marks five years in Jersey this month, has agreed to extend for three seasons beyond the conclusion of his previous contract in 2021. His side are currently enjoying a successful season, sitting third in the Greene King IPA Championship table and aiming for their highest-ever finish at level 2.
Mini & Juniors
The Minis and Juniors have had a great start to the new year. On 13th January the U15s and U16s travelled to Crowborough with the U15s recording a 73-5 win. The U16s weren’t as successful but still put in a tremendous effort that wasn’t fully represented in the final score of 33-19 to Crowborough.
The U16s season had seen Jersey enjoy mixed results so far and with Crowborough on the same points as Jersey in Sussex U16 League 2, we were not expecting a walk in the park.
Jersey started slowly and allowed Crowborough to break through for a try after scarcely 5 mins; not for the first time this season we were chasing a game. The Reds managed to get a foothold in the game and hit back with a George Daniels try to level the score. Just before half time Lawrence Bouchard charged over for Jersey, converted by Dave Quinn to put Jersey ahead, but another score for the home side and it was all-square, 12 all at the break.
Jersey enjoyed a lot of possession in the second half and were knocking at the door, but struggled to break Crowborough's defence. A combination of discipline from the opposition along with wasted opportunities on the part of the visitors eventually saw Crowborough run in another one and Reds found themselves chasing a single score to level the game. Billy Brenock duly obliged and Harry Walton added the conversion to leave the game finely poised at 19-19 with 10 minutes remaining. Cheered by their home crowd however, Crowborough found another gear and ran in two near identical tries in quick succession. Final score Crowborough 33 Jersey 19.
U16s Lead Coach Steve de Ste Croix commented " The lads put everything they had into this game and sadly this was not reflected in the result - but they will no doubt learn from the experience."
The Colts have had a fantastic season so far and are through to the qurter finals of the cup after a convincing 58-0 win over Eastbourne on 20th January – CONGRATULATIONS!!
Jersey Reds Community Rugby Officer
Jersey Reds TV caught up with Joel Dudley who is the new JRFC Community Rugby Officer. The former Reds scrum half took up the role after having recently retired from playing rugby on medical advice.
Credits:
Richard Chapman Jacquie Ranieri