Brighton FC 32 - 3 Dunlop RFC
by Hugh Godwin - RFU Press Officer
YOUTH and experience did the trick for Brighton as they completed a Twickenham Stadium double with victory in today's final of the RFU Senior Vase to follow on from last year's Junior Vase success.
Brighton scored five tries against Coventry side Dunlop who lost two players to the sin bin in a second half which saw them fall away from trailing 5-3 at the interval.
Two of Brighton's tries went to speedy 20-year-old centre Ed Court and two more to second-row forward Mark Gibb, still going strong at the age of 40.
"There are times you realise you are playing the greatest team game in the world and this is one of them," said Gibb, who has no intention of hanging up his boots yet.
"It was a huge team effort - players, coaches, physios, everyone - and a tribute to the work put in by our player-coach Neil McGovern."
The Blues will be promoted after finished second in London Three South East on points difference this season, having won the RFU Junior Vase final at Twickenham a year ago at the end of an unbeaten campaign.
Only six of last year's final XV started this match, and McGovern said: "It was a tough old game and it took us a bit of time to get going. You come to the biggest and best stadium in the world and you will take time to settle.
"But our forwards were outstanding and did a number on Dunlop. All the hard nights' training on Tuesdays and Thursdays paid off. The forwards earned that win and Ed Court's finishing was outstanding."
Brighton full back Alex Finch hooked a 30-metre penalty wide after three minutes then lively Dunlop scrum half Danny James almost caught Brighton unawares, dummying a pass as if setting up a dropped goal.
A penalty at a ruck gave James a chance to open the scoring from wide out on the left in the 17th minute and he landed the kick with aplomb.
|
"It was a huge team effort - players, coaches, physios, everyone - and a tribute to the work put in by our player-coach Neil McGovern."
There was a tremendous battle between two heavyweight front rows at every scrummage and after Dunlop had repelled one in their own 22 they were forced to defend again when their full back David Weston spilled a sharp pass.
This time Brighton scrum half Nick Cherry collected at the base and fed fly half Tom Aiken whose miss-one pass to Court at outside centre allowed the Brighton University student to brush past Weston and score the first try of the match after 23 minutes. Finch missed the conversion.
Neither side would have been happy with the number of knock-ons and dropped passes in perfect Twickenham conditions.
But the match turned against Dunlop, newly-crowned champions of Midlands Three West (South), when they lost flanker Gerrard Clough to the sin bin after 42 minutes. Brighton tapped the penalty and Gibb forced over for a 10-3 lead.
Dunlop were still a man short when Brighton player-coach Neil McGovern teed up Court to run in his second try from 25-metres, with Finch converting.
Two Brighton scrums in the Dunlop 22 pinned the Midlanders down again. The first yielded a penalty and from the second Brighton set up a ruck near the posts and Gibb scrambled over for his second try, Finch converting for 24-3.
It took Gibb to 15 tries for the season, though he said modestly: "Every one of them has been from two yards." And it helped Portsmouth FC fan McGovern enjoy his day after Pompey were defeated earlier in the afternoon in the FA Cup final.
A late shoulder charge on Finch by replacement flanker Ian Gallagher brought Dunlop's second yellow card with just over 20 minutes remaining, though this 10-minute absence was not as damaging as the first.
With 70 minutes gone Dunlop were shoved off their ball at a scrum and Brighton earned a penalty for offside in midfield which Finch kicked to make it 27-3. And replacement hooker Adam Salvage dotted down Brighton's fifth try in the final minute.
Dunlop head coach Mark Elvidge said: "Playing 20 minutes with a man down against a side who are better than you are doesn't help.
"We have a young squad and hopefully they can come back again one day and win something here. As disappointing as the result was, we'll let the lads know it's a stepping stone to next year."
Brighton: A Finch; M Crane, E Court, N McGovern, J Trevis; T Aiken, N Cherry; S Hutton, L Jenkins (capt), R Keen, M Gibb, G Eddy, E Roberts, S Young, L Shone. Replacements: M Bellenie, A Salvage, J Kinsella, J Lewis, J Tompsett, M Morgan, S Jones, S Economou.
Dunlop: D Weston; D Brown, S Adcock (capt), C McGrory, S Edwards; J Reilly, D James; T Pitman, A Jarvis, M Owen, A Solomon, C Price, J Phillips, G Clough, M Challis. Replacements: R Craner, D Elvidge, T O'Toole, I Gallagher, L Weston, P Hester, S Lucas, D Quantrill.
Referee: R Parker-Sedgemore.
|
