Roseland through to Quarter Finals with win
Saturday afternoon was Sponsors Days at Roseland and the penultimate group game in the Tribute Cup. It was also the third meeting between Roseland and Lankelly this season.
Despite the weather being polar opposites to the previous week the pitch was struggling under the conditions and a free flowing fast game was unlikely with heavy conditions underfoot. Due to Sponsors Day a strong crowd watched the action unfold from the sidelines braving the chilly wind.
The kick off was delayed by 15 minutes as a couple of car loads of Lankelly players got lost on route to the ground.
Lankelly kicked off the game playing down the slope with a gentle breeze assisting. Roseland were quickly into their stride with several clean breaks and bullocking runs with only poor handling and ill discipline, a trait for the afternoon, preventing them breaking the deadlock.
Roseland eventually broke the dead lock when after several phases centre Matt Eddy found himself in space to cross the white wash and dot down the opening try. Fly half Davo Williams failed with the conversion.
Roseland created plenty of chances but failed to convert them into scores with a mixture of some desperate last ditch defence from “Kelly”, some poor handling and some “poor discipline”. Roseland scored again when quick hands from a ruck from Day to Eamers to Chapman created the space for Chapman to bundle over in the top corner and continue his try scoring streak. Matt Eddy kicked the difficult conversion to bring the score to 12-0.
This was the end of the scoring for the first half with neither side able to dominate the other. Roselands only real bonus being that Lankelly never really threatened their 22 and were kept contained to the middle of the park.
The change of ends didn’t bring a change of luck for Roseland as the problems from the first half continued with handling errors and discipline, both generally strong points of Roseland, seriously letting them down. It was due to these problems that Roseland failed to dominate “Kelly” and kept “Kelly” interested in the game throughout. The Roseland pack slowly started to get on top of their opposite numbers and were disrupting Lankelly ball and securing solid ball of their own at scrum time. It was from one such scrum that Rosleand scored their third try when No8 Chapman picked and went, although half tackled, scrum half down smuggled the ball away from Chapman and amid the “confusion” managed to slip through the Lankelly defenders and touch down for a try. Eddy missed the conversion.
Roseland sensing the game was won and with half an eye on their final group game against Liskard in a fortnight knew that a bonus point win against Lankelly would set up a winner takes a all game versus Liskard where the winner would have the advantage of a home quarter final. With this thought in mind Roseland started to chase the elusive fourth try and because of this and the previous problems their standard of play deteriorated. Roseland lost two players to the sin bin in the final 20 minutes and used all their replacements, both of which also disrupted play and the slippery ball didn’t aide matters.
The game ended with Roseland camped on the “Kelly” line before being turned over and Lankelly clearing the ball away to end the game.
The win guaranteed Roseland second place in the group and progression to the quarter finals of the cup.
Compared to last weeks heroics and excellent skill levels in atrocious conditions this weeks game was well below par from a Roseland side that expect so much more themselves. Lankelly left the pitch the happier side with their final cup match against Camelford on the 13th February before concentrating solely on the league.
Roseland travel to Liskard Looe on the 13th February to Lux Park where they have never won and hope to right this and to test just how far they have progressed this season.