Tavistock 1st XV 52

Totnes 1st XV 0

THIS friendly fixture between Devon 2 leaders Totnes and Devon 1 strugglers, Tavistock, showed the vast difference between these leagues.

The game was a useful morale-building exercise for Tavistock, who suffered a frustrating league defeat last week. They took control from the start, looking dangerous whenever in possession, which was most of the game.

Centre, Josh Sutton was unlucky to be denied a try in the first five minutes, when his foot went out of pay during a sprint down the line, but Number 8 Andrew Griffiths soon compensated when he drove over for a converted try.

The Tavistock pack were quicker to get men to the breakdowns and more efficient in rucks and mauls. These factors, combined with hooker, Rob Sleep, taking several of the opposition's scrum put-ins 'against the head', ensured Tavistock had lots of possession with which to attack.

Their tactics were devastating, the pack supporting each other well to provide quick, ruck ball for the backs, having drawn in some of the defence.

Josh Sutton was next to score, selling a beautiful dummy out wide to allow himself a stroll to the posts. This was followed by scrum half Sean Buttles' first try of four, when Griffiths broke from the back of a scrum and popped the ball up for him. Buttles showed a return of his tenacity and pace to score.

At half-time the score remained 19-0 to Tavistock, Sutton kicking two of the three conversions.

In the second half the floodgates opened and although the backs were queuing up to score, the ball rarely got past Buttle. He claimed the next try, diving over from a five yard scrum. Number 8, Griffiths, scored his second from a similar position, bouncing off the full-back on his way.

The try of the match probably goes to John Mallon on the right wing, for an all-round display of rugby. Sleep took the ball against the head and Griffiths broke quickly from the back of the scrum, popping to captain, Matt Cole on contact. Cole made several yards with a powerful run and the pack rucked over effectively to release the blistering pace of the backs. The ball passed through every hand with clever running from fly half Evans and centre Mark Ninnis until it was given to Mallon, who showed great pace, to score in the corner.

The next two tries both went to Buttle, the first from a driving maul on the opposition's 22-yard line, and the second a fantastic display of individual skill, from the back of the scrum on the halfway line.