In truth this was far from a vintage Saints performance but two tries in each half was enough to subdue a spirited North Petherton. The home pack put in a gritty display as they looked to disrupt the Saints at every opportunity to prevent a repeat of last week’s free-flowing destruction of Newton Abbott. The Cornishmen struggled to stay on the right side of the referee and the litany of penalties added to the uncharacteristic handling errors, leading to a disjointed game that lacked any sustained fluency. Nonetheless the visitors dug deep to fashion the scores required to deliver the bonus point that ensured they reached the century milestone at the top of Regional 2 South West.
The home side looked to take advantage of the first use of a stiff cold Easterly breeze with two early long-range penalties from the halfway line. Both attempts had the distance but lacked the accuracy to trouble the scoreboard, however the Saints knew the threat was there to punish any transgression. The visitors were shading the possession and territory, but progress was continually interrupted by a shrill whistle blast enabling the Oaks to clear. Frustration was building and a disagreement over a turnover saw Saints fly-half Matt Shepherd consigned to the sinbin. At the third time of asking Sam Morison kicked through the posts to put the home side in front with 20 minutes gone (3-0). The 14-man Saints responded well and twice got to the Oaks’ 5m line, only for their normally dependable lineout to malfunction. Number eight Kyle Marriott ran a penalty and it was the returning Shep eager to make amends for his earlier transgression who scooted over for a converted try (3-7). For the first time in the half the Saints had some continuity in their play and Konnor Ewudzi finished with aplomb in the corner. Shep’s touchline conversion made the score 3-14 at the interval.

The Saints suffered a blow early in the second half when Mark Vian’s leg was caught awkwardly in a ruck. Thankfully initial fears of a serious injury were subsequently dissipated and hopefully the Saints’ skipper will recover in time for Wednesday’s Tamar Cup clash. The incident seemed to disrupt the visitors’ concentration and a short lineout move saw Oaks’ number eight Carl Brown burst through for a try (8-14). Again the visitors responded well to the setback and prop Matt Boothby looked to have scored only to be pulled back for an offside in the build-up. The Saints pressure continued, and a sweeping backline move was finished in style by Konnor Ewudzi (8-21). Just as the visitors seemed to be finally exerting control on proceedings they suffered a double setback. From the restart flanker Cam Taylor was deemed to have made a “no-arms” tackle. The yellow card was brandished, and the home side drilled the penalty into the corner. The initial defence of the lineout held firm but the Oaks sprung the ball wide and winger Jack Williams made the extra numbers pay in the opposite corner (13-21). Any hopes the home side had of a resurgence were soon dispelled, with the visitors harbouring a sense of injustice they immediately hit back. A brilliant chip and gather by the mercurial Matt Shepherd saw him grab the bonus point with his 33rd try of the league campaign (13-26). The final ten minutes was played out with neither side threatening to add to the scoreline, the only incident of note was a yellow card for home flanker Jake Ellis.

The final whistle reaffirmed the Saints position at the top of Regional 2 SW as they took their final tally to 100 points. It has been an unprecedented campaign by the Saints, unbeaten at Tregorrick and winning nine from eleven on the road amassing 19 try bonus points along the way. Thoughts now switch to the Cup Competitions, and they eagerly await the draw on 20th March 2023 for the Papa Johns Community Cup, a national tournament with the mouth-watering prospect of a Twickenham Final at the end of it. Up first is the Cornwall County Cup and next Saturday the Saints travel to Penryn (kick-off at 2:30pm).

Saints Star Man: Brandon Haque – A dogged display from the young prop against a powerful Oaks front row. Overcoming a difficult start to dominate the set-piece in the second half and carrying the ball well throughout.

Saints
1 Matt Boothby; 2 Miles Davey; 3 Brandon Haque; 4 Mark Vian (Capt.); 5 Rob Jeffs; 6 Rory Jago; 7 Cam Taylor; 8 Kyle Marriott; 9 Dan Tyrrell; 10 Matt Shepherd; 11 Konnor Ewudzi; 12 Ben Plummer; 13 Sam Parsons; 14 Fraser Nottle; 15 Max Bullen
Reps (All used):
Joe Maunder; Dan Job; CJ Boyce

St Austell:
Tries – Matt Shepherd (33, 69); Konnor Ewudzi (35, 58)
Cons – Matt Shepherd (34; 36; 59)
Pens –
Drop Goal –

North Petherton:
Tries – Carl Bown (45); Jack Williams (64)
Cons – Sam Morison (21)
Pens –
Drop Goal –

Yellow Cards:
St Austell: Matt Shepherd (21); Cam Taylor (61)
North Petherton: Jake Ellis (76)

Red Cards:
St Austell: None
North Petherton: None