The home side recovered from being 11 points down after a poor opening quarter to lead 22-11 with ten minutes remaining. However, two long distance tries from jet propelled winger Ethan Mead enabled the Devonians to grab an improbable win at the death. The disappointment at Tregorrick was palpable but the Saints have only themselves to blame, indiscipline gave points and territory to the visitors and poor game management allowed Sidmouth to launch two late counterattacks to steal the win.

Preseason optimism was matched by the sunny weather as Sidmouth got the new season underway. Hesitation under the high ball allowed the visitors to recover their kick-off to build up a head of steam. In what was to be a frustrating pattern for the first half, the Saints gave away a needless penalty which was converted by Dan Rutter for the first points of 2017-18 (0-3). The home side at last gained a foothold of the game but a penalty allowed the visitors to not only clear their lines but launch a devastating attack from the resulting line out. There was much to admire about the flowing move finished off by Dun Rugg, but the Saints will know that Sidmouth should not have been allowed to run the ball in from 40m (0-8). The home side enjoyed plenty of territory and possession but found the green defensive line well organised and resolute so rarely penetrated the visitor’s 22. A tendency to kick away possession and a compulsion to infringe at the breakdown meant there was little fluency from the home side. Rutter extended the visitor’s lead to 0-11 as the half hour mark approached but this provided the spark for the Saints. The home side regained the restart and used their forwards to build up pressure in the Sidmouth 22. The Saints’ scrum was now totally dominant so it was no surprise when flanker Ian Venner wriggled over just before halftime (5-11).

In an inspired move, Hector Bright was brought off the bench to bring some extra vim and vigour to the Saints’ backrow. The youngster had an immediate impact as he reclaimed the kick off to set up a chain of attacks that eventually saw Peter Rowe touch down (10-11). The home side were now on top and although Sidmouth defended stoutly it was only a matter of time before the Saints would take the lead. The relentless pressure finally told on the hour mark when 17-year-old George Tregilgas crowned a fine first team debut with a try (15-11). The irrepressible Bright got his just reward for his all-action display to score his first senior try after a barn storming run (22-11). The match was thrown into confusion when Sidmouth lost a prop through injury and then claimed they did not have a front row replacement. The Saints having had total dominance at the scrum to this juncture were slow to adjust to the uncontested format. Against the run of play Sidmouth ran in a converted try from inside their own half (22-18). After much touchline discussion, the visitors acknowledged they did indeed have a nominated front row back-up on their match card. Contested scrums were then restored for the final five minutes, but only Sidmouth will know whether this was a genuine mistake or an attempt to negate the home side’s forward dominance. With the game entering the final minutes, the home side gave away a needless penalty while camped on the Sidmouth try line allowing play to move back into the Saints half. Twice the home side kicked the ball out on the full into touch instead of retaining possession and running the clock down. In the last minute Sidmouth launched a final counterattack, slick hands and a missed tackle gave Ethan Mead the space to sprint 40m to score the winning try (22-23).

This is undoubtedly a game the Saints should have won and two bonus points is a meagre return given the territory and possession the home side enjoyed. Having recovered from a poor opening quarter and being 0-11 down at one stage, the home side proceeded to let a winning 22-11 position slip away in the final ten minutes. One area of concern will be the indiscipline, particularly in the first half when the penalty count was a staggering 10-1 against at the turnaround. The improvement in the second half was undoubtedly helped by more restraint at the breakdown with the penalty count a more respectable 5-3 in favour of the Saints. Despite the loss there were many positives to build on and with several notable absentees it was perhaps understandable that it took time for the team to gel but the players coming in all performed well. Next week the Saints travel to newly promoted Paignton (KO 3pm).

1 Hugh Noott; 2 Miles Davey (Capt.); 3 Peter Rowe; 4 Tony Knight; 5 Mark Vian; 6 Andy Inch; 7 Ian Venner; 8 Adam Kellow; 9 Dan Jane; 10 Chris Ashwin; 11 Cavan Boyer; 12 Andy Ashwin 13 Shane Johns; 14 Ben Chenoweth; 15 CJ Boyce

Reps (All used):

Hector Bright; George Tregilgas; Mike Shakespear

Saints Star Man: Hector Bright

St Austell:
Tries – Ian Venner (38); Peter Rowe (41); George Tregilgas (47); Hector Bright (65)
Cons – Chris Ashwin (65)
Pens –
Drop Goal –

Sidmouth:
Tries – Dan Rugg (11) Ethan Mead (72, 80)
Cons – Dan Rutter (72)
Pens – Dan Rutter (1, 29)
Drop Goal –

Yellow Cards:
St Austell: Tony Knight (57)
Sidmouth: None

Red Cards:
St Austell: None
Sidmouth: None

Referee: Mr A Denham (Cornwall Rugby RS)