Roared on by a large and appreciative crowd the Saints racked up an impressive array of tries that mixed forward power with the pace and guile of an exciting back division. It was hard going for Newent on their first ever visit to Tregorrick Park, but the Gloucestershire side never let their heads drop and competed to the very end.

The Saints got off to an electric start that saw them get two converted tries inside the first six minutes. A catch and drive set up my Mark Vian’s majestic lineout leap, saw a driving maul that thundered over the Newent try-line with Charlie Nicholas claiming the honours. A strong scrum enabled the ball to be released to Ben Plummer, who although hit hard by a covering tackle, he was still able to present the ball for flanker Andy Inch to pick and drive over to make the score 14-0 with just 6 minutes on the clock. A shell-shocked Newent showed great character to steady their ship and started to enjoy some good possession in the Saints half. The home defence held firm, and the Saints will have been content to limit the visitors to two penalties slotted confidently by Tom Webb (14-6). The Saints pack were dominating the set pieces to provide a great platform to launch their pacey backline. In a move straight off the training ground, scrum half CJ Boyce fed his half back partner Matt Shepherd who threw out a peach of a long pass to winger Max Bullen who flew in at the corner (19-6). On the half-hour, the Gorran Lighthouse Mark Vian provided quick lineout ball to launch an attack from the 40m line that delivered a simply stunning try. Max Bullen came in off his wing to pop up in the centre to receive the ball from Matt Shepherd and then fire out a long pass to Cavan Boyer. The Saints fullback hit the line at pace to step outside the defending winger before bearing down on his Newent counterpart. The visitors’ full back lined up for the tackle but with a sublime piece of skill Cavan Boyer slipped the ball out the back to put a delighted Frazer Nottle in at the corner. The move had the crowd on their feet in appreciation for a try worth the admission alone (24-6). Newent again responded well and despite applying some sustained pressure they had to settle for a third Webb penalty to make the half time score 24-9.

The start of the second half saw that man Mark Vian again provide perfect lineout ball and his half back colleagues quickly moved the ball. Konnor Ewudzi timed his diagonal run to perfection to glide through a gap in the first-up Newent defence. A mixture of pace and power saw the Saints centre slalom through to the try line to add to his burgeoning collection of brilliant touchdowns. Matt Shepherd coolly knocked over the touchline conversion to push the Saints out of sight at 31-9. Prop Charlie Nicholson grabbed his second try of the afternoon following more good work by the Saints pack (36-9). Like they did in the first half Newent responded positively to the setbacks to put the home team under some sustained pressure. A series of drives were eventually rewarded when number eight Benjamin Vincent, Newent’s standout player on the day, touched down in the corner (36-16). Quick thinking by Kyle Marriott saw him tap a quick penalty, awarded for collapsing the maul, and the Saints number eight crashed into the defenders on the line before twisting and then turning to ground the ball for the home side’s seventh try (41-16). The game ended on a sour note when scrum CJ Boyce was unceremoniously lifted and dumped on the floor. With the home side and crowd in uproar things threatened to boil over. To the amazement of the home support the “tackle” was deemed fair, and it was Saints lock Adam Kellow that was shown red for dissent. Post-match reviews of the video footage would suggest that the home side’s initial reactions to the tackle were perhaps justified. Thankfully the game played out without any further incident with the Saints home and hosed at 41-16.

This was the first time these two clubs have played each other, and the Green Army can be proud of their side’s efforts. Newent players and supporters proved to be exemplary visitors off the field and the Saints will be looking forward to making their first ever trip to the “Stade de Rec” in January. It is still very early days but a third bonus win on the bounce has pushed the Saints up to second place. The Cornishmen can be delighted with their start to life in South West One, but they will know there is still a long hard season ahead. The next challenge is away at North Petherton, and the Saints will travel to Somerset full of confidence in search of their first ever win at Beggars Brook

1 Dan Job; 2 Miles Davey (Capt.); 3 Charlie Nicholson; 4 Mark Vian; 5 Adam Kellow; 6 Andy Inch; 7 Rory Jago; 8 Kyle Marriott; 9 CJ Boyce; 10 Matt Shepherd; 11 Fraser Nottle; 12 Ben Plummer 13 Konnor Ewudzi; 14 Max Bullen; 15 CJ Boyce

Reps (All used):
Kyle Gallacher; Chris Ashwin; Joe Maunder

Saints Star Man: Cavan Boyer

St Austell:
Tries – Charlie Nicholson (1); Andy Inch (6); Max Bullen (23); Nottle (31)
Cons – Matt Shepherd (1, 6)
Pens –
Drop Goal –

Newent:
Tries –
Cons –
Pens – Tom Webb (13, 19)
Drop Goal –

Yellow Cards:
St Austell: Rory Jago (18)
Newent: None

Red Cards:
St Austell: Adam Kellow (75)
Newent: None

Referee: Dewald Swart (Dorset & Wilts)