Jersey ………………7pts
Leicester ……….17pts
A TRY from 18-year-old wing Jacob Cusick with his first touch in senior rugby helped Leicester to a hard-fought win over their Jersey hosts.
After setting up Cusick for his side's third and final try, England scrumhalf Ben Youngs hailed the character of the young Tigers squad, whose victory crowned a six-day island training camp.
“Jacob is a great young player, but he hadn't played for two years and had a broken femur during that time, so it was a special moment for him,” Youngs said.
“We had a lot of young guys out there and got a lot out of the game, and I'd hope Jersey did as well, although I think both sides left a few points out there.
“It was physical – when you have not played since the first week of June, the first collisions are tough and it takes time to adjust.”
Coming on a second half replacement for skipper Jack Van Poortvliet, Youngs was one of the few senior players on show for the visitors, with several of his England colleagues still short of their returnto-play dates following national duty in July.
Wing Guy Porter was one of the Tigers' most dangerous threats in attack, and crossed for the opening try within four minutes after a jinking break by Juan Pablo Socino created space.
Although Jersey were competing well at the scrum and twice won penalties against their Premiership opponents, the Leicester pack were able to provide the platform for their second try.
Van Poortvliet broke left from a scrum just outside the Reds' 22 and found Freddie Burns, making his return to Tigers' colours after leaving in 2017. The fly-half found Tongan Hosea Saumaki – another debutant for a try in the corner.
Three visiting players had to leave the fray with injuries during the first half, including Burns, who received treatment after striking his second conversion attempt against the post and came off soon afterwards. Prop Will Hurd and flanker Ollie Chessum also departed before the break.
The home side had shown flashes in attack and finally scored with the final play of the half. A Leicester attack broke down near halfway and when Jack Macfarlane hacked the ball forward, former Leicester Academy wing Ryan Olowofela raced through, gathered and touched down under the posts.
The Reds' try was converted by Sam Leeming, making his Jersey debut a year after receiving a diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
The second half was a scrappy affair, with both sides missing opportunities to score and the only points coming courtesy of Youngs' miss-pass to Cusick after a close-range scrum. Jersey's Max Ayling received a yellow card in the closing stages for tackling Youngs having failed to retreat as the scrum-half took a quicklytapped penalty.
Jersey director of rugby Harvey Biljon praised the character and attitude of his players.
“It was a physical game and I was pleased about our defensive display and the way the boys put their bodies on the line,” he said.
