Plymouth College navigated their way into the final of the South West Group A section of the Daily Mail Vase competition with a workmanlike victory over Somerset's, The Blue School, at Ivybridge RFC.
Despite not having played for over a month, the Plymouth side proved too strong for their opponents and ran in 7 tries in total. Ed Neeves collected an 18 point haul in the process, consisting of a try, five conversions and a penalty, while other scorers included Dom Day, Tom Jordan, Jacob Kingscott, Billy Patching and Seb Slade (2).
The long Christmas-induced break took its toll in the first half with the side struggling to find their rhythm and often suffering as a result of unforced errors and a lack of precision. However, matters steadily improved and Plymouth put together some good passages of play that tested their opponents mettle. Defensively, several strong performances denied their opponents the chance to build any sustained attacking momentum. Oliver Westwell took his opportunity to shine coming off the bench early in the first half. His final tackle count was very impressive as was his influence in a number of scrum-based set plays. Final score Plymouth College 48, The Blue School 0.
Plymouth will look to build on this display and enjoy home advantage in the next match against John Hampden Grammar School from High Wycombe. The date and venue for this fixture are yet to be confirmed but should take place next week.
