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BIG MATCH PREVIEW - |
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by Joe Heaton |
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at Billesley, Saturday, April 12th, 2008 kick-off 3pm (but come for
lunch!) |
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Launceston, or the ‘Cornish All Blacks’ as the club now wishes to be known, is one of four rugby clubs which flies the flag of the far West Country in National League One. The others are Cornish Pirates, Plymouth and Exeter. Launceston is a small town with a modest population of less than ten thousand people. The hilltop remains of a Norman castle and medieval town gate are reminders that the town once guarded the main route from Devon into Cornwall. Indeed the club’s delightful ground lies alongside the River Tamar which forms the boundary between the two counties. The town’s rugby club was not founded until 1948 and this is its first season in National League One. Last season’s promotion campaign from National League Two went to the wire and stressed, almost to breaking point, all those with the club’s best interests at heart. As Launceston claims to have one of the lowest budgets and smallest squads in National League One it is not surprising that the Cornishmen have struggled at the higher level, and it was not until 29th March they moved off the bottom leaving Pertemps Bees to prop up the league. Limited money and semi-professional playing resources have to be supplemented by the strong support of the local community and the spirit of a core group of players born and bred in Cornwall. Many clubs in the top third of National League Two, which themselves have aspirations for promotion, are watching Launceston with great interest to see if they can survive at the higher level. Launceston’s short history is a warning to clubs with illustrious histories such as Bedford, Coventry, London Welsh, Nottingham and Moseley etc, of what can be achieved with small resources and a limited fan base. Tradition counts for nothing in the modern professional game. Moseley comfortably won the away game with Launceston in the autumn 25 – 10, but a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and, notwithstanding our excellent away record, we will have to be at our very best to emulate this result. The results of Launceston’s last four matches were: 4th March v Northampton Home Lost 7 –72 8th March v Exeter Away Lost 0 – 62 29th March v Newbury Home Won 27 – 5 5th April v Esher Away Won 41 – 0 This sequence represents a remarkable turnaround and the club’s last two results (sixty eight points for and only five against) stand as a warning to Moseley against any complacency or thoughts that this will be anything but a very tough fixture. |
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