All Whites battle through torrid conditions

NEWTON Abbot RFC 1st XV battled through the driving wind and rain to see off Devonport Services 2nd XV and make it two wins from two at Rackerhayes.

Their women’s team kickstarted the day with a 19-7 victory over Devonport and the men followed suit “in really rubbish conditions.”

The ability to start fast has been lacking from the All Whites’ game thus far this season so head coach Lloyd Radford was delighted to see them right that wrong.

“We’ve normally been chasing games so it was nice to start with a bang, that’s something I’ve asked the lads to do,” said Radford.

As they moved within metres of the line, a knock-on cost the hosts but from the resulting scrum, a fierce drive moved Devonport back the five metres and Archie Parker dove on the loose ball.

Playing in driving wind and pouring rain, it was far from easy which made the numerous dropped balls and missed tackles more palatable.

The returning Toby Pascoe flew across to deny Services an otherwise guaranteed try but in doing so, sustained an injury that briefly forced him off.

Scrum-half White added another seven points at the other end before Dan Beer raced in a third. White nailed the kick once more, proving to be the perfect deputy to the absent Jay Barnes.

Newton’s dominance of the fixture evaporated within the blink of an eye really, on the brink of half-time.

Devonport’s sustained pressure in the red zone paid dividends with an unconverted try and from the restart, the visitors gathered a poor kick and spread it from one wing to the other and their outside centre was then able to run in a second.

Rather than crumbling though, Radford’s young side roared back with the final play of the half, Tom Arnold getting on the scoresheet and White adding the extras to make it 28-10.

After the turnaround, it was Devonport’s turn to have the wind in their backs and they constructed a few neat moves and had a third try to show for it.

The penalty count continued to mount against the away team though and a member of their front row was eventually shown a yellow card.

There was time late on for Newton to rumble over one final try in an otherwise uneventful second half. Sam Green touched down and White’s kick clattered the upright.

Throughout the afternoon, the rain fell and the wind blew. Radford highlighted though that “It’s really difficult but it’s difficult for both teams.”

He continued, “What made it particularly difficult was that the wind was hacking down in one direction. We started with it to our backs and I actually don’t think we made the most of that, we probably held the ball a little too much.”

As previously highlighted, the club have started their home campaign with two wins and from the get-go, Radford and co “Wanted [Rackerhayes] to be a fortress this season.”

His side’s 40-40 draw with Barnstaple IIs the weekend prior “Left a bitter taste for the lads so they felt they had a point to prove” when Devonport came to town.

It was a dogged performance across the entire squad but one individual who regularly leads by example is stalwart Joe Frost.

“Frosty impresses me no matter where you put him and he never fails to amaze me.

“The experience he’s got is outstanding. He’s someone who I’ve fallen back on and can rely on this season and I will continue to do so as much as possible.”

Newton Abbot’s Halloween offering takes them to Cullompton IIs on Saturday, October 31, hoping for some kinder conditions.