And, having lost to St Jacques RFC away last Sunday, Les Quennevais know the size of the task ahead of them.
St Jacques are a junior team in Guernsey, while Guernsey RFC’s 1st XV could not beat the UK team just before Christmas, going down by three points against 14 men after one of the Sandown players was sent off.However, Les Quennevais’ captain, Nick Durbano, is confident he has a good enough team to win – if, as he says, they can ‘play exceptionally well’.’I know they are second in Hampshire Division I behind Guernsey,’ he said, ‘that they play mainly a forwards game, and that their ball carriers are their props and their No 8.’But that’s why we’ve gone for a heavier weight back five.
We want to give our backs clean ball.
On their day they can be awesome, even though we’ve been told they have two good centres including one who’s good at tackling.
He’ll be one to watch.’Such is the importance of this game that Les Quennevais are paying £2,000 to bring the visitors over and, as Durbano said: ‘As they’re getting a free trip out of this we don’t believe there’ll be many cry-offs.
They’re not having to pay for it.’As Les Quennevais won the Hampshire Bowl last year, they are now playing with a reputation for being an unfashionable, but winning side.
After this quarter-final – and if they win – they’ll only be two games away from winning yet another trophy.Full report in today’s JEP.
