Rugby Union: Exiles' exposure

Blackheath 34

London Scottish 25

LONDON Scottish have had a miserable week. The build-up to this match has been understandably dominated by the controversy surrounding Simon Fenn's mutilated ear, which has lurched from horror to farce to the threat of a barrage of writs in the course of seven days.

The Exiles' director of rugby, John Steele, refused to confirm or deny that his side's performance had been affected by Fenn's injury, but he did comment: "Our concentration lapsed at key moments and we need to develop the mental toughness of some of our younger players."

The management also advised Fenn to stay away from the game, presumably fearing that his presence could have proved a distraction too far. But this was still a subdued performance by London Scottish, who had beaten Blackheath twice already this year. This defeat has forced them back into the pack chasing the second promotion spot.

London Scottish may have deserved some luck but even they could not have envisaged being gifted such a soft opening try. Blackheath's full-back, Jason Penaluna, had plenty of time to clear to touch in the fifth minute, but succeeded only in chipping the ball direct to the advancing Conan Sharman, who ran beneath the posts unopposed.

But apart from some strong running by the No 8, Chris Tarbuck, that was virtually the Exiles' only moment of distinction in the first half. Blackheath's Chris Wilkins and John Clarke, a Western Samoan international, did most of the damage with some bright work from set pieces which allowed Clarke to make a succession of powerful breaks.

The Exiles defence also looked ragged when they failed to bring down the hooker Colin Ridgway in midfield, who released Chris Pawson, and Clarke himself powered over from 15 yards to give Blackheath a 17-10 lead at half-time.

The second half brought a minor resurgence from the Exiles, as they worked harder in the tight and they were rewarded by a close-range try from Tarbuck. They even slipped into the lead when they won a penalty try from a scrum infringement.

But the Exiles faded again when Blackheath upped the tempo to bring the backs into play and score three tries in the final quarter. This exciting passage of play saw James Christian burst through in the corner, John Gallagher dive on his own chip kick, and Ridgway go over for a deserved try at the death.

Blackheath: J Penaluna; W Stanley, J Gallagher, C Pawson, M Griffiths; C Braithwaite, J Clarke; S Pope (J Taylor, 76), C Ridgeway, P Graham, D Mayhew, S Shortland, R McCorduck, C Wilkins, T Booth (J Christian, 43).

London Scottish: E Raynor; G Thompson, J Bonney, R Davies, C Sharman; I McAusland, C Morley; P Johnstone, J Allan (G French, 61), P Burnell, R Hunter, M Watson (E Jones, 80), T Davies (T Jankovich, 65), C Tarbuck, S Holmes.

Referee: J Pearson (Durham).