A RARE look of anxiety passed over Simon Sharrott’s face as the Siam Cup was placed in front of him on the table and our photographer hovered nearby.
‘You don’t want a picture of me with it do you?’ the usually sure and composed Guernsey captain asked.
Tom Tardif, the aforementioned photographer, certainly had no interest in arguing with a man whose neck size is probably the same as our cameraman’s waist.
I fully understood the awkwardness of the moment.
‘You don’t want to tempt fate, eh?’
‘Exactly,’ came Sharrott’s definite response.
The former Rotherham Titan (pictured) had, moments earlier, been only too pleased to be a part of a brief media photo shoot, but to pose with the trophy would have been a step too far.
There is a job to do to earn the right to hold that trophy this season. This is not about past glories for the skipper.
Soon he is back where he is far more comfortable – talking rugby with no camera in sight.
‘Just more of the same of what we have been doing for the last few weeks,’ was his immediate answer to the game plan for tomorrow.
‘We are not going to try and change anything. Results of late have generally been good, we have been sticking to our game-plan and it has been coming off.
‘There was a blip away at Chichester, which might not have happened had we made just a couple of different decisions, but confidence and belief in the squad is huge at the moment and all we have done in the last three-to-four weeks has been driving towards this weekend.’
Guernsey are looking to set their own record by winning three consecutive Siams for the first time.
Their best run in the competition came in the golden era from 1959-62 when the Greens were undefeated, including a draw in ’60.
Sharrott has been an integral part of the next best period which is the current one – three wins in the last four attempts including the last two in Jersey.
So what do his side enter the 2009 match as?
‘We are underdogs,’ he conceded.
But he doesn’t dwell on the point once he has admitted to it.
‘There is not much between the two sides in terms of ability.
‘Jersey are a professional outfit, but it is not about revenge for them. They have got enough senior boys to realise we outplayed them in the last two years and deserved to win it.
‘But they are a very good and efficient rugby team and we know it. They are going to score points, but if we can keep them to a minimum, I have got no worries about our scoring ability.
‘We simply have to perform.’
And once again the performance will be based on the two Ds – discipline and defence.
Over a large part of the season, Guernsey have suffered with the penalty counts against them being far too high for their liking.
Sharrott emphasised that they cannot afford that to be the case tomorrow, when 21-year-old Devon referee Luke Pearce will be in charge.
‘It does not matter if you play schoolboy, international or Siam Cup rugby, you cannot give away silly free kicks and penalties because it gives the opposition the opportunity to get on top of you.
‘If we give away too many, that will cost us on the day and we have been working with people in the squad over the last few weeks to cut the number right down – and we didn’t give away many against Bog-nor in the last game.
‘Penalties lead to yellow cards and we cannot afford to go down to 14 men otherwise it’s game over.
‘It has got to be a gritty defence, but not just an aggressive one, a controlled one.’
Team selection points towards that, with Nick Barton – who must be in the running to retain his player of the year accolade from his peers – and Darren Jones being joined by highly-talented youngster Robin Le Cocq in the back row, while the physically imposing figure of James Regnard is free to attempt to do a Matt Banahan on Jersey.
Together the loose forwards are a concoction of the ingredients Sharrott so desperately wants at the breakdown in order to give his backline, and in particular Regnard, the platform on which to shine.
‘The back row has speed and knowledge of what to do under different situations,’ said the skipper.
And as if to highlight his passion for defence, he wished to talk about only the one debutant in the backs.
‘Jason [Batiste] has learnt a lot this season. He has always had the attacking ability, but at 12 he is becoming educated that it is defence that wins you games.’
However, I am sure a trademark side-step and line-breaking run from his inside centre wouldn’t go amiss for the captain tomorrow.
As for that photo with the trophy…Siam Cup countdown: Focus on the two Ds – discipline and defence
Article posted on 1st May, 2009 - 2.29pm
Most Commented: