Our new look London Welsh 1XV opened the 2026-27 season with an excellent bonus point win away at Jersey, although the final scoreline perhaps didn’t tell the full story of a strong and, at times, frustrating performance from Welsh.

Having gained promotion to National League 2 East at the end of last season, Jersey’s opening home result will come as a disappointment as Welsh struck early through Nwachukwu Monye, with our attack repeatedly exposing gaps in the Jersey defence. Buster Wilkins then crossed for his first try in a Welsh shirt before Monye added his second, as we established control of the contest.

Welsh controlled possession and territory for long periods in a dominant first half, with Jersey managing few attacks yet turning two of them into tries. Jersey’s response came through Rhys Thomas and Kade Bird, as we went into half-time with a 14–10 lead, a scoreline that arguably didn’t reflect the balance of play.

Welsh came out flying after the break, scoring two tries inside the opening five minutes to establish a commanding lead. Jersey, though, deserve enormous credit. They refused to give up and responded through Jack Macfarlanne, while Bird added his second try to keep the hosts in the contest.

Our lineout was excellent throughout, with the exception of one five-metre opportunity that surely left a try unclaimed. The scrum, however, was a different story. Jersey’s highly experienced, former professional front row gained the upper hand throughout, but we more than matched that strength with a powerful rolling maul, which proved a major attacking weapon.

There were some outstanding individual performances across the 1XV. Oli at scrum-half was superb, controlling the game well and delivering consistently excellent ball to the back line. Osian at full-back produced several excellent breaks and arguably enjoyed one of his best performances in a Welsh shirt. Max was outstanding in midfield, repeatedly breaking the Jersey defensive line, while Rhydian looked even quicker than he did last season.

And what a debut for Buster Wilkins. His lineout throwing was faultless, and he crossed for two tries on his debut. On this basis, it would be difficult to separate the contenders for Man of the Match.

Welsh maintained control, with Ed Morgan’s goal-kicking proving important as we managed the scoreboard and kept Jersey at arm’s length. The front eight may be feeling the effects of going toe-to-toe with such a dominant Jersey scrum, but they can be proud of their efforts.

The final whistle confirmed a 33–22 victory for London Welsh, with Welsh’s five-try performance earning us the maximum five league points, while Jersey took some reward for their efforts with a losing bonus point.

Overall, it was a strong opening performance from Welsh and, importantly, a bonus-point win to get the season underway. There is clearly plenty still to work on, but this is a Welsh squad that has recruited extremely well and looks more than capable of challenging at the top end of the league this season.

Thank you to Jersey Rugby Club for the welcome and hospitality. We’ll see you back in London in April!

FULL TIME: Jersey Rugby Club 22–33 London Welsh RFC