COACH Craig White hailed his Bournemouth charges for shrugging off the distraction of a tumultuous couple of weeks to register a vital victory over Brixham.

Lions roared to a 29-15 success over the high-flying Fishermen in White’s first match in charge following the departure of Crispin Cormack and Paul Dunne.

Alongside player-coaches Tim Collier and Dan Connolly, the South African has been tasked with leading the club’s fight against relegation from National Three South West.

But while Bournemouth got the trio’s tenure off to the perfect start, White refused to get carried away with the result.

White, a former captain of the first XI who returned with the club’s thirds earlier this season, told the Daily Echo: “We executed the basics well and the some of the rugby was very good.

“The events of the past few weeks have been unsettling for the players but they have knuckled down and worked hard.

“There is still a lot of work to do but I am very happy with this as a starting point.

“The key was how we stuck to our guns and played for each other. The passion we showed and how we reacted to having three guys in the bin was excellent. You would not have thought that they (Brixham) were third in the league.”

White continued: “We have a plan in place for the rest of this season but firstly we just want to coach the guys, let them have fun and enjoy their rugby. It is all about the players.

“We will take each game as it comes. We are changing some structures which the guys are still getting used to so it is a case of building as best we can.”

Anthony Fitch has rejoined Lions following his return from travelling in Canada. A wing during his last spell, Fitch played at fly-half whilst abroad.

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