HRFC  0   CINDERFORD RFC   39

National 3 South

No-one thought that this would be easy. Although Havant had convincingly won their last two league games, it was against other teams struggling at the wrong end of the league. On the other hand, the Forest of Dean side had had a good start to the season and were among the pacesetters at the top. What wasn’t anticipated was that Havant would suffer their worst home defeat for many a year, and that, for the first time in over 10 years, they would suffer the ignominy of a ‘whitewash’ in a league match!

One of the undoubted factors was that three key players that had played the previous week weren’t available; the reliable Tom Wells from the front row, the mercurial Matt Morgan from the back five and the ever present Pucs Ngapaku from ‘No 10’. ‘Supersub’ Karl Randle was given a start at prop, Matt was replaced by brother Ben, and Jamie Knowles moved into ‘No 10’, with Grant Morris being pressed into action in his position at centre.

However, the early signs were that it might be an even contest. It took over five minutes for Cinderford to get out of their own half after the kick off. But when they did, they scored. Unable to capitalise on their early pressure deep in the Cinderford 22, Havant gave away a penalty that enable the visitors to clear just into the Havant half. From the line out some quick ball movement, and poor midfield defence enable Cinderford fly half Tristan Roberts to dance free and clear to run in under the posts from over 30 metres out. His own conversion made it 0-7 with 6 minutes gone.

Havant continued to have most of the territory and the possession for the next 20 minutes or so, but unforced errors were preventing them from making it count and, from only their second serious incursion into the Hav half, Cinderford went further ahead when Hav were penalised, and Roberts had no trouble in bisecting the posts to make it 0-10 on 27.

There was no way at this point that it could be said that the score line reflected the balance of play. However, for the rest of the half there was only one team out there! In the remaining 13 minutes of play to half time, Cinderford scored 17 more points and effectively ended the game as a contest. Two push over tries (from flanker Chris McNeil and prop Phil Kennedy), both well converted by Roberts, who also kicked another penalty, sent a stunned Havant in at half time 0-27 down.

Having been ‘put to the sword’ at the end of the first half, Havant deserve some credit for limiting the damage in the second half. In fact, they started off well again and, for several minutes were pressing deep in the visitors 22, and it looked like they had a scoring opportunity when they were awarded a penalty in front of the posts. However, following the intervention of a touch judge, the penalty was reversed and Cinderford were able to clear up-field to take the pressure off.

Cinderford’s bonus point try came directly as a result of some ‘dithering’ in the Havant backs. There didn’t look like any danger as the Havant defence fielded a speculative kick ahead just outside their 22, but through some awful, and un-necessary, passing they managed to put the ball to ground in front of the approaching Cinderford attack who said ‘thank-you very much’, gathered, and enabled wing James Copsey to go over in the corner. For once, the consistent Roberts missed, leaving it at 0-32 on 53 minutes.

With their bonus point secured, a few minutes later, Cinderford could, and perhaps should, have added a further three points when awarded a penalty, easily within Roberts’ reach, when Havant were adjudged guilty of deliberately knocking the ball behind the goal line to prevent a try being scored. But they elected for a 5 metre scrum and, with one of their best efforts of the match, Havant drove them back over ten metres, won a put-in for themselves, and were able to clear.

Keeping ‘their heads up’ Hav had a further period of possession and territorial advantage, although they never came close to threatening to move their side of the scoreboard. Just to ‘rub it in’, it was Cinderford who, as they had done all afternoon, showed how to finish when, with injury time approaching, were awarded a scrum 5 metres out. They weren’t able to push-over, but the ball was moved out to man-of the match, Tristan Roberts, who went over for his second try of the day, and when successfully converting it, made his afternoon haul a commendable 24 points, leaving the final score as 0-39.

After the match, a somewhat shell-shocked Havant Director of Rugby, Simon Morgan, commented. ‘Although I accept that we were well beaten, I don’t think the score-line is an accurate reflection of the balance of play. We did make far too many ‘mistakes’ and, what chances this gave them, Cinderford clinically took advantage of. On the other hand, they didn’t make many, and from what chances we had, our finishing wasn’t good enough. We must learn the lessons, ‘pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down’ and go to Barking next week determined to not only put points on the board, but to come back with a win. ”

Havant:

Steve Stapleton, Richard Adams, Richard Buck, Grant Morris, Dickie Duke, Jamie Knowles, Simon Cole (Liam Davenport)

Stu Ingram (capt), Tom Drewett (Steve Cruddas) (Karl Randle), Karl Randle (Rupert Grant), Nick Whittle, Ben Morgan (Ollie North), Maku Karoiyadi (Jon Barfoot), Steve Cruddas (Jon Barfoot) (Steve Cruddas), Dylan Raubenheimer 

Hav Scorers

(None)

Cinderford Scores

Tries: 5   Cons: 4   Pens: 2