HRFC   0   MOUNTS BAY RFC   24

National 3 South

For the second time this season it was a ‘pointless’ exercise for Havant. Although their visitors were undoubtedly the better side on the day, it wasn’t the most pulsating game ever seen at ‘the Lane’, and it looked for much of the time that Havant hadn’t returned from their break as focussed as they should have been.

With hooker Tom Drewett and prop Al Davenport unavailable through injury, ever present Steve Cruddas moved up to hook and Karl Randle, himself returning from injury came in at prop. In the second row Ali Ramus partnered the improving Ollie North and, in the back row, Harry Heasman joined Jon Barfoot and Matt Morgan. In the backs Richard Buck returned to the wing and Liam Davenport was given a start at scrum half.

Apart from a good individual blind side break from scrum half Liam Davenport that took him from half way into the visitors 22 where it petered out through lack of support, it was the visitors who looked the livelier from the outset. A determined home defence just managed to repel a couple of attacks near their line before the pressure finally told on 14 minutes when, from a catch and drive near the line, second row Richard Carroll got the touch down out right. ‘Those who know’ said it was ‘a truck and trailer’ that should have been penalised, but there was much that was missed (both ways) by a referee and his ‘assistants’ who didn’t have the best of afternoons. Fly half Lee Jarvis made the kick look easy and the visitors were deservedly ahead 0-7.

Mounts Bay continued to be the side who were ‘asking the questions’, and although Hav were managing to keep them out of their 22, the visitors went further ahead to 0-10 on 22 minutes when Jarvis slotted over an easy penalty from the 22 when Hav were penalised for holding the ball on the ground.

From the restart Hav at last got an act together which resulted in them actually threatening their visitors line with a catch and drive from 5 metres out. However they weren’t able to capitalise and when Mounts Bay were next able to work their way into the Hav 22, they showed how to finish when a neat move out right saw hooker John Salter charge over. Inevitably Lee Jarvis made no mistake with the conversion and it was 0-17 on 35, which is how they went in at the break.

At the start of the new half, Hav made one of their rare incursions into the Mounts Bay 22, but again there was no ‘finish’ and it wasn’t long before the visitors were back up the other end testing the home defence. With the obvious intention of going for the 4 try bonus point, they ignored an easy kick at goal from a penalty in front of the posts on the 22 by kicking for the line out, catch and drive option. It looked like the ploy had failed when Hav managed to thwart several attempted drives for the line. However, in so doing gave away a penalty for offside right in front of the posts. Quick thinking by centre Tyron Child saw him tap and dive over while the Hav defence stood and watched. An easy kick by full back Tim Mosey made it 0-24 on 54. (Jarvis had been replaced at half time.)

For the next quarter of an hour it continued to be all Mounts Bay, and they could have easily added to their score on a several occasions when they were awarded penalties in kickable positions. But the bonus point still beckoned and each time the kick for touch option was chosen. Each time, by fair means or foul, the Hav defence held firm. Jon Barfoot was given a 10 minute rest for persistent infringement in response to the ‘foul’ activity. It had looked like the target had been achieved when a neat passing movement out right saw full-back Mosey go over in the corner, but the final pass was adjudged forward.

Then, with 10 minutes to go on the clock, there was an unexpected transformation in play, and at last the home crowd, silent for most of the afternoon, had something to shout about. The first cheer, and the loudest of the afternoon so far, came ‘ironically’ when Hav were awarded a penalty on the Mounts Bay 22. From this point on it was practically all Hav, who at last showed they could really attack as they subjected the visiting defence to drive after drive near the line. As Mounts Bay had done earlier, Hav ignored the chance of converting easy penalties, preferring the ‘go for a try’ option. However, it was the turn of the visitors defence to hold firm, which meant that, at the final whistle, Hav had recorded their second ‘0’ of the season.

After the recent improvement in perfomances, this was something of a backward step. We didn’t get out of our shell until nearly the end, and as has happened several times before this season, the execution of ‘the basics’ let us down. We will need to work hard on the training paddock this week to come away with the points from Dings next Saturday.

Havant:

Steve Stapleton, Richard Buck, Neil McGovern, Sid Claffey, Matt O’Shea, Pucs Ngapaku, Liam Davenport (Grant Morris).

Stu Ingram (capt), Steve Cruddas, Karl Randle (Omeed Matini) Ollie North (Ben Morgan), Ali Ramus, Harry Heasman (Tommy Horn), Jon Barfoot, Matt Morgan

Havant Scorers:

None!

Mounts Bay scores

Tries: 3  Cons: 3 Pens: 1