Havant fell well short of the requirements in this must win game against North Walsham losing 16 -26, with a show that was reminiscent of the current England performances, where they controlled the first half , only to lose it in the second half. The result meant that we now drop into the relegation zone in 12th place.
On a day made for rugby, Havant made only one change, with Ollie North coming off the bench to replace the injured Brad Mockford, and Maku making a welcome return to the bench.
Havant kicked off with the low sun on their backs, only for North Walsham to take up the challenge with their forwards moving the ball into the Havant half, resulting in them being awarded a penalty which was easily converted to a 0-3 lead to the visitors, with only 3 minutes gone.
This early scare made Havant take control of the game. Harry Heasman made a surging run into the North Walsham half, where the forwards took up the play to release Richard Adams into the corner for a try after 9 mins. Pucs missed the conversion, 5 -3.
The remainder of the half was a relegation battle between two sides trying to assert their authority on the game, with Havant having the upper hand only to fail to convert possession to points. One drive into the North Walsham territory in the 21st minute resulted in Sid Claffey dropping a goal to make the score 8 -3.
With the extended first half coming to a conclusion due to the lengthy referee lectures for all and any misdemeanours , Havant missed a penalty, where a kick in the comer may have been the easy solution . Havant did take the play into the corner and were awarded a line out, only for the half to be brought to a premature end with 2 minutes still remaining. Half time 8 -3.
Maku started the second half replacing the injured Tom Drewett, with Steve Cruddas going to his alternative position as hooker.
The second half was a different story. North Walsham from their kick off won the ball to run in an uncontested try under the post with not even a minute gone of the half. This was easily converted 8 – 10.
Steve Cruddas received attention for a head injury, only to be replaced by the injured Tom Drewett. Steve Cruddas did return only to receive a further nasty head wound thereby finishing his further involvement in the game.
With North Walsham controlling the game, and Havant in disarray, North Walsham took advantage converting two penalties in the 48th and 53rd minutes, 8-16.
Nothing was going right for Havant during this spell of the game, messing up lineouts on the North Walsham try line, and making wrong options in mid field play. North Walsham confirmed their control , scoring their second try with the forwards driving over in the 65th minute. The try was converted 8 -23.
With Jamie Knowles replacing Steve Stapleton, Havant took the play to the North Walsham line where the forwards were rewarded with a try, with Dylan Raubenheimer emerging again from the pile of Havant players with the ball, with Sid Claffey taking over the kicking duties, he converted the try 13 – 23 with 9 minutes remaining.
Havant went in search of a bonus point and they were awarded a penalty for a high tackle , which Sid Claffey converted 16 -23. A bonus point was secured with a minute of the game remaining. Havant restarted the game only for North Walsham to collect the ball, move it into the Havant half for North Walsham Dermody to drop a goal just inside the Havant half. With the bonus point gone, this was the final play of the game. 16 -26 to North Walsham.
The defeat resulted in North Walsham going ahead of us in the league, and Havant dropping into the relegation zone in 12th place for the first time. Whilst we can, and have to win our remaining games, we are now dependant on other team’s results if we are to progress to safety.
Hav team: - Steve Stapleton (Jamie Knowles), Richard Adams, Neil McGovern, Sid Claffey, Richard Buck, Pucs Ngapaku, Grant Morris. Stu Ingram , Tom Drewett (Maku), Karl Randle, Ali Ramus, Ollie North , Harry Heasman, Steve Cruddas, Dylan Raubenheimer (Ben Morgan)
Hav Scorers:
Tries: Richard Adams, Dylan Raubenheimer
Conversions: Pucs
Penalty: Pucs
Drop Goal: Sid Claffey
North Walsham Scorers: Tries: 2 Conversions: 2 Penalty: 3 Drop Goal: 1