ROSSLYN PARK FC   19   HRFC   18

National 3 South

Havant’s National 3 survival campaign was forced to stretch to next week’s final game of the season, when, deep into stoppage time, Rosslyn Park kicked a penalty to prevent Havant gaining the four points their performance just about deserved.

That Hav were the better side on the day is reflected by the fact that they scored three tries to Park’s one. However, it was their ‘indiscipline’ that was ultimately their undoing. They incurred three yellow cards and gave away penalties in positions that enabled Park’s prolific kicker, Richard Mahoney, the chance to kick four and miss a couple of others.

Hav’s starting line up saw no changes in the backs. In the forwards, changes had Tom Drewett and Tom Wells starting up front, Ollie North coming into the engine room, Steve Cruddas moving back to open-side and Jon Barfoot moving across to the blind.

Park started the better, and, although Mahoney missed his first penalty attempt after a couple of minutes, continued pressure gave him another chance from a similar position, right on the 22, which he duly put over to make it 0-3 on 8 minutes. Havant still hadn’t got their act together when, on 14 minutes, he was given yet another attempt, this time nearer the Hav 10 metre line. Fortunately for the visitors this hit the bar and stayed out.

The first quarter was almost over before Hav finally managed to get into the home 22. Although the initial foray was repelled, it wasn’t long before they were back there and able to turn the pressure into points. From a Sid Claffey chip ahead, Park knocked on providing Hav with a scrum in front of the posts. Winning the scrum, a quick move out left found Hav with a three man overlap. Full back Keith Molyneux didn’t need the outside two when he took responsibility and went over himself five metres in. The conversion failed leaving it at 5-3 on 20 minutes.

Honours were even for a while, with neither side really threatening the other’s line. However Hav went further ahead thanks to a well struck drop goal by fly half Pucs Ngapaku from mid way in the Park half to make it 8-3 on 29.

Having got their noses in front, Hav then contrived to incur the wrath of the referee and enabled Park to go in at half time at 8-9. Shortly after the drop goal, Park literally threw away a chance of scoring in the corner having broken through. But they kept up the pressure and Hav’s defence was deemed ‘over exuberant’ for which Pucs was requested to take a 10 minute break and Mahoney slotted the penalty to make it 8-6. A further penalty in injury time enabled Mahoney to make it 8-9.

With Hav back to full strength after the break, their forwards started to take the initiative and it was no surprise for the large band of Hav faithful to see the ‘penalty, touch, catch drive’ move result in a try yet again for no 8 Dylan Raubenheimer to make it 13-9 on 50 minutes. A couple of minutes later Mahoney just failed to close the gap when another penalty attempt just missed. Hav then had another succession of drives for the line. They dropped the ball at the first one, caused a Park prop to be yellow carded in trying to halt the second, then finally went over out left with Raubenheimer getting his second, and his thirteenth similar try of the season. Pucs missed, but with a quarter of the game to go, Hav were two scores ahead at 18-9 and their National 3 future looked secure.

But instead of playing it safely to the end, they lost it, in more ways than one!  10 minutes later they were playing with 13 men when both Nick Whittle and Jon Barfoot were given 10 minute breaks for illegal activity. With Park back to fifteen, they took advantage of their numerical advantage and from a penalty, catch and drive move of their own, they went over for flanker Jon Underwood to score, enabling Mahoney to add the extras and make it 18-16 with 4 minutes of normal time to go. As the game went into injury time, it still looked like Hav had done enough as they were keeping Park in their own half. However the first time Park moved out for some time, Hav gave away yet another penalty, on their 10 metre line, and it was left to Mahoney to have the final say by putting over a good kick to make it 18-19.

There were still a few minutes to go, but Hav weren’t able to come back, and there was no further score, to leave Hav with only the bonus point and their first defeat against Park in their last six outings.

A disappointed Simon Morgan, Hav’s Director of Rugby, commented “I really thought we had played well enough to win it and make ourselves completely safe. However, it goes to show that if the opposition has a decent kicker you can’t get away with giving away as many penalties as we did today. We’ll just have to make our National future secure by beating Clifton in front of our home crowd at Hooks Lane next week.”

Hav

Keith Molyneux, Richard Buck, Neil McGovern, Sid Claffey, Richard Adams, Pucs Ngapaku, Liam Davenport.

Stu Ingram (capt), Tom Drewett (Steve Cruddas), Tom Wells (Karl Randle), Nick Whittle, Ollie North, Jon Barfoot, Steve Cruddas (Matt Morgan), Dylan Raubenheimer.

Reps not used; Grant Morris, Andy Tart.

Hav scorers:

Tries: Dylan Raubenheimer (2) Keith Molyneux   DG: Pucs Ngapaku 1

RP Scores

Try: 1   Con; 1   Pens: 4