Tough Local Derby ends in Superb Victory

On a perfect day for rugby in Southsea, G & F arrived suffering some key injuries to forwards Henry and Lego, with James Wales and Midget also missing. The weight difference in the packs was noticeable in the first 15 minutes as USP pinned G & F in their own half, and a number of attacking waves were repelled with determined tackling and a strong defensive line. In the scrum, James C and Tom Cohen were immense, and slowly G & F regained some territory, Timmy moving the ball swiftly out of the scrum, with Jay breaking away twice easing the pressure on his teammates. On 13 minutes Josh, returning after injury, made a text book tackle on a USP winger who was clean through, this seemed the herald a turning point in the game.

On 16 minutes, Tom Cohen picked up a quick pass following a powerful drive and scored the first try, and the team started to create opportunities , 2 minutes later Jay again powerfully drove through two tackles to score under the posts, converted by Chris C. The breathing space was reduced by a good move from USP scoring wide on the right and unluckily hitting the post with the conversion. The tackling was at times ferocious, Noah wrapping the USP centre up with an almighty effort, and on 24 minutes Jay again broke free and as his forwards supported him, the ball was picked up by Joe G who was unstoppable in his quest to score, placing the ball down over the try line, The try was duly converted by Chris C making it 19-5 to G & F at Half Time.

USP started the second half in a lively fashion scoring a try 2 minutes after the restart, and they looked dangerous again, however after some aggressive Gosport mauling, the ball broke free and Gareth slipped a neat pass to Louis, still carrying and injury from a bruising first half, who stole 2 yards to fly through and score on the right.

On 37 minutes, Jaff, playing on the right, ran from inside his own half, rampaging through three tackles to extend the lead with Gareth punting the conversion over easily. With the team now flying, Ben S took the ball with an amazing run and scored a try of immense quality with another conversion by Gareth, making it 38-10.

Fantastic work by Callum and Noah on the left wing pushed the opponents deep into their own 22, allowing Josh to fly in and score in the corner. The team were now purring, with notable performances from forwards Archie, Joe C, Tom C and Harry keeping the game flowing, the pacey wingers now finding more space. On 4 minutes, a great kick from Josh resulting in a clever quick line out throw from Jaff to Ben who twisted and turned to score a fantastic try converted by Josh making it 50-10. The closing stages of the game were again littered with fantastic tackling, with Dylan stopping a USP attack in full flow, although USP did score in the final minutes making it 50-15 at the close.

It was a performance which every player should be proud of and is just reward for all the effort of the coaches and players alike. With training next Wednesday and Sunday, there is more opportunity to hone the skills for the forthcoming fixtures, with the coaches looking to work on tactics on the back of this excellent victory.