Under 15s A team v Andover in county cup QF.

Head coach Steve was openly nervous about the county cup QF prospect of facing Andover. Andover have reached the semi final stage of the competition in both previous seasons but strangely the teams have not met in any fixtures since the mini / midi days, so both coaching teams only had word of mouth reputation to go on.

From the start, Gosport applied pressure & opened the scoring very early on with a great solo effort in open field from loosehead prop Ethan. The try was complemented by a fine conversion from right footed Jake (Janey). Shortly afterwards, Gosport followed with a 2nd try scored by James Rowe, converted from leftie Dids. So, 14 - 0 up with a dominant scrum, almost constant territorial advantage & a shaky looking Andover. Coaches started to relax ... job done ... or so we thought.

Someone should have told Andover they were beaten. Gosport should have capitalised & taken control of the game due to the pressure applied on Andover but the script abruptly changed for both teams. Gosport went to sleep a little & uncharacteristically failed to be clinical in their execution. They also failed to win the sympathy of the referee & suffered from repeated penalties which spoiled the flow for most of their attacking phases. Despite that, Andover deserve high praise for coming back from 14 - 0 to level the score with 2 tries of their own, both comfortably converted. Andover, playing the more intelligent rugby kept Gosport attacks at bay through some inspired kicking from their fly half who constantly managed to turn Gosport. Then, as if Gosport needed reminding that Andover were playing clever rugby, Andover stepped up to slot a 3 pointer after yet another penalty. 17 - 14 to Andover from 14 - 0 down. This definitely wasn't he plan.

A renewed effort from Gosport saw several more attacking opportunities & they were unlucky not to be awarded a try after several defensive fumbles lead to a frantic scramble to put the scoring touch on a loose ball.
Gosport finally went over wide on the left for their 3rd try (Ethan's 2nd) but failed to make the kick from the narrow angle. Gosport back in front 19 - 17. The atmosphere was electric & the nerves of all spectators ragged. What a game. Difficult conditions & fraught nerves.

Surely there could be no further drama left in the match, but Andover were still not beaten. All Gosport needed to do was hold out for 10 more minutes. Word went out to keep the Andover attack at bay by using the possession to manage territory properly .... but ... Andover still had other plans.

At the other end of the pitch, a determined Andover were awarded a 5 pointer that appeared to be scored just short of the line, but it was a deserved reward for sustained pressure in a tense affair. With the conversion missed, the score was back in Andover's favour again at 22 - 19 with the clock running out far too swiftly.

Each team was now swapping phases in attack & threatening to land the killer blow but last gasp defending from both teams kept the score the same till last minute. This match was providing one of the most tense ends we've ever seen, but there was still more to come!

In the last play of the game, Gosport were awarded a penalty. The coaching team employed all their Jedi mind control skills to send out 'take the kick' vibes. After some deliberation Dids stepped forward to attempt to level the match. You could have heard a pin drop in the ground as hardly anyone from either supporting camp could bear to look. The kick was sound, it sailed over the bar, the final whistle sounded ... 22 - 22.

The result was a pretty fair reflection of the match & despite Gosport probably edging the game on the rugby played, but Andover definitely played more intelligently, especially the fine game management of their fly half.

So, a draw in a cup match. What happens next?
Extra time - not allowed in youth rugby.
Tournament rules this season are:
In the event of a draw, the team who scored more tries go through.
Both teams scored 3.
If the tries are level, the team scoring the most successful conversions goes through.
Both teams slotted 2 from 3 conversions.
In this event, the final decision goes to the team who scored the first try. In this case, Gosport.

This was a skin of the teeth result for Gosport & a heavy blow for Andover who put up a hugely spirited display.

Gosport, suffering from a fractious training attendance rate leading up to this fixture are going to have to up their game in order to progress further in the tournament. This was a much needed wake up call & far too close for comfort.

Man of the match award was given to Dids for strong game management under pressure, but only just missing out on the award was James Rowe for an excellent physical display & Ethan Carpenter also had a strong attacking game & took his 2 tries well.

Last training session before Christmas on Wednesday. A light, fun session to send you off for the break!