Since the beginning of the year, we have had a string of pretty tough games against sides now fighting for positions in the top half of the league. Sure enough we have generated solid performances but have generally been outgunned and come away with a loss. We should acknowledge that most teams have now consolidated on their early season performances and are are beginning to play with more confidence, making less mistakes - if anything the rugby has intensified and become more attritional, which ultimately takes its toll on a squad like ours. In truth we are still suffering from that enduring injury list that keeps impacting our selection options, and to date our league standing has been gradually sliding. This fixture is the rematch after the epic fightback in Suffolk and probably still carried some meaningful lasting memory for the BSE squad, having had a almost certain 5 points snatched off them in the last moments of the game at their place. Today the setting was very different, bright sunny AGP and no need for the relative delights of floodlit play. There was a big expectant crowd at the lane, many coming from the well supported M&J lunch session, plus some hardy travelers from BSE - consequently there was probably going to be a solid crowd reaction whenever the play generated enough excitement.

First half - We started well and in the first quarter looked to be generating some real pace on the ball with players carrying well into contact, creating problems for the BSE defence. Both sides looked relatively well balanced and each defence looked to be holding up coherently. That said Havant pressure established field position and by '11 Ben Griffin had started our account, finding space on the outside to get over the line (7-0) taking his opposite number with him. BSE then seemed to kick into a gear and once we lost Wayne Dugan to a Yellow (High Ball Challenge) off the restart, they were better able to exploit the extra space and build pressure - taking a relatively soft try after breaking through our try line defence to score close to the posts (7-7), only to regenerate field position immediately after the restart and manage to score again off a catch-and drive from a lineout kick to the corner (7-14). Meanwhile with Wayne D now back on - our manning levels couldn't improve as we suffered another yellow (Haz Young). Surprisingly, despite our reduced numbers, we maintained our composure and attacking prowess, getting ourselves back up into the BSE redzone where we put Wes Dugan over before Half Time (14-21).

Second half - we looked more fired up and certainly began playing with more intensity, generating some real pressure on the opposition. Having secured field position and run a number of phases to upset the opposition defence, we eventually spread it wide through good hands to let Wayne Dugan barge his over (19-21) on 45' - and at this point there looked to be a tangible shift in the game momentum. We seemed to be in the ascendancy and our attacks were seemingly gaining more ground - probably as a result of having the same number of players on the park. On 54', working off the normal post-lineout phase play, Jacob Ashworth hit a great line, cutting back into the space behind the ruck and taking a short ball off Haz Young from the base, close enough to be able to get himself over for the try and subsequently take the lead (24-21). Naturally the Lane volume went up with a more definite ring to the crowd response. Still riding high, we definitely looked as though we were now generating better control of our possession, their body language was down and by '58 had worked the ball back out wide again, round their defensive edge where Jack Phillips (recently subbed on to the wing for James Wise) managed to beat two chasing defenders, stepping through their cover tackles, to dive over in the corner (29-21). This now looked like we were on top and holding real momentum - and dare I say ..potentially looking at a mini-repeat of our last BSE experience?

Sadly not - no sooner had we restarted, BSE reset and managed to get themselves back up the other end, where they worked hard to stretch our defence. The Subsequent loss of Wayne Dugan to a post collision HIA probably unsettled the defensive coherency, and before long their backs subsequently generated a nice 'draw and pass' movement to put their left winger into a bit of space close to the line for the try, which was duly converted (29-28). Now flowing into the last part of the game ('67) with the scoreline teetering on the edge, Havant were quite rightly taking no chances - a penalty close to the posts was converted for 3 pts (32-28) - and probably most of the Lane were hoping that that would be enough to take us through to the end of the game for the win. That said - a resurgent BSE, (those same chaps who had a similar game nicked off them last time we met) weren't done, and successfully re-established at our end and on '75 managed to get their Centre across the line for his second try of the day - which duly provided another crucial converted score (32-35).

So at this point we could hope to expect 2 BP (4T BP plus losing BP) - while its not a win, it probably was a fair assessment of where were in the game - my sense is the team were still focused on securing that win and so when we were awarded a kickable penalty, instead of taking the draw (35-35), we instinctively opted to go to the corner for the 5pt win - a Ballsy call! I must admit there was some obvious surprise amongst those of us watching, including the wiser ones supping their wine. This was undoubtedly a big call and showed a strong level of confidence from the boys... but based on a decision like that, you then have to deliver a pretty solid well-executed 'catch and drive' for it to come off. Maybe there were still some lingering memories of what happened last time in Suffolk! While definitely a commendable attitude and worthy of polite respect... Sadly we couldn't meet the requirement, our basics let us down, we didn't get the driving platform and we didn't get the winning score. We subsequently finished with a Loss instead of a well-earned Draw and as such have come away with only 2 points, when we were probably worth 3 and could have secured the draw by kicking the penalty and running the clock down. Could have.. Should have. Would Have!

On-field decision making and the gameplan rationale have been mentioned before - but in my experience decisions like this should usually be based on a Timeline/ Scoreline/ Risk type assessment - and in this instance the real risk was 'Not achieving the Winning score' and the impact was potentially 'Failing to get sufficient league points to create a healthy gap from the chasing pack'. The so what?- well we now only sit 10 points clear of the two bottom teams in the league, who are both chasing hard and intermittently pulling off 5pt wins. The extra point would (with 20/20 hindsight) have given us another league table position above Sevenoaks. Does that matter at this stage? It certainly might help reduce the pressure on the coaches/ players and while I obviously applaud our side for their bold attacking stance (certainly no criticism), my inner 'slightly more conservative' league minded sense tells me, we probably had a better chance of Joel K slotting the penalty and securing us the extra point (draw) by what was a relatively easy angled kick (despite Joel having had a 'poor day' on the boot by his own standards) - than delivering the more risky 'Catch and Drive' against a side who were still actively competitive in all areas of play. The other factor having chatted with those wiser ones on the fence line: a Draw is not a Loss! There's undoubtedly a psychological difference, and one that might subsequently pay dividends for the bigger games we now have ahead of us - Henley, Oxford Quins etc. Where we really need a confident team and a robust performance with points.

The Bottom line - IMHO I think we've definitely reached the point where we really should be looking after the smaller easier strategic gains (individual BPs) when they are being made readily available to us, rather than chasing the bigger and more difficult dividends. Our defence is a little leaky and although we are scoring a good number tries - we are also letting a load in as well - we might need to focus more on reinforcing that defensive effort to generate more resilient game sustainability. We obviously need to maintain our league position / certainly can afford to go no lower - and in doing so, we definitely need to start making it difficult for the chasing pack to overhaul us - it will be the easy points that make prizes and this could go to the wire!

Thoughts from head-coach Will Knight
"Really tough one to take. The team did so well to build back into the game and take the lead only to have it snatched away at the death. It was the right decision to go to the corner at the end, but you have to then execute. Things are getting tighter so we need to dig deep and the next few weeks are crucial."