Isle of Wight RFC

IW 5-29 Petersfield II

Petersfield prevailed in a titanic Counties Two battle with hosts Isle of Wight and Storm Bert. In desperate conditions, both teams battled away gamely and served up a contest, that while not free-flowing, was high on effort and physical commitment.

IW continued their unfortunate recent habit of starting poorly in matches. Though backed up by the 50mph+ wind blowing straight down the field, accompanied by rain of varying severity through the afternoon, they failed to deal with the kickoff and conceded a try within two minutes. This was added to by Petersfield inside 10 minutes, and at 12-0 down, IW had yet to wake up.

The hosts roused themselves and kicked a penalty into the opposition 22. One lineout take and textbook driving maul later, they were celebrating a try of their own, the returning Ryan Tulloch applying the finish. George Huish was wide with the difficult conversion but IW were up and running after 13 minutes.

The scoreboard would remain unchanged for almost an hour after this, Petersfield leading 12-5. It was not prudent for either team to be too ambitious in their play or to move the ball wide often, but IW had some joy and started to get on top as the half progressed. They were under severe pressure in the scrums, but the impressive Tulloch and Biffa man of the match Finlay Lockhart coped admirably with some very difficult possession. IW were not helped in their quest for points by injuries: Sam McQueen had to depart after taking a boot to the face while lying on the ground, and Dan Ward was forced off in the act of almost scoring a try. 

Half-time came and went, but now it was Petersfield's turn to dominate territory. The most pleasing part of IW's performance was how they defended during this period, repeatedly keeping their line intact and repelling the big Petersfield forwards. Red Funnel man of the match Michael Joyce had a huge impact off the bench, but was unable to prevent his team from finally conceding a crucial score with 15 minutes remaining.

IW battled back and forced a string of penalties in Petersfield territory, appearing certain to score but for captain Luke Blackman to be held up over the try line. This was the last hurrah for his team, with further injuries leaving the Islanders threadbare in the closing minutes, and allowing Petersfield to score two more tries to secure a bonus point and a more emphatic margin of victory than seemed likely throughout.

Though disappointed by the final score, IW plugged away well in adversity and showed some defensive improvements which they will look to take into their upcoming fixtures. They still need to find a way of turning pressure into points more regularly. The club has a free week before travelling to Fordingbridge on 7 December.

IW: Young, Ward, Blackman, McQueen, Woods, Huish, Lockhart, Hart, Butler, Newnham, B Martin, D Bishop, J Bishop, Jones, Tulloch. Replacements: Joyce, Wynyard-Wright, Thorne.

Thanks to Katharine Overton for the photographs!