Chichester II 31-36 Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight delivered another barnstorming performance at Chichester, this time getting the full reward for their showing with a well-deserved first win since September. This was another exciting 80 minutes following on from their recent home match against Havant, with good playing conditions and the positive approach from both sides yielding five tries each and plenty of thrills.
Despite travel problems and a shortened warm-up, IW started well and looked like scoring first but, not for the first time in the half, were turned over by a hungry Chichester rearguard. It was the home side who scored first, reminding IW of the pace and broken-field prowess they had shown in their narrow but high-scoring victory on the Island back in November.
IW were playing well and won a lineout five metres out, from which a textbook catch and drive allowed big Dan Bishop to peel away and crash over after 18 minutes. Though now forcing the pace, IW got in a muddle when running back a clearance kick, and Chichester were able to gather the loose ball and race in from halfway. They now led 14-5. IW’s riposte was swift, with the forwards making dents before Luke Blackman and George Huish exploited disarray in the home defence, Blackman touching down for a fine score. A disagreement after the touchdown saw Dan Bishop and a Chichester player visit the sinbin for 10 minutes, while Huish converted and narrowed the gap to two points again.
Chichester were testing IW in the wider channels and scored a good try to extend their lead, but IW finished the half in the ascendancy. Arid Design man of the match Sam Tregelles, who was outstanding at flanker throughout in his first game for the club for several years, was stopped short after a piercing IW move, but when the ball was recycled Huish was able to crash over. He converted his own score and it was all square at the break at 19-19.
IW knew they were in with every chance at this stage but suffered a blow at the start of the second half, when a pass went to ground, and again Chichester were quickest to react and sprint clear for an opportunist try. Both teams were playing expansive rugby, and though IW were overly loose from time to time, they were rewarded for their enterprise 10 minutes after the restart. Another flowing passage of play set Harri Jones-Evans on course for the line, but he was high-tackled and unable to ground the ball. The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty try and yellow carding the offending Chichester player, and IW now led for the first time in the game at 26-24.
The next spell of play proved critical in the outcome. IW’s scrum had the edge earlier but with impact sub Ricky Keyes making a telling return, they were positively rampant now. A Chichester scrum 10 metres from their own line was completely atomised by the IW pack, leaving Luke Blackman with the ball at his feet and only one man to beat. The captain took the shortest route to the try line for his second score of the game. Huish brilliantly landed the conversion from out wide to give IW a nine-point advantage.
There was still over 20 minutes to play and Chichester’s pace meant nothing was settled. Player-coach and Biffa man of the match David Blackman, now operating at flanker after starting the match at scrum-half, was reliable at the line-out and around the park with physical interventions, and Cameron Browne was catching the eye with some daring runs in the open field, though Tregelles was now off injured. Huish’s dead-eye goal-kicking also had an important role to play: his 40 metre penalty extended IW’s lead to 12 with six minutes left.
Chichester were not finished and broke through for another try with three minutes remaining. It promised to be a nervy closing stanza for the Islanders, but they finished positively with full-back Dan Ward almost scoring with the last play. The whistle was met with jubilation by IW, who have had plenty of tough days this season but have stuck together in adversity and shown their character. They will hope to take the feel-good factor of this win into their final home game of the season, when Fareham Heathens come to Wootton Rec on Saturday 1st March.
IW: Ward, Young, Jones-Evans, McQueen, Browne, Huish, D Blackman, Hart, Butler, Newnham, D Bishop, J Bishop, Jones, Tregelles, L Blackman ©. Replacements: Keyes, Rolfe, Thorne.
