Portsmouth 31 – 0 Old Emanuel

Jim Dixon writes…

A comprehensive victory of 5 tries to nil saw Portsmouth make amends for last weeks lacklustre display against Basingstoke. On a very wet and windy day with the aftermath of Friday’s storm still being felt, Portsmouth had to change to the Vets pitch as their normal pitch was deemed unplayable. With a few changes to last weeks side it was hoped that they would put in a better performance and they certainly didn’t disappoint despite the weather conditions.
O.E’s kicked off with the wind against them and Portsmouth were soon on the attack. Mark Ovens gathered the ball and put in a good touch kick down field giving O.E’s a lineout near the 10 metre line. Portmouth soon regained possession with Ovens making good ground before passing to full back Tom Hare who took the ball deep in to O.E’s territory before passing back inside but the pass was intercepted enabling them to clear the ball down field. However Portsmouth soon regained the initiative and a good drive by the forwards saw second row Jonny Stoppard crash over for the first try. A good conversion by Hare took Portsmouth to a 7 – 0 lead. From the restart O.E’s took the game deep into the Portsmouth half and from a lineout they attacked the home sides try line. A Portsmouth scrum then saw them penalised for a crooked put in and again O.E’s attacked the line but good defence kept them out. Portsmouth soon moved the ball back upfield with wing forward Matt Hoban crossing the line. The kick missed and the lead was now 12 – 0. From an O.E’s lineout, Stoppard managed to steal the ball and it was soon spun wide to winger Sam Olie who crossed for their 3rd try. Hare was on target with the conversion taking the score to 19 – 0 and the half time whistle went shortly after.

Portsmouth got the second half underway playing into a strong wind as the sun suddenly came out! A knock on by Portsmouth saw O.E’s camp inside the Portsmouth 5 metre line with a series of attacks on the home sides’ try line. Portsmouth defended as though their lives depended on it and for about the next 10 minutes they just tackled to keep their line intact. Every time they got anywhere near the try line the forwards just drove them back. From an O.E’s lineout Stoppard again managed to steal the ball and he made good ground before an excellent tackle stopped him. A kick upfield by O.E’s was gathered by winger Tom Hopkins who ran across the field before straightening up and eventually passing to Olie who sped through to score his second try. A difficult kick just missed and Portsmouth now led by 24 – 0. That was also their 4th. try so they now had a bonus point.
O.E’s made more inroads into the Portsmouth half but again good defensive work saw them kept at bay. After another period of pressure by the visitors, Portmouth managed to break out trhough Stoppard who just kept going despite attempts to stop him. Still making territory Portsmouth kept the movement going and Stoppard was rewarded for his hard work with his second try. Hare was on target with the conversion and the score was now 31 – 0. Shortly after the restart Portsmouth regained possession and a kick to touch saw the referee blow for full time with a resoundiung victory to the home side.
In some ways the second half was better than the first with some fantastic defensive work for quite long periods keeping their line intact. This was a very positive performance by the whole squad who certainly earned their plaudits. After the match and players were back in the Clubhouse O.E’s voted Tom Hare as their Man of the Match. Despite this victory Portsmouth remain in 10th. position on 28 points. Old Emanuel are in 8th.place on 33 points. Alton are in 9th. place on 30 points but with 2 games in hand. Petersfield lost to Warlingham 17 – 19 and Weybridge Vandals now top the league on 73 points with Petersfield 2nd. on 70 points, but they have a game in hand, Basingstoke v Alton was postponed. Next week sees a rest for most of the teams so it will give those Portsmouth players carrying a few knocks a bit of extra time to recover. Their next fixture is away to Old Walcountians who lost 27 – 17 to Old Georgians and are in 5th place on 50 points.

Old Walcountians 24 – 14 Portsmouth

Jim Dixon writes…

This was Portsmouth’s first trip to Banstead and as we walked out to the pitch we were confronted by an amazing view of the City of London’s dramatic skyline set against a rather dark sky as we looked down from our high vantage point. One of their older members remembered coming to Portsmouth, possibly in the 70’s and getting an 89 – 0 drubbing! There was a very strong and bitterly cold cross wind which rather swirled around giving neither side much of an advantage. O.W’s kicked off and Portsmouth gathered and took play up the slope towards the opposition goal line. When they lost the ball O.W’s were able to put the Portsmouth line under pressure but some good defence kept them at bay. A good kick upfield by Tommy Hare saw Portsmouth camped in the opposition half and the game rather swung between the two 22’s for a period. Eventually it was O.W’s who opened the scoring with their winger scoring very close to the touch line. The conversion fell short and they led by 5 – 0 with about 20 minutes gone. Portsmouth thought they had scored when following up a kick ahead which appeared to have been touched down by a Portsmouth player first, the referee deemed that O.W’s had got there first. The first half ended shortly after with the score 5 – 0. Portsmouth started the second half which was made more uncomfortable by cold, driving rain. O.W’s were soon on the attack and a good run by their winger saw him extend their lead to 10 – 0 with an unconverted try although Portsmouth skipper Mark Ovens claimed that he had gone into touch before scoring but the referee wouldn’t listen. 5 minutes later O.W’s were again on the score sheet with a try by their centre who managed to run round and dot down under the posts, the conversion was good and they now led by 17 – 0. Portsmouth were soon on the attack and a very good handling move with some good interpassing saw them take the ball from inside their own half and deep into the opposition’s 22. Bad luck then hit Portsmouth when skipper Mark Ovens had to leave the field with what looked like a bad knee injury. He was replaced at fly-half by Jashan Solanki. Portsmouth then had a chance to open their score with a good driving maul but they lost control of the slippery ball as they neared the try line. Another good move by the visitors came to nothing when they again couldn’t keep hold of the ball and it was O.W’s who scored next with their 4th. bonus point converted try giving them a 24 – 0 lead. This seemed to spur Portsmouth back into life and a good drive for the line saw them cross for a try but the referee deemed that the ball carrier had gone into touch first. Undeterred Portsmouth set up yet another good attack which saw winger Tom Hopkins outstrip the defence to score close to the touch line having gathered his own kick ahead. Tommy Hare was on target with an excellent touch line conversion especially considering the wind. The score was now 24 – 7. Portsmouth were soon back on the attack again, this time through Tommy Hare who kicking ahead, won the race for the bouncing ball and managed a deft little grubber kick and he won the race to touch down, he was also able to convert his own try making the score 24 – 14. Another attack on the opposition try line saw them drive over but they were held up before they could touch down. Eventually the final whistle went with O.W’s putting in a relieving touch kick. Portsmouth deserved more from this game especially after their second half performance. The whole squad put in a good effort although special mention should be made of Harry Drew at scrum half and Tommy Hare at fullback. The forwards also gave a good account of themselves with Finn Parry making good ground with some hard running and Joshan Solanki fitted in well at 10 with some good running and deft passing. All in all a rather disappointing result. This result sees O.W’s stay in 4th.place and Portsmouth stay in 10th. Elsewhere Basingstoke recorded their second win with a 21 – 28 victory away to Old Emanuel. They now have moved off the bottom to be replaced by Old Cranleighans who lost 12 – 38 to Petersfield. Weybridge Vandals are now top with Warlingham, next weeks opposition for Portsmouth, in second place and Petersfield in third. I am due to go into Hospital on 15th.March for a knee replacement so I won’t be around for a while but Nigel Morgan has kindly agreed to continue with the match reports in my absence. Thanks Nigel.

Portsmouth 0 – 31 Warlingham

Simon Newsham writes…

Portsmouth were always going to be in a battle against second placed high flying Warlingham in London 3SW but coach Gareth Richards was dealt a rotten hand in the week building up to the game.  Several Injuries and positive COVID cases meant Richards had to call on veterans Ian French and John Nichols into the front row, also into the front row came eighteen year old Exeter University student David Howorth for his first team debut at loosehead prop. Without a recognised scrum-half, winger Sam Olie stepped into the role and didn’t look out of place. Flanker Anthony Fooks had to sit this one out having had stitches to a facial injury at training on Tuesday.

It was apparent from the first scrum that the hosts would struggle in the set piece with just seven minutes played Warlingham were awarded a penalty try when the Pompey scrum folded on their own goal line.

The visitors used the strong wind to their advantage in the first half with big kicks upfield gaining territory, Tommy Hare and Conner Chalton ran the ball back at them with every opportunity.

Portsmouth looked confident in open play but the Warlingham pack were big and well drilled in the scrum and their second try on twenty minutes came from a pick and go from the base of the scrum.

Portsmouth had a good spell of possession and continued to run the ball when they had it, some excellent carries from No8 Eliot Worrall centre Dan Gates got the hosts into some good attacking positions but each attempt seemed to end in a knock on and a scrum which Portsmouth had no answer to.

A further score five minutes before the break came from quick ball out of a scrum which made it 19-0 to the visitors. Portsmouth almost got on the board with half time approaching but were adjudged to be held up after getting over the Warlingham line.  Half Time Portsmouth 0 Warlingham 19.

The second half began with good Pompey pressure and equally good defending when they had to, Howorth was outstanding in the pack, making tackle after tackle stopping the powerful forwards in their tracks. Portsmouth used the wind well, fly-half Jaz Solanki and full-back Tommy Hare’s touch kicks making good ground. Portsmouth were enjoying themselves despite the scoreline, veteran hooker Jon Nichols hit his target every time in the line outs and Sam Olie distributed the ball nicely out to the backs.

The hosts bright start to the second half was abruptly ended when another penalty try was awarded to Warlingham, Olie was shown the yellow card for repeated offside, the visitors opted for the scrum and the referee gave them the seven pointer.

Even though a man down Portsmouth battled on but a further unconverted try to the visitors was the final act in what was a very good performance by a team stricken with injuries and illness.

Coach Gareth Richards was philosophical about the defeat but considering they were down to the bare bones he said “I thought we deserved more from the game, we were unfortunate not to get on the scoreboard having played so well with a scratch team”.

Referee Abuse – What can you do?

We have been asked to dr your attention to this article by Hampshire RFU and Hampshire Rugby Referees

Dear Players, Coaches & Supporters

Please can you communicate the message below as widely as possible throughout your club, we all have a responsibility for respect within our game.

It will not have gone unnoticed by most players, supporters and officials that the game we love is facing some difficult times with regards to Match Official abuse. Rugby is based on respect something we have jealously guarded for many years. We all have a part to play in maintaining this.

This week HRR had a session at our Training Meeting on how to deal with the chain of events that can lead to a Red Card for words aimed at an Official. If earlier relationships can be built between the captains, referees & players there is a greater change conflict will be avoided. There were always going to be times when frustrations are raised and tempers shortened and these have to be dealt with, even then there are ways of deescalating.

The picture below shows a potential chain of events that can lead to an abuse Red Card. We as referees see that there are opportunities to deescalate at every stage and we have discussed what we can do but we cannot do it alone. We need buy-in from players, coaches & spectators to recognised the temperature and look for ways to take the heat of the situation. If both referees and players are aiming to do the same thing then we may stand a chance of changing course at any stage.

Recruitment Drive For Girls Rugby

Dear Member

You will be aware of just how popular women’s rugby is becoming in the UK at this time. England Women are ranked No 1 in the world and narrowly missed out on winning the Women’s World Cup in November. We at Portsmouth RFC are immensely proud of the success of our two Valkyries sides who are both riding high in their respective leagues. Not many clubs can put out two ladies’ teams on a regular basis and it is a testament to all the players, management and coaching staff that we do so.

Another successful part of the club is the Junior section, which is thriving and growing very quickly. So much so, we are looking to hire more ground at Rugby Camp from Portsmouth City Council to allow even more Juniors to train safely on a Sunday morning.

However, one area where we would like to encourage more girls to play rugby is in the Under 13’s (Years 7 & 8) and Under 15’s (Year’s 9 & 10) squads. At the moment, we don’t have enough players to run out our own sides each week and we have to make up 15’s with players from other clubs. We are seeking to address this and it is our intention to recruit more girls in these age groups.

Matt Mitchell has done a fantastic job over the last three years with recruitment and he now needs all of our help to recruit more girls to play rugby. Matt has contacted local schools, organised taster days but we still need more.

So, as the city’s named rugby club, is there anything you as the members think we can do to attract more girls to play rugby at our club?

Can you please put the word out citing the positives of the game, just how good Portsmouth RFC is for looking after its Junior players and that there is a progression path to a high standard of adult rugby for all girls who are keen to make a success of the sport.

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome so please contact Matt at matt.mitchell1975@gmail.com or Chalky White on hughwhite57@gmail.com with any ideas.

One City, One Club

PRFC Chairman’s message

After over 50 years as player, captain, chairman & president of Portsmouth RFC Peter Golding has decided to stand down. Peter is not leaving the club and will still be a regular supporter on the balcony and at away fixtures. I’m sure there will be many tributes made to Peter for his outstanding contribution(s) over many years to Portsmouth RFC, Hampshire RFU, The RFU and rugby in general.

Nigel Morgan has agreed to be co-opted on to the committee for the rest of the season as President elect and will be formally elected as President at the next AGM. Please join me in welcoming Nigel and saying a heartfelt thankyou to Peter.

Ian Alvey is standing down as 1^st Team manager and this role is being taken up by Mike Caspall and Bungle. Gareth Richards is also standing down as head coach at the end of the season and the coaching team is being reshuffled. Daniel Roberts will be leading us forward in the interim. Again many thanks go to all for their stalwart contributions to the club over the years.

Jamie Allen is leaving his role as bar manager and is being replaced over a transition period by Aaron Beesley. As previously advised Lesley Gicquel is stepping down as treasurer and the club is looking for a new honorary treasurer. Anyone who is interested or knows someone who would be interested in joining the committee please let me or any other committee member know.

Regards

Jon

Locksheath Pumas 2nd XV 19 – 19 Portsmouth Veterans

Tries were scored by
Tom Radbourne
Daniel Stoneman
Alfie Oliver

2 conversions by Steve Clunie

A fabulous game played in great spirits…with a very happy and keen ref

Alfie Oliver who played 10 (and is 10 years old) was MOTM…he won the coveted prize of putting the shirts away!

Petersfield 26 – 0 Portsmouth

Portsmouth travelled the short distance to Petersfield on a grey Saturday afternoon but at least it wasn’t raining and blowing a gale. Portsmouth were still coming to terms with the fact that their talismatic skipper and hooker, Greg Hoolohan, would take no further part in this seasons campaign owing to a serious arm injury sustained in last weeks game against Weybridge Vandals. His place was taken by Bradley Atkins who has been in the squad for some time.

Portsmouth got proceedings underway and Petersfield collected and set up an attack which was eventually stopped but not before they had made ground into the Portsmouth 22.
After about 4 minutes they scored wide out following a good crosskick which was caught by their winger who scored out wide. The conversion was successful and the score was 7 – 0. Petersfield were soon on the attack again and from a scrum on the Portsmouth 22 their No.7 took the ball and touched down close to the posts. The conversion was secured and they now led by 14 – 0 on 10 minutes. From the re-start Petersfield ran back their 3rd try taking the score to 19 – 0. Their 4th try came shortly after with the conversion going over off the crossbar taking the score to 26 – 0 on 20 minutes. Portsmouth were having problems getting into the rhythym of the game and had played in their half for most of the time, Another Petersfield attack lead to a scrum about 5 metres from the visitors try line and as Petersfield drove for the line the scrum collapsed with a very anguished cry coming from the Portsmouth pack. The scrum broke up and as players got to their feet it was apparent that, Club-Captain,  Adam Parks-Dare was the player in trouble. It transpired that he had sustained a serious leg injury that would need hospital treatment as an ambulance had been called. He was covered in coats and a thermal blanket whilst waiting for the ambulance to arrive. The game was then in the process of being moved to the adjoining pitch as both sets of players had retired to the changing rooms. However so serious was the injury that both sets of forwards felt they had no real incentive to continue and the game was officially abandonded, to be played at a later date. Shortly after this it was announced that the League Officials had declared that the result should stand as Petersfield has got thier 5 points. By now Adam was in the ambulance and still being treated before going to hospital, Portmouth must feel that luck has deserted them this season what with the loss last week of Greg Hoolihan now followed by prop Adam Parks-Dare. who has played an important part in this season’s campaign.

Portsmouth will have to regroup for next week’s home fixture against Old Georgians which is being preceeded by a Memorial Lunch in honour of former 1st.XV captain Steve Todd who sadly passed away last year.

On a brighter note it was great to see Portsmouth President Peter Golding, make a very welcome appearance at the match following a long absence from the touchline due to a lengthy illness. Let’s hope that we will see him much more frequently at our matches.

Portsmouth 14 – 24 Weybidge Vandals

Match Report by Jim Dixon

This was a game between 2nd from top and 2nd from bottom and what a game it was despite the attrocious conditions. The Referee decided that the 1’s pitch was unplayable so we moved to the Vets pitch which was marginally better. Although it was windy at least the rain, for the most part, stayed away until the final few minutes. This was Portsmouth’s first game sine the victory over Old Cranleighans on 11th.November as the following weeks game v Trojans was postponed due to Covid which was a great pity as they were looking forward to that match to keep the momentum going.

Portsmouth played into a cross wind and were soon on the attack, keeping Weybridge deep in their half. Following a good touch kick from Gareth Davies and a hard run from No.8 Aaron Beesley Portsmouth crossed for what they thought was their first try but the Ref deemed the ball held up. With the majority of the game played in the Weybridge half, Portsmouth kept the pressure on and soon crossed again only for the Ref to again deny them a score. Rather against the run of play Weybridge then managed to string a good attack together and their open side broke through to score wide out. The conversion missed but they now led 0 – 5. with about 30 minutes played and that was how the first half ended with both sided throwing the ball around despite the conditions.

The second half started with Weybridge upping the tempo a bit but good defence by the home side kept them at bay. By now the ball was like a cake of soap and the pitch was also cutting up so both teams were having difficulty in holding onto the ball and keeping on their feet. Portsmouth were soon back on the attack and a good move involving the backs saw centre Ravudolo make his way through the defence to score midway out. Gareth Davies was on target with the conversion and Portsmouth were now in the lead 7 – 5 with about 7 minutes of the re-start. Both sided were still moving the ball around but the Weybridge pack were proving a bit of a handful. Despite this, Portsmouth were able to take the ball from the base of the scrum whilst being driuven back, thanks mainly to the efforts of No.8 Beesley. However it was Weybridge who scored next with an unconverted try giving them the lead 7 – 10 with nearly 66 minutes played. 6 minutes later they were again on the scoreboard with a converted try thus extending their lead to 7 – 17. Portsmouth were still in the hunt and some good runs saw them take play into the opposition half but just unable to complete the move. With about 5 minutes of the match remaining Portsmouth fell further behind when Weybridge scored their 4th. bonus point try. Portsmouth were still not giving up and a good attack saw them drive deep into Weybridge territory and eventually their efforts were rewarded when Evan Watts crossed for a well taken try converted by Davies as a drop goal to try and get the match re-started quickly as time was now against them. The score was now 14 – 24 and the pressure was on to get one more score to at leastgain a losing bonus point. but the Ref’s whistle beat them to it and the final score was 14 – 24.

This was an exciting game played in atrocious conditions and credit must go to both teams for the way they played the game. Although both teams had problems holding on to the ball in the tackle they never stopped trying to play open rugby. By the time of the final whistle it was quite difficult to distinguish the two packs as their shirts were covered with mud.
Next week sees Portsmouth travel to Petersfield for their return fixture. This will again be a 2.00 p.m kick off.

Portsmouth 36 – 5 Old Cranleighans

Match Report by Jim Dixon

Prior to the match Portsmouth kicked off proceedings with a very well attended Presidents Lunch enjoyed by all who attended with an excellant Christmas Dinner prepared by former 1st.XV player Jimmy Martin.

Portsmouth welcomed Old Cranleighans to Rugby Camp for the first time for a few seasons with the news that Head Coach Gareth Richards was having to isolate at home due to Covid as were his other coaches.

Old Cranleighans got proceedings under way and Portsmouth were straight on the attack taking the ball deep into O.C’s territory. A Portsmouth pass was intercepted by O.C’s but they knocked on giving a penalty to Portmouth. From the ensuing lineout a good run from Apisai Deucu in which he took several defenders with him, saw O.C’s give away a penalty and a further 10 metres for back chat. A line out on the 5 metre line saw Portsmouth take good ball and set up a driving maul resulting in a try awarded to prop Bradley Atkins. Gareth Davies added the extras and Portsmouth were in the lead with about 10 minutes gone. From the re-start O.C’s were again penalised enabling the Home side to clear the ball upfield with a good touch kick from Davies. Portsmouth then lost centre Myles Whitenham after a tackle. He was replaced by Tom Hopkins. Portsmouth were then able to steal a couple of O.C’s lineout balls through No.7 Deucu, taking them into opposition territory. Yet another O.C’s penalty saw a good touch kick from Davies in which No.8 Aaraon Beesley took a good line out ball and he drove through defenders to score out wide. Davies was yet again on target taking the score to 14 – 0. O.C’s were not done yet and after a period of pressure they managed to drive over the try line for their first try taking the score to 14 – 5 with about 30 minutes gone. From the re-start Portmouth full back,Mark Ovens, back from injury, gathered the ball and side stepped his way to the try line, showing what Portsmouth had been missing. Again Davies was on target with the conversion and the lead extended to 21 – 5 with about 5 minutes of the half remaining. Portsmouth were soon on the attack again with Ovens catching a kick from O.C’s who threw a long pass to Centre Ravudolo Miteli who in turn passed to Tom Hopkins who turned on the gas from inside his own half, to side step and outpace the defenders for a very well taken try out wide giving them a bonus point with the 4th.try, This time Davies couldn’t hit the target but the lead was now 26 – 5 and the half time whistle went shortly after.

The second half got under way and shortly after the re-start they lost flanker Deucu to a yellow card for an offside offence. O.C’s were now playing with a bit more purpose and putting the home side’s scrum under a bit of pressure but yet another penalty against them gave Portsmouth a chance to clear their lines with a good touch kick by Davies giving Portsmouth a line out on the half way line. More pressure, this time from Portsmouth, saw a good kick ahead by Davies being chased and caught by winger Scott Weatherhead who touched down wide out. Initially it looked as though the ball had crossed the posts but one touch judge indicated it had but the other seemed to unaware of what was going on and the Official also didn’t clearly indicate a conversion so although it was taken as O.K. later discusion said it wasn’t so the score was changed to 31 – 5. This was a rather pleasing try as Portsmouth were defending one minute and scoring the next as well as being a man down. O.C’s then lost a player to a yellow card for a scrum infringement as flanker Deucu came back on having served his 10 minutes. From a scrum Portsmouth took the ball on the halfway line and good handling by the backs eventually saw the ball with Ovens and he scored his second try out wide. This took the score to 36 – 5 with the conversion just missing. More pressure from Portsmouth saw O.C’s conceed a couple of penalties as the home side strove to add to their score but eventually time defeated them as the full time whistle went.

With yet again changes made from last week’s team, the whole squad really stepped up to the mark and they thoroughly deserved their win. The back row in particular played a big part in this victory, with No.8 Beesley making some good runs, and both flankers giving the opposition plenty of grief with their aggressive play. Tom Hopkins also showed good pace in the centre and with Mark Ovens back at full back they were able to show some good attacking moves.
The disappointing thing was that none of the Coaching staff were present to witness this display.

Next week sees Portsmouth travel the short distance to Trojans who lost to Petersfield 18 – 10. Trojans are in 7th. place and Portsmouth remain in 11th. place on 13 points. This will be the last game before the Christmas break, hopefully giving those with some injury niggles time to recover for the re-start in the New Year,