Portsmouth v Eastleigh 8th March
Portsmouth 58 Eastleigh 38
by Simon Newsham
A glorious spring afternoon for the visit of Eastleigh to Rugby Camp and the one hundreth first xv cap for front row forward Adam Parks-Dare. The visitors were first on the scoreboard when Portsmouth knocked on in front of their own posts. From the resulting scrum Eastleighs fly-half dummied and cruised over the try line for a 0-7 lead. Portsmouth hit back five minutes later with a tap penalty that Aaron Beesley scored with a trademark crash to the line, converted by Gareth Davies the scores were levelled.
Eastleigh went back in front after Portsmouth were penalised for holding on in the tackle, a quick tap and dummy saw them retake the lead 7-14 with fifteen minutes gone. The pace was frantic but nice passing move by Portsmouth in the backs saw full-back Alex Randall speed down the left wing to touchdown just left of the uprights, Davies added the extras plus a penalty a few minutes later to edge into a three point lead.
The pace of the game was fast and furious, on the half hour Portsmouth again irked the referee who awarded another simple penalty that the visitors slotted. The hosts really took hold of the game in the ten minutes leading up to half time. A superb 50/22 kick from Davies gave Portsmouth a line out deep in the Eastleigh twenty-two, the catch and drive was collapsed by the visitors and Sam Foster was on the end of a quick tap penalty to score, once again converted by Davies for a 24-17 lead.
Rounding off the first half another huge 50/22 by Davies was turned into another try for Beesley from the line out catch and drive, Davies again on the money with the extras for a half time lead of 31-17.
Portsmouth were quickly back into their stride in the second half, Hooker Anthony Fooks was impressive once again with the ball in hand, making plenty of ground and sucking in the tacklers to create the space. A sweeping move by the hosts put Connor Chalton clear to run in a try down the right. Five minutes later Foster stole an Eastleigh line out, scrum-half George Wright broke through the middle of the pitch, popped a pass to Beesley on his left who drew the last defender before passing to winger Brad Jewer to score on the left. With thirty minutes left the hosts were looking like running up another cricket score, Chalton added another try when Beesley collected the kick off and passed to Fooks whose series of sidesteps took him clear of the advancing defence, his pass to Chalton put him in for his second try and a 48-17 lead.
However, Portsmouth were being penalised regularly and it was second row Sam Foster who was shown the yellow card. His presence was missed as Eastleigh ran in a try almost immediately as the hosts collapsed the catch and drive. The mayhem continued with end to end action and a brief respite came with a Portsmouth penalty that Davies kicked through the uprights for the three points. At 51-24 from a Portsmouth scrum deep in their own half, scrum-half Wright ran in a lovely long range try and once more Gareth Davies converted for a 58-24 lead. Much to the enjoyment of a group of stranded Frenchmen.
Their journey from Nantes to Dublin had somehow ended in Portsmouth where they sought out the nearest club. Having been wined and dined by the Portsmouth members and watched their team win on the TV they found their voice and gave a fantastic rendition of La Marseillaise from the spectators balcony.
Sam Foster wasn`t back on long after his yellow card when he limped off with injury, Portsmouth ran out of steam and the game ended 58-38 with the visitors scoring two late tries.
Portsmouth 15 Bognor 8
7 December 2024 by Simon Newsham
A cold and very windy afternoon drew the smallest Rugby Camp crowd of the season so far, those who did brave the conditions were treated to a Pompey win but it definitely wasn’t a great game.
The hosts were quickly out of the blocks on two minutes with the best play of the match. Following a scrum on the left fifteen metres inside the Bognor half, George Wright fed fly-half Jas Solanki whose pass missed out centre Dalziel and found full-back Stewart Davies at speed, his pass to right wing Brad Jewer created the overlap for Jewer to run in and score in the right hand corner. Portsmouth had a good spell of possession in the first ten minutes but were unable to add to their early score. Anthony Fooks was having a busy day due to players going off for injuries he had to fill in at front row, second row, flank, No8 and did a superb job wherever he was sent.
The visitors grew into the game and after a spell of desperate defending against the wind by Portsmouth and repeated penalties for offside Bognor got their try on 24 minutes, as with the hosts they were unable to convert in the blustery conditions. The visitors finished the half strongly and Portsmouth conceded yet another penalty for offside in front of the posts on the twenty-two, the Bognor fly-half calmly slotted the three points to go in with a three point lead at half time Portsmouth 5 Bognor 8.
The second half began with both sides having a go but running into big tackles, the hosts No8 Aaron Beesley had plenty of carries but the Bognor defenders weren’t letting him make the ground we have come to expect from him. On 52 minutes Portsmouth were awarded a penalty for a rare Bognor offside on twenty-two meters, Stewart Davies struck it beautifully through the uprights to level things at 8-8.
Ten minutes later after some attritional rugby where nothing much happened in the middle of the pitch, the hosts broke forward from a Solanki kick ahead, chased down by replacement Luke Simmons bought some territory and a spell of pressure in the Bognor twenty-two. The visitors were under extreme pressure when Solanki burst away down the right wing only to be tackled high when it looked like he would score. A further penalty saw a Bognor player go to the bin when the hosts set themselves up for a tap and go penalty five meters out wide on the right. This time they chose the scrum option, the pack piled forward driving the visitors over their own line and Anthony Fooks dropped over for a crucial try. Superbly converted by Stewart Davies putting Pompey into a 15-8 lead with around eighteen minutes to go.
Portsmouth saw the game out with more tenacious tackling from Adam Parks-Dare, Henri Davies and Sam Foster to name a few. Bognor had a late flurry of possession but couldn’t break through the Pompey defence. This was Portsmouth’s fourth win on the bounce, it certainly wasn’t pretty but when you need the points to stay up, winning is all that counts especially when key players are missing.
Portsmouth Line Up 1 Liam Avis, 2 Brad Atkins, 3 Adam Parks-Dare, 4 James Hebbard, 5 Sam Foster, 6 Anthony Fooks, 7 Henri Davies, 8 Aaron Beesley, 9 George Wright, 10 Jas Solanki, 11 Harvey Field, 12 Sam Olie, 13 Will Dalziel, 14 Brad Jewer, 15 Stewart Davies, Reps Vinnie Jefferies, Lee Chandler, Luke Simmons.
Ken Reilly
Click on the link below for The News tribute to KR.
Ken Reilly’s funeral will be held at St Thomas’s Cathedral, Old Portsmouth at 10 a.m on 10 December, the wake will follow at Portsmouth Rugby Club. Dress code is black for ladies and club blazers for gentlemen. Family flowers only.
Kens Just Giving page can be found here for donations www.funeralguide.co.uk/obituaries/128655
Farewell Ken Reilly – ‘a true Portsmouth RFC legend, a great family man and a good bloke!’
Portsmouth 12 v Ellingham & Ringwood 23 14/9/24
Starting their home campaign Portsmouth quickly found themselves on the wrong end of a try, the visitors ran the kick off back at the hosts then charged down the right wing for a try in the corner after just two minutes. Ellingham were fired up and ran hard at the Pompey defenders, and five minutes later the referee had enough of Portsmouth being continually offside at the ruck, the resulting penalty in front of the posts put the visitors into an 8-0 lead.
Portsmouth were having to defend well without getting their hands on the ball in the first half, but a brief spell of pressure resulted in a penalty turnover for not releasing the ball. Ellingham & Ringwood continued to run at the hosts and on 19 minutes a further penalty put them 11 points ahead.
In the latter stages of the first half Portsmouth found themselves with more ball and storming runs from skipper Beasley and Anthony Fooks set up some good phases. Pompeys best chance came from a scrum on the right on halway, Beasley picked up at the base and went blindside, passing to wing Connor Chalton who was clean through but spilt the pass. From the resulting scrum the impressive Liam Glazebrook at flanker wrestled the ball from the visitors scrum-half and cantered down the right wing for a try in the corner going in 5 points to 11 at half time.
Pompey started the second half in a fiery mood, running the kick off back at the opposition, Beasley charged down a scrambled defensive clearance and kicking the ball on into the Ellingham 22 it looked like the hosts would score but after three phases were adjudged to be not releasing the ball. The relief was plain to see on the visitors faces as they had just been battered for five minutes. They flung the ball wide from the line-out and a missed tackle put the second row through for a try under the posts and a thirteen point lead. With fifty minutes on the clock the visitors went further ahead from a line-out on Pompey’s 22, a good catch and an even better drive marched the hosts back to their own line and a try which made it 5-23.
Five minutes later Portsmouth repaid that try with a catch and drive of their own, Fooks finishing off the move crashing over by the posts and Hywel Gronow added the extras. With Pompey chasing at least a bonus point if not the win, the rest of the second half was a case of what might have been as they were penalised for holding on to the ball repeatedly. In the final few minutes relentless pressure from Pompey coupled with a yellow card for the visitors saw Portsmouth in the Ellingham 22, a couple of tap penalties saw Pompey piling into the visitors, desperate defence from Ellingham & Ringwood kept Pompey out, finally a knock on just a few meters from the line gave the visitors a chance to clear the ball and take the points.
Simon Newsham
Weekend Round-Up
It was a first defeat in five matches for the first fifteen who gave their all at Ellingham & Ringwood but went down bravely 21-14 despite being ahead at half time with a narrow four point lead.
On Sunday The Colts were convincing winners in their Hampshire Bowl tie against Gosport and Fareham, cruising into the next round with a fine 33-10 victory at Rugby Camp. Well done to all the lads and the coaches who go into the next round and are having a great season.
The Valkyries second xv hosted Eastleigh ladies in National Championship 3 SE(S) where they had plenty of ball in the first half and ran in eight tries, five of them scored by centre Anne-Marie Tilley. Other tries came from second row Laura Gazzard, Prop Sian Owen and winger Luna Lewis. Sandy Newsham was named forward of the match for an absolutely storming display of ball carrying and tackling.
There was a bittersweet note as this was the last game of the season which saw the girls finish the league on the same points but in third place behind Trojans ii on points difference. Incidently the ladies have won their last six matches with bonus point victories, so the future of the Valks is looking bright. Also Sunday saw hooker Emma Chapman play her final game before retiring from rugby to concentrate on a wrestling career. Emma has been an invaluable member of the squad for eight years, she always puts a big shift in and has been an inspiration to the younger players in her role as vice captain this season. We wish her well in the future and thank her for her dedication to The Valkyries over the years.
Under 16s Hampshire Vase Final
By Fred French
Portsmouth v Basingstoke at Winchester RFC.
In the first ten minutes possession and position were in Portsmouths favour, but final passes didn’t go to hand and Basingstoke were very strong defensively. They capitalised on a Portsmouth error when one of the Basingstoke backs broke the line and ran from deep in their own half to score under the posts and converted.
Portsmouth replied ten minutes later with a penalty in front of the posts kicked by Reggie D, then just before half-time Reggie scored under the posts on a pick and go and converted.
Half time 10-7.
The second half was Portsmouth’s game. Possession, going forward, in support of each other, but Basingstoke still put up a solid defence, disrupting play tackling and rucking.
Tries came from George O with a pick and dive converted by Reggie, a Josh W run in from the wing converted by Reggie. Dylan B scored Portsmouth’s final try it was a powerful run in from Rhys who passed to Dylan to score the try (not converted)
Final score 29-7.
Unfortunately the game was marred by yellow cards to each side throughout and a red card at the end for Basingstoke. Portsmouth had a serious collision injury at the end to James F resulting in a full supporting cast of air ambulance paramedic, paramedic, doctor and at least one nurse who were present watching and supporting other teams James went to hospital and concussion was diagnosed.
This was the teams last match together as Portsmouth U16s from next week they start training as Colts. It was also their third end of season final together and their third win bringing home the trophy.
News Round Up
So with the rain once again taking it’s toll on the pitches at Rugby Camp all the Mens teams played away on Saturday. The first xv had a trip to Littlehampton where they played Bognor in Counties Division 1. Bognors pitches like ours were under water. The 1sts produced another outstanding performance winning by 28 points to 5 for a fourth successive win. Sam Olie was voted man of the match.
The Casuals played Romsey on their 4G pitch but despite a spirited fightback they lost 48-25. The thirds went to New Milton who opted to host the game at the last minute, the home side winning 35-0.
On to this coming weekend, the firsts are at home to Andover and they will hope to keep the winning run going. With the Casuals at home to Christchurch it’s an exciting double bill at Rugby Camp, both 1500 kick offs.
No games for The Valkyries this coming weekend but The Colts are away to Ellingham and Ringwood on Sunday.
The two Six Nations matches are being screened this Saturday at the club, Italy v Scotland at 1415 and the big one, England v Ireland at 1645. So come along and cheer the first team on against Andover, then strap yourselves in for the huge game at Twickenham where England will attempt to stop Ireland from getting another step closer to the Grand Slam.
Weekend Round Up 17/18 February
by Simon Newsham
We had a clean sweep throughout the senior club this weekend, victories for all three mens teams on Saturday and The Valkyries second fifteen on Sunday who went to Havant winning in convincing style.
The first team put 62 points on their hosts Bournemouth ii who managed just a solitary try in response. Our Man of the match was Stewart Davies with a brace of tries on his return.
The Casuals just edged it in a tight and feisty affair at home to Aldershot and Fleet, 15-12 the final score in that one.
The thirds were also at home, this time with visitors Petersfield who are always tough opponents but the Vandals were impressive winners with a 35-12 scoreline.
Moving onto Sunday and for once Havant was the place to be. The Valkyries second xv put on an absolutely brilliant display to take the points with a 14-45 win. The impressive Emily Joss helped herself to a hat-trick in a bonus point win. Scrum-half Emily Hare scored a try and four conversions while other scorers were Lydia Lairson and Alexia Seamer.
On to the upcoming games this weekend, on Saturday the 1sts make the short trip to Gosport in Counties Division 1. We hope to see a large Pompey contingent make the journey across the water to cheer the lads on. The seconds are away to Overton in Counties 3, but there’s no game as yet for the third xv.
This Sunday the Valkyries seconds hope to carry on their winning ways with Poole the visitors to Rugby Camp, whilst the Colts host Tottonians. There are also home games for the U16s and U15s on Sunday.
On a sad footnote, the funeral of our good friend Kevin Ricketts takes place at Christ Church, Widley 1145 tomorrow 20th February. There will be a wake at Havant Rugby Club from 1300 where we can share our memories of Kevin, a truly lovely man.
Weekend Round-Up
It was a very busy Saturday at Rugby Camp with the visit of a coachload of Welshmen from the Rhonnda, whilst the firsts took on New Milton with a commanding performance, winning 47-5. See Jim Dixons match report. There was also the Rugby Against Cancer Bottomless Brunch in the clubhouse which was well supported on RAC sock takeover week.
The seconds went away to Alresford coming away with the points in a narrow 14-15 victory.
The 3rd XV went down by 35 to 20 against United Services and I assume the Vets won by the customary 76-0 against Abercwmboi who provided the soundtrack in the bar during Wales narrow defeat to Scotland.
Sunday saw our U14s take on Alton in the cup semi final, they weathered the early pressure from the visitors to bounce back winning 24-17 in a highly physical, attritional match against skillful and determined opposition. As coach Chris Morrow said “It was ugly, but we were immense”. They play the U14s Cup Final on March 17, opponents to be announced.
The Under 12s Hosted Havant in a friendly and came out winners by eight tries to three in a well drilled, clinical performance. Both sides running with ball in hand and equally defending well. The Portsmouth boys defended with great stamina and didn’t give the visitors much space or possession to exploit.
Portsmouth Valkyries first XV played at home on Sunday against Cullompton in the RFU Intermediate Cup quarter final. The visitors showed why they’re a league above our women with a 25-61 victory. Their speedsters on the wing doing the majority of the scoring. The Valkyries really put in a shift and can hold their heads high despite the score which doesn’t reflect the amount of possession they had.
This weekend coming
There is only one senior mens game this Saturday with the 2s away to Andover, however, the club is open on Saturday for the Six nations games in the Peter Golding Bar.
On Sunday the 11th The Valkyries 1st XV travel west to take on Bath Ladies while the 2nds host East Dorset Dockers at Rugby Camp.
In other news the 100 club winners for February were drawn on Monday the 5th, the £50 winner was Nigel Morgan and the £30 went to T Golding.
Weekend Round Up
After being in front at Havant the 1st fifteen eventually succumbed to Havant’s pace in the backs, going down right at the end narrowly by 31 points to 28. This was a fine performance by the lads who outplayed their local rivals for much of the game.
The Casuals did the reverse at Rugby Camp against Havant 3s with a late score to win 27-26.
On Sunday the Valkyries 2nd xv travelled to East Dorset where they won by forty points to nil, although the RFU website shows 0-50 so a couple of the Valks are trying to add the spare tries to their tally.
Colts Win The League
Our Colts are league champions for the second successive season. A 52-12 victory against Bognor gave them the title. Massive congratulations to all the lads and the coaching staff. We can look forward to a bright future with this squad of youngsters.
The U14s visited Saracens where they beat three Essex clubs, Chelmsford by 30 points to 5, Southend by 20 to nil and Westcliff 40-15.
This weekend the firsts host New Milton at 1400 on Saturday while the Casuals (2nd xv) travel to Alresford and the 3s, The Vandals go to Burnaby Road to take on US Portsmouth ii. It’ll be a busy one at the club on Saturday with the Vets hosting a touring side from Abercwmboi also 1400 ko.
The Valkyries have a busy day on Sunday with the seconds hosting Poole at midday in the league then at 1400 the firsts take on Cullompton in the quarter final of the RFU Womens Intermediate Cup. We’re hoping for a big crowd on Sunday to cheer the ladies on.