Portsmouth v Havant II, Saturday 18th January 2025, Counties 1 Hampshire League
On a bitterly cold day at Rugby Camp, Havant kicked off and took the game straight back to Havant. Eventually a penalty against Havant gave Portsmouth the first scrum of the afternoon. and a kick upfield gave Havant the first line out. From that lineout they set up a good move and their winger scored in the corner with about 7 minutes gone. The conversion missed and they led 0-5. Following the restart Portsmouth stole a Havant lineout which resulted in a penalty to Portsmouth but Matt Pilbeam’s kick went wide. Portsmouth were putting pressure on Havant and as they tried to move the ball upfield a wayward pass by Havant went straight into touch giving Portsmouth a lineout about 6 or 7 metres from the try line, A good catch and drive saw Portsmouth drive for the line and Liam Glazebrook broke off to score. Pilbeam’s kick was on…
Portsmouth v Trojans, Saturday 11th January 2025, Counties 1 Hampshire League
Portsmouth travelled the fairly short distance to Trojans for the return fixture. The weather was sunny with very little wind, a contrast to recent weeks.The pitch was very slippery on the top surface but was better a bit deeper down. Matt Higgins, playing 10 today, got the match underway and Portsmouth responded well. They pressed the Trojans line but could not quite get across the line. Trojans were under pressure which forced a number of penalties and Portsmouth took advantage to get on the score board after about 15 minutes giving them a 0-3 lead. Shortly after the restart skipper Aaron Beesley made a good break and passed to ball to a supporting back. Then threes really came to life with a very good handling move which went deep into the Trojans 22. Eventually Matt Higgins took the final pass and ran through to score close to the posts. He…
Portsmouth v Basingstoke, Saturday 4th January 2025, Counties 1 Hampshire League
It was a bitterly cold windy day, the only good thing about it was the rain held off for the duration of the match. Basingstoke got the game underway and Portsmouth set up a number of forward drives but a knock on gave ‘Stoke a scrum. they set up a good attack and a well judged kick across field found their winger who crossed out wide. The conversion missed and they took a 0-5 lead with about a couple of minutes gone. A good attacking move came to nothing when a Portsmouth player who got tap tacked then got penalised for crawling with the ball in hand. Portsmouth then set up a series of drives through the forwards which eventually resulted in their first try by Ant Fooks. The conversion missed and the scores were now level at 5 a’piece after 15 minutes. Portsmouth pressed hard but just couldn’t get…
Portsmouth v Sandown & Shanklin, Saturday 21st December 2024, Counties 1 Hampshire League
The day was started with an impressive Christmas lunch, provided as usual by Club Chef Jimmy Martin. This was also the last game before the Christmas break when we return on Saturday 4th January when the 1’s are away to Basingstoke. It was a very windy day with the wind going from West to East, although it was cold at least the rain held off. Portsmouth won the toss and elected to play with the wind in the hope that by the second half it had been forecast to decrease in strength.From the start Portsmouth pressed the Sandown try line, keeping play in their half. Penalties against Portsmouth saw Sandown kicking to touch but into the wind they were unable to make much headway. A penalty against Sandown saw Jas Solanki taking a kick at goal from wide out and the kick went in off the post giving Portsmouth a…
Portsmouth v Ellingham & Ringwood, Saturday 14th December 2024, Counties 1 Hampshire League
A changed side from last week travelled to Ellingham & Ringwood on a sunny day. What a change from last week’s weather! Portsmouth got the game underway and were soon under pressure but some good defensive work kept E/R at bay. Although Portsmouth managed to get into the Ellingham half they soon found themselves defending their line again. A 5 metre lineout saw Ellingham set up a good catch and drive and although they crossed the line somehow Portsmouth managed to get under the ball carrier thus denying them a score. A penalty against Portsmouth for not releasing after a tackle gave Ellingham a kick at goal from almost in front of the posts. The kick was successful and they took a 3-0 lead on 14 minutes. More good defensive work by Portsmouth kept Ellingham at bay but another penalty for going over the top gave Ellingham a chance to increase…
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…
Portsmouth v Eastleigh, Saturday 23rd November 2024, Counties 1 Hampshire League
Portsmouth travelled a shortish distance along the M27 to Eastleigh wondering a bit what the weather was going to do. With the threat of Storm Bert coming in together with gale force winds and heavy rain it was all a bit daunting. As it turned out it was a much quieter spell that greeted them on the pitch. The wind had dropped and the rain had virtually stopped and at least it was rather mild for a change. Portsmouth got the game underway playing with the wind slightly behind them. They soon had Eastleigh defending their line as the visitors closed in on the try line. With the pitch already wet and muddy, handling was a bit tricky and the first scoring chance went begging when the ball went loose. Eastleigh then set up their first real attack but the backs were pinged for crossing, giving Portsmouth a chance to…
Portsmouth v Bournemouth 2nds, Saturday 16th November 2024, Counties 1 Hampshire League
The day started with a lunch in memory of Club stalwart Ken Reilly who sadly passed away last week. There were about 60 members present together with Jenny Reilly and her family. There was much recalling of memories of yesteryear. Just before the matches started, teams from the two games lined up for 1 minute’s applause in K.R’s memory. Bournemouth are a much improved side from the one we played last season so Portsmouth new they were in for good contest and so it proved.Portsmouth got the match underway and soon had Bournemouth pinned in their 22. A relieving kick from the visitors saw Portsmouth spin the ball through several pairs of hands and the move was finished of by Leo Wall who dotted down out wide. The conversion fell short so the score stood at 5-0 after about 3 minutes. Just under 10 minutes later Portsmouth set up another…
Portsmouth v New Milton, Saturday 9th November 2024, Counties 1 Hampshire League
Portsmouth travelled into the heart of the New Forest for this match. The game was preceded by a minutes silence in respect of Remembrance Sunday.Portsmouth got the game underway and soon had New Milton pinned in their half of the pitch. Despite several attacks on the opposition line they were only able to come away with 3 points from a penalty after about 10 minutes, through the boot of Jas Solanki. It was another 5 minutes before they added to their score with a try by Brad Jewer after play had gone from one side of the pitch to the other. The conversion by Solanki was good and they now led 5-10. Shortly after this New Milton managed to get into the Portsmouth half and eventually they won a penalty which they converted to take to score to 3-10. With the game now being played between the 22’s it was…
Portsmouth v Guernsey 2nds, Saturday 26th October 2024, Counties 1 Hampshire League
What a weekend at Rugby Camp. On Friday night Portsmouth Vets travelled to Petersfield to play their Vets and ran out comfortable winners 7-38. On Saturday Portsmouth had 3 senior men’s teams in action plus the Valkyries 2nd XV playing Swanage & Wareham also at home, running out winners 38-19. And then as if that wasn’t enough, Portsmouth held their annual Octoberfest at the Club in the evening with about 120 attending. The Valkyries kicked off at 12.30p.m. with the Men’s 1’s starting at 1 o’clock. Then the 2nds & 3rds started when those games had concluded.Portsmouth got their game underway and they soon put pressure on the Guernsey line. A good passing move came to nothing when the final pass didn’t quite make it to the receiver and the ball got knocked on, giving a scrum to Guernsey. They secured the ball and a kick upfield saw them in…