Something had to give at Molesey Road with two unbeaten sides meeting each other in this top-of-the-table clash and it was Esher who took maximum points, scoring a controversial try at the end to win it. Havant were generally very clinical in the first fifty or so minutes but fell off the pace for the final twenty to allow Esher to score three decisive tries through their forwards, from the point where Havant had been leading 21-29.

Havant made two changes from the team who had dismantled Oxford Quins the previous week with Will Saunders coming in for the injured Angus Southon (a bang on the knee – short term) and Colin Sisk (unavailable) replaced by Sam Trodd who moved in from the wing. Dylan Evans, with two tries to his name in the first two matches, took Sam Trodd’s vacated wing position. It was Sean Shepherd’s 100th match for the club. He is a hugely popular character at the club, a touchline favourite during matches and a very talented player too. He’s been Havant’s leading scorer for the last two seasons.

Esher, although relegated from National 1 last season, have been a real force in the National Leagues for 25 years and a tough match was to be expected.

On a very windy day, with dark grey clouds, blue sky and sunshine and drizzle all making an appearance, Esher kicked off with the wind in their favour with most of the early exchanges happening between the Havant 22’ and the half-way line. As has been the case in the two previous Havant matches, the opposition took the lead, on 6’, with a few forward rumbles from a lineout eventually producing a score for Esher centre Myles Rawstron-Rudd. Fly-half Oli Burgess converted.

On 9’ Havant made it to the Esher half through neat back-play, with Jacob Knight throwing a wide pass to the consistent Ben Griffin who made good ground on the left. Esher conceded two penalties giving Havant a lineout about 16m out. The forwards mauled all the way to the line with Jack Colbourne touching down out wide on 10’. Kicking was difficult in the wind and Joel Knight’s conversion just missed.

Havant were starting to break the line with regularity with Sam Trodd finding space with his dancing feet and giving Havant good position in the Esher half. A minute or so later Jacob Knight floated a lovely pass out to the right to Jack Colbourne who made ground and then passed to Dylan Read. He had a lot to do but his pace and with a physical presence that belies his size, saw him touch down expertly. Joel Knight kicked a tough conversion having learned from the previous close miss.

On 21’ Esher took the lead once more through Myles Rawstron-Rudd again after Havant conceded a penalty and Esher moved it on through backs and forwards after a lineout. Oli Burgess again converted to make it 14-12 in the home side’s favour. A while later a barracking run from Brandon Vince drew in lots of defenders and Reuben Knight put a lovely kick into the Esher ’22 to give Havant good field position. It seems however, that the run caused Brandon Vince some sort of injury for which he needed to leave the field to be replaced by Nick Stoffel.

Havant were now dominant and moving the ball well through the backs. On top of this Havant were making life difficult for Esher at the lineout with Will Saunders to the fore.

Reuben Knight made several good breaks, Joel Knight was kicking well and Dylan Read produced a turnover penalty which set up good position in the Esher ’22. We had plenty of possession but weren’t scoring and in hindsight this was perhaps the part of the match where we could have been more ruthless.

A word about the referee who had the good sense to reverse a decision for ‘not straight’ at the lineout for which he had given an Esher scrum when he realised (on the, I am sure, subtly-given advice of Harrison Young that Esher hadn’t contested it).

Finally, on the stroke of half-time an excellent 2½ minute passage of play from Havant in which the ball went through umpteen hands and with Reuben Knight prominent once again, Archie Cleeve went over just to the right of the posts which Joel Knight converted to make it 14-19 to Havant which is how it was when the referees whistle blew a few moments later.

Havant began the second-half with a strong wind in their favour. An early penalty led to a Havant lineout which was lost in the first minute. It was all Havant in the first few minutes but there were signs that Esher were defending our ‘over the top’ passes in the backs, better and went close to two interceptions. On 45’ Havant pressure led to a maul penalty in front of the posts which Joel Knight kicked to make 14-22. Esher had barely seen the ball.

But see the ball they did for a few minutes, and the Esher hooker set up good position on the right with a good run which eventually led to a score for Bart Godsell who barged through for Esher, with Oli Burgess converting to make it 21-22. Two minutes later Havant scored after a lovely line and break from Joel Knight whose looping pass found Will Perry. He had a lot to do to score but did it he did with a charge close to the touchline on the right, evading his opposite number.

In the 55- 60-minute period Esher dominated and I made a note on my voice memo ‘we need to be careful here, Esher have got a second wind, and we need to get our game back together’. Barely had I recorded those words when Esher’s Oli Burgess took a quick tapped penalty with Havant players appearing to think that play had been stopped for a Dylan Read injury. He sprinted over untouched and apparently unseen for the try bonus. He duly converted his own try to make it 28-29. The move seemed symptomatic of the loss of sharpness in Havant’s play.

However, it was Havant who would score next, On 62’ Havant got the ball on the right, Tom Gwyther kicked through to the 22, Dylan Read secured possession and the ball made its way, after a few more passes, to 100-cap star Sean Shepherd, suddenly appearing, to make good ground and touched down close to the posts on the left. Joel Knight converted to make it 28-36. Wes Dugan and Jacob Ashworth replaced Archie Cleeve and Jack Colbourne followed a few minutes later by Cam Boa replacing Sean Shepherd.

From this point Esher began to dominate all aspects of play and the pressure led to Wes Dugan being given a yellow card for an infringement at the ruck and Havant conceding more penalties thereafter. On 76’ an Esher try was scored after unending pressure in or close to the Havant ’22. Was unconverted, to make it 33-36. Havant still had the lead.

From here Esher set up camp for the most part near Havant’s line. Wave after wave of Esher thrusts were oiled by regular penalties, attacking lineouts and scrums. An interception from Dylan Read slipped agonizingly from his hands, which would have given us positional relief.

In the 4th minute of injury time with Esher sniffing the whitewash on the left, your reporter, possibly the least one-eyed person at the club, saw, along with a group of Havant followers (and some suddenly very silent Esher followers) a clear knock-on in the maul directly in front of us, which really should not have been missed by the Touch Judge, who was standing in front of us. The Referee was on the other side of the maul and unsighted. From here Esher moved the ball to the right of the posts and tight-head prop Sam Bland touched down for the winning score which Oli Burgess converted. Joy for Esher and frustration for everyone connected to the Havant cause. Final score, 40-36, and a terrific match to watch for the neutral (if there were any!). (Doug Miller)

Head coach Will Knight's thoughts after the game.
"That was a tough one to take and we will need to be very reflective about how we could have managed the last 10 minutes better. As a spectacle it was a great game and some of our rugby was excellent. We were the better side for large parts of the game but never put them to bed and at the end they took the chances that were offered to them."