Havant had to make a late change to the advertised side with Angus Southon injured in training and replaced by Will Saunders. Will Owen joined the replacements’ bench for his first appearance of the season.

For the first minute or so Havant had possession but with a kick going over the dead ball line, a scrum back in the middle of the field ominously showed Henley pushing the Havant forwards back. An early Henley lineout led to their first score with the forwards mauling to the Havant line and sending flanker Max Brown over to the left of the posts. Toby Howe converted to make it 7-0 on 3’. Henley continued to apply pressure with Havant conceding penalties and got close to scoring again until a last gasp bundle into touch saved Havant’s line. Against the run of play however, Will Perry positioned himself for an interception and from inside his own half ran the ball to the Henley line for a try. Joel Knight converted to make it 7-7 after 9’.

For the next twenty minutes there were no scores. Havant had more ball after their try and got themselves properly into the game, although the scrum continued to struggle. Tom Gwyther put a neat chip through which Will Perry couldn’t quite gather. With penalty advantage Havant kicked for the corner but couldn’t retain the ball. Shortly after, the Henley fly-half Toby Howe got close to a 50/22 with a strong kick. Havant managed to escape and put a high ball through to the opposition 22 which the Henley wing dropped (the ball going forward by 2-3 metres). To everyone’s bafflement it was missed by the referee and touch judge and Havant lost a good attacking position.

Play continued largely in the middle of the field. Henley threatened from time-to-time, but Havant held up well. Havant finally escaped through a good Wes Dugan half-break. He was tackled high and the penalty was kicked to about six metres out by Jakob Knight (we’re on about 20’ now). The lineout came to nothing (although the ensuing maul did seem to have been pulled down). Havant continued in and around the Henley ‘22’, finally showing strength in the scrum and looking more likely to score. Wes Dugan, Jack Colbourne and Ben Holt made good little half-breaks making space on the right for a pass to Will Perry, which gave him real attacking chances given his attacked prowess. It was however, adjudged forward.

Henley were showing little penetration in the backs when they had the ball and a Ben Holt turnover won his side a penalty which Jacob Knight kicked superbly to the corner. Will Saunders won the lineout and Ben Holt broke free to about 2m out. A penalty was however conceded at this point allowing the home side a potential escape. A lineout followed by a scrum to Havant led to the next score. Ben Holt confounded Henley’s blind-side flanker and scrum-half which gave him the space to break and find Will Perry who was able to run in from just outside the ‘22’ and score. Joel Knight converted to make it 7-14 on 32’.

It seemed that this would be the launchpad for Havant to take control of the game. How wrong we were. On 35’ Henley scored through wing Oscar Busby in lots of space, after a Henley rolling maul had committed lots of Havant players to defend it. It was converted by Toby Howe to make 14-14 on 35’. A penalty conceded and poor Havant defence, almost immediately after the restart, gave the opportunity for Henley inside centre James Leach to get over and Howe converted again to make it 21-14. This was a really disappointing end to the half.

On the stroke of half-time, Will Saunders was replaced by Will Owen (he would return) and Sam Trodd (who wouldn’t) by Colin Sisk. At this stage, with Havant generally a second-half team, it felt that if the side could add precision to their play a win was possible, even likely. It didn’t happen. Four Havant yellow cards, and multiple errors in the second half put paid to that in a half where fifty-two points were scored.

It started so well. Colin Sisk made good ground through the middle. It was passed out to Will Perry wide on the left and after a going through several pairs of hands, Dylan Evans was able to execute a neat finish to a good team movement. Joel Knight converted, making it 21-21 on 43’. After only the briefest of appearances, Will Owen got injured while tackling (successfully) an extremely large second row forward and Will Saunders returned. Ollie Sowerby replaced Armandus Morgan.

Almost immediately Ross Parkins was yellow-carded for not going back ten metres after a quickly taken Henley penalty. A ‘bitty’ passage of play followed and was ended by a good Colin Sisk half-break. Havant got close to scoring through Dylan Evans on the left after a good move but a wild pass was taken by Toby Howe for Henley and he ran to the Havant try line from about 60 metres out and converted his own score (now 28-21 on 52’). Back came Havant. A fantastic break from Jack Colbourne of around forty metres got Havant to within range and his pass found Ben Holt who, still with a bit to do got over on the left. The conversion was missed, making it 28-26 on 56’ (and Havant still with 14 men on the pitch). Play continued for the next 7-8 minutes with little indication of what was to come although Henley were denied a try (rightly) because of crossing.

A chaotic ten minutes followed with Havant handing back possession too easily from poor kicks. On 63’ Jack Colbourne was ‘yellow-carded’ after strong surges from the Henley forwards close to the Havant line. It felt more like a ‘team yellow’ but the hosts took advantage almost immediately from No8 Will Benning. Howe’s conversion made it 35-26. Two minutes later Henley scored again through debutant centre Tom David after a good break from prop Moses Fakatou, although aided by weak tackling until a great cover tackle by Will Perry bought him down. The score was inevitable with three men available for the pass. The try was converted by Oliver Snook who had replaced Howe.

It’s now 42-26 and Havant with a big hill to climb. A yellow card for Ben Holt (with Jack Colbourne also still ‘in the bin’) really ended any chance of a win. At this point Will Maxfield replaced Brandon Vince and earlier Harrison Young had come on for Will Saunders.

It looked like the score was going to get ugly when Cornell Kinninburgh went over on 72’ again converted by Snook to make it 49-26 and Havant with thirteen on the pitch. Niggles and shirt-pulling were starting to become the norm (‘feisty’ is an over-used word but probably justified here). Suddenly however, Havant found a bit more edge and Will Perry went over for his hat-trick and his eighteenth try of the season. Joel Knight converted making it 49-33.

There then followed the incident which turned the ‘edge’ into the ‘fire’ the side had needed earlier. From reports (although I didn’t see it), the Henley player Roan Noone kicked a Havant player in the head at which point a Havant collective took exception to what had happened and a wider confrontation followed. Noone was red-carded and Joel Knight was yellow-carded for the response although this was more of a team ‘yellow’. An angry Havant were now full of intent and good team play sent Wes Dugan over the line on 80’ to make it 49-38 with the try unconverted.

With all the breaks in the second half, there was still a bit of time left and the potential for Havant to secure the losing bonus point. They were now ‘all in’ for the scramble for the extra point and Henley centre Thomas David was sent to the bin by the referee after a long advantage and strong Havant pressure (making it 13-14 in player numbers). The penalty to touch landed shorter than intended and although Havant retained the ball, a scrum was eventually awarded with the ball stuck at the bottom of a ruck and the referee’s whistle went for the end of the match. 49-38 to Henley Hawks. Henley were naturally delighted with their win, moving within a point a point of Esher and staying seven clear of Sevenoaks. For Havant, real frustration at what might have been. ( Doug Miller)

Havant pick up one try bonus point to move to sixty points. With two gap weekends ahead, the side can look forward to two home games against top four sides (Dorking and Oundle), bisected by an away match against another top four side, Old Albanian.

Other League Matches
Guernsey 62 - 29 London Welsh
Oundle 43 - 38 Esher
Barnes 24 – 50 Bury St Edmunds
Canterbury – Cancelled - Oxford Quins
Dorking 43 - 40 Westcombe Park
Old Albanian 33 - 39 Sevenoaks