Havant played with the slope in the first half and kicked off. Canterbury found touch and Havant won the lineout through Sam Vince. A half-break from Aden Brassington resulted in a penalty which Reuben Knight kicked to the 5m line. From there, a simple move, and Havant were over after a take by Alex Hayton, with Aden Brassington touching down. The kick was missed. 0-5 on 5’

A good start, but from here, Canterbury scored three quick tries. First, however, the home side scored a disallowed try, from a forward pass. Then came the real scores. The first, on 9’, came from winger Garry Jones, from a scrum on 5m where Canterbury found their scorer completely unmarked. 7-5 on 9’ after a successful conversion from Owain Collins. Five minutes later, Jones had his second. On 14’, Havant were penalised for the second time at a scrum, and Canterbury probed left and right before scrum-half Presley Farrance initiated what seemed a training-ground move to put Jones in. Collins again converted to make it 14-5 on 15’.

The following three minutes saw both sides with the ball, but Havant were struggling to retain possession. Possession was scrappy at times, and with Havant failing to deal with a bouncing ball, the hosts were able to send in the other wing, Oliver Ashley-Jones. With Collins again converting, Havant were staring at a 21-5 deficit after 20’. At this point, Havant lost Brandon Vince with what initially looked like a serious injury, but which may not have been as bad as first thought. Joe Elyas replaced him.

To their credit, Havant got back into the game. The ball was turned over in the middle of the field from a misplaced pass. Havant kicked the ball over the try-line but not dead. The ball was drop-kicked out by Canterbury, and Havant were awarded a penalty at the subsequent ruck. An easy score resulted. Alex Hayton took the ball, the maul spun around to the right, and Sean Shepherd touched down. The conversion was missed, making it 21-10 on 24’.

At this point, it became clear that Canterbury’s plan was not to contest rucks at all, often resourcing with only one player. As a consequence, Havant, although getting some possession, were struggling to move forward with intent. Nonetheless, they were right in the game. George Pooley made ground with a mini-break; Reuben Knight tested the defence with kicks. Havant got a penalty, and thoughts of another pushover try were in the minds of the Havant forwards, although they were a bit further out than before. Sam Vince got close, but the pass to him was adjudged to be forward. Two Canterbury escape kicks were charged down, and Havant were applying pressure, with the home side making errors.

Havant got a penalty 30m out after good ground was gained by Wes Dugan. The kick to touch was taken, and although the possession was messy, Havant did get the ball down, attributed to Sean Shepherd. The conversion again was missed, making it 21-15, three tries each, on 34’.

Having got into the game, Havant then conceded, although Canterbury looked like they had knocked the ball on and subsequently infringed. Wes Dugan (always tackling with impact) dived to get the loose ball when the hosts looked certain to score. Somehow they got the ball back in a melee of players, and second-row Riley Burden got over. Collins converted a kick in front to make it 28-15 on 38’. Another Canterbury try was disallowed, and the half-time whistle went.

Havant needed to start the half with a bang, but it was Canterbury who quickly extended their lead. Straight from the kick-off, open-side Ryley Thomas broke through and passed to fellow back-rower George Trapp, who touched down. A real ‘not quite awake yet’ score, and with the try converted yet again by Collins, Havant were 35-15 down on 42’. It was here that Havant scored a superb team try. Keeping possession for two minutes, not making big gains but enough to keep the side moving forward, thrusts by Angus Southon and Wes Dugan created uncertainty in the defence, and Will Perry was given a straightforward finish. This time the try was converted by Reuben Knight, and the score now stood at 35-22 on 45’. The bonus point was earned.

Havant had plenty of possession for a while longer, but lacked precision in their passing and, a Joe Elyas charge apart, no real penetration. A penalty concession drew the energy out of them, and from here, Canterbury would embark on a period of real dominance. Havant’s lineout soon collapsed, and the scrum was struggling too. Oliver Ashley-Jones scored his second after a wayward Havant pass missed the right man and the hosts charged up the field, giving the Canterbury wing his opportunity. Another Collins conversion made it 42-22. Four minutes later, Garry Jones got his hat-trick from a mid-field breakdown, with Collins feeding his wing for the score. Amazingly, Collins missed the conversion. 47-22 on 58’. Sean Shepherd was replaced by Cam Boa.

Two minutes later, from the kick-off, Havant tried to shovel on bad ball to the next man, who did the same, with the result that Canterbury were back in possession in the visitors’ ‘22’. A scrappy move nonetheless gave centre Harry Sloan the next opportunity to score, which he did. Collins missed again, making it 52-22 on 65’, with an injured Sam Vince replaced by Freddie Ferson. A minute later, Collins scored an excellent try, jinking past two Havant defenders and converting it himself to make it 59-22 on 65’.

It looked like being seventy points or more, but the side, to their credit, then scored two tries to put a better look on what had been threatening to be a huge deficit. First, Havant were given a penalty, which Reuben Knight kicked to the 5m. Havant lost at least their fourth lineout of the half, but pushed Canterbury off the ball, and a moment later, Wes Dugan touched down for a score he really deserved. Reuben Knight converted to make it 59-29 on 67’. A good Will Perry run had set up an attacking position. A Reuben Knight kick aimed at Will Perry was just out of reach for him, but Ben Chambers was able to touch it down. The conversion was missed. 59-34 on 73’.

Havant were playing better. Cam Boa produced an excellent turnover. A final penalty was kicked to about 8m, and with Havant having won their last two lineouts (with a bit of luck), a final score was possible. The ball, however, was knocked on, and a minute later, the whistle went.(doug miller)