TROJANS 17,

PETERSFIELD 14

With Trojans an ever-present in the London leagues and sitting comfortably high in London 3 South-West, Saturday’s fixture looked likely to be a story of damage limitation for a Petersfield side still suffering from an enforced revolving-door selection plan.

However, the Southampton side have won only twice in 2018, as have Petersfield, and predictably it was a very close encounter, with Trojans scraping home by three points.

Trojans regained the ball from their kick-off and put Field under immediate pressure. The visiting defence held strong until they gained their composure and, with the ball secured, made good yardage of their own, only to falter just short of the try-line.

The Reds were playing well in both defence and attack, working hard for each other. The forwards put in a terrific effort in to be first to the breakdown or dropping back in defence when needed.

And despite having a lightweight pack, Field were still able to drive their opponents back at the scrums, while the lineout was firing well, helped by good refereeing. Trojans, meanwhile, seemed to have the yips in the lineouts, with Toby Sydenham gleefully pouncing on their fumbles.

Indeed, the opening try resulted from a Trojan mistake. A hopeful pass was picked off by Field’s man of the match, Franko Tomic, and the lanky lock sprinted away with meaty hand-offs until he was felled close to the line and stand-off Nick Blumlein was on hand to take the pop pass and cross over for a try which he duly converted.

Field continued to knock on the door and, in hindsight, should have taken two kickable penalties rather than press for another try. The lineout drive from the second penalty looked to have secured a try, but the ball was called as held up.

Trojans’ occasional sorties were snuffed out by a well-drilled defence and Field took their narrow 7-0 advantage into half-time. So far, so good for the visitors – more of the same would earn them an unlikely win.

But Field went completely off the boil for much of the second half. The work-rate, so impressive in the first half, dropped off and mistakes began to creep in. Trojans took advantage and with just four minutes gone, prop Marcus Coffin charged over in the corner for an unconverted try.

Play was now compressed around halfway and on the few occasions when a side would reach the opposing 22, it was Trojans who scored when they wheeled a five-metre scrum and that man Coffin mauled over the line – close enough to the posts for Toogi Long to add the conversion.

Field picked up the pace again in the fourth quarter, but sloppy handling in midfield gave Trojans the chance to fly-hack through. Wing Eddie Matthews had the pace to intercept, but was slowed by the chasing referee and Long followed up on his chip to score.

With the conversion missed, Field still had the chance of a losing bonus point. Josh Haslett lost his footing and missed a kickable penalty.

The Reds redoubled their attacking efforts and, after having one try disallowed, finally crossed the whitewash for a second time. Young 2nd XV regular, Dave Head, barrelled through to ground the ball and Blumlein secured the extras. Field were left to rue the one that got away, but got their point.

Coach James Alder was frustrated at the outcome, but praised his side for their continued efforts to play fast and open rugby. “This season, with lots of disruptions, we have played rugby in the right way. I’d have preferred us to win, but the players did well to put their disappointments behind them and secure the losing bonus point. All the players stood up today and put in a great shift. Stand-out performances by Nick Blumlein, Zak Jenkins and Franco Tomic.

“The only negative was that we did enough for 60 minutes to get the victory, but Trojans’ experience showed at the right time.”

Petersfield, now five points clear of tenth-placed Weybridge, have two remaining matches to consolidate their standing in the division.

The Reds travel to Old Tiffinians on April 7 and then visit Teddington on April 14.