Southampton 43 - 3 Southsea Nomads

Both teams showed how seriously they took this fixture by turning up with big squads. Nomads even brought a "Hydration Technician". There was a buzz around Test Park with both sides aware of how a loss today could put a big dent in any title ambitions.

Southampton kicked off and then soon reclaimed the ball inside the Nomads' half. A few crashes from the forwards took them close before a sudden overload of players on the Saints left gave them the advantage. Some quick hands from Arron Owen and Ryan Morrell brought them close to the line before hooker Nick Cazeaux forced his way over for an early try. An early injury for the Nomads scrum half disrupted their plans with a replacement stepping into the crucial position.

Gus Nye then added a second try with a powerful run from his own 10 metre line. He bounced off multiple defenders to break clear and run in under the posts. Ryan Morrell added the conversion and Saints had a 12-0 lead.

After an initial penalty for not driving straight at the scrum, the Southampton pack's dominance soon became clear. With the scrum moving backwards it was difficult for Nomads to create any real attacking platforms and they were reduced to getting the ball out in any way they could. Southampton continued to press on though, utilising their offloading game to keep the ball alive before claiming a third try through Tyler Ross, who crashed over from five metres.

Southampton then effectively finished the game off with a devastating period that saw them run in three more quick tries. From the restart Jack Leadbitter made a break taking the ball deep into the Nomads' 22. He had Tom Howells in support and the jinky Welshman stepped his way through the defence before converting his own try.

From the next restart Tyler Ross took the ball from his 22 to Nomads' 22, breaking through a number of attempted tackles and putting in Gus Nye for his second try.

Southampton then did it again, with Aaron Owen running the next restart back at Nomads. Tom Howells was again in support and he claimed his second try, before also adding the conversion.

Southampton were suddenly heading into the half time break 38-0 up and Nomads were under their own posts with heads down, talking about playing for pride having failed to spend any time in Saints' 22 in the first half.

The second half saw Saints unloading their bench to bring on fresh legs, while Nomads had to use their bench plugging gaps as players went off injured. This resulted in the game switching to uncontested scrums, which clearly helped Nomads solve the problem of a reversing scrum and actually gave them a more solid platform to attack from.

But despite this shift in dynamics, Saints' defence was solid and Nomads simply couldn't find a way through, often running sideways to avoid contact but struggling to make any ground. Instead it was Southampton who added to their score as Gus Nye grabbed his hat trick as he broke three tackles to cross for Southampton's seventh try.

As the game came to its conclusion, Nomads found themselves just outside the Saints' 22 and were awarded a penalty. Rather laughably, given the score, they opted to kick the penalty in what was clearly an attempt to avoid leaving with no points on the board. The fly half made no mistake and earned them a consolation three points - which spectacularly failed to mask the gulf in quality on display here today.

Southampton ran out 43-3 winners and the scoreline was a fair reflection of the home side's dominance over their nearest rivals. Tom Laycock earned the Man of the Match award and Tom Howells made a winning start as stand-in Captain as regular skipper Robbie Ashby recovers from a fractured cheekbone. The team wish Robbie well on his recovery - this one's for you Skip.