The game started badly for Southampton as they conceded two tries early on as Haslemere got their big runners into the game straight away.

But Southampton hit back with a quick double themselves, after a quick tap penalty took them within sight of the line. With Haslemere’s forwards defending the open side, a pass out to number eight Tony Cador opened up the blind side where the big man forced his way through the startled winger.

The second try came after a powerful rolling maul from the pack took Saints close to the line. With it looking as though the move had been held up short, hooker Tom Jackson wriggled his way free from the mass of bodies to touch the ball down over the line. Keary slotted one of the two conversions, making the scores 14-12 at half time.

The second half saw Haslemere continue to apply pressure, taking the chance to add two penalties after Southampton were repeatedly penalised for killing the ball on the floor. In attack, Southampton’s pack made good distance through the forwards, but were unable to retain as much of the ball as they would have liked and were turned over on a few occasions.

Southampton currently have an abundance of pace in the backs and Adam Zeller showed his ability when he picked a great angle to slice through the Haslemere midfield and score. Keary’s boot took Southampton to 19 points.

Southampton’s final score again came from Tony Cador, who can be unstoppable when moving at pace with the line in his sight. Keary added the extras, taking Southampton to 26 points. But Haslemere capitalised on their dominance around the breakdown and a series of scores took them clear on 41 points, handing them a place in the third round.

So despite playing Surrey 4 opposition, Southampton found themselves up against a well-drilled side, who – they later discovered – had restarted in Surrey 4 after dropping out of the London leagues a few seasons ago. And with Haslemere playing on a semi-pro basis, Southampton shouldn’t assume anything about lower league opposition in future!

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