After running Trojans close in a friendly last week, Southampton lined up against Fareham Heathens with Dan Keepax at scrum half, while Rob Greenaway replaced him in the pack. Dave Griffiths returned from injury at fly half, while Jason Kehoe made the mistake of bringing his kit and ended up on the bench when he expected to be in the bar.

With the pitch covered in water and mud and a forward at scrum half, this was never going to be a day of champagne rugby. The first half saw few chances for either team and when Fareham were penalised for holding on, Marcus Coffin tossed the ball to Dave Griffiths for a shot at the three points. But in difficult conditions the ball drifted right of the upright. When Saints fell foul of the ref's whistle shortly after, Fareham made no mistake with their kick and took a 3-0 lead having hardly touched the ball in the first twenty minutes.

But Saints continued the good work they had been showing in recent weeks, with the pack making good ground up the middle with a succession of pick and drives. It was a difficult day for line-outs and both hookers were tested by the strong wind, also making it difficult for either side to kick the ball clear under pressure. Fareham fared worse, though, with a number of line-outs being blown so far off course the Saints scrum half had to tidy up.

In such wet conditions, Dan Keepax had a difficult time at scrum half and after skidding a couple of passes past Dave Griff's ankles and over his head, Coach Harris decided to switch things around. Dan had obviously been taking tips from John Menhennet. Pierre came in at scrum half and Dan moved to outside centre, where no doubt he learned just how cold you can get playing rugby in the backs.

With half an hour gone on the clock, the Saints pack got another big drive rumbling forward, which took them to the Fareham 22. It was only halted when the home side strayed offside but Pierre took the tap quickly and earned Saints another 10 yards for failure to retreat. The visiting pack now did what they do best as Mark Mauger charged, was supported by his forwards who rolled the ball left. The defender on the line was unable to stop the charging Saints pair and it was captain Marcus Coffin who touched down for the game's first try. Griff put the conversion over safely for a 3-7 lead.

With Fareham offering little in the way of attacking promise, Saints rounded the half off with a second try right before the break. Another powerful forwards' drive was halted on the five yard line and with defensive numbers drawn in, the ball was spun out to the backs. The pass was a bit short, but Dave Griff picked up out of the mud and fed Julian Robbins who used his pace to drift through a gap in the defence and score. The conversion went over off a post, giving Saints a 3-14 lead.

The second half saw a solid display from Saints, who didn't add to the scoreboard but also never looked in danger of losing this match. Bean continued in the form that has been earning praise for his solid scrummaging and big impact running, while the pair of Maugers caused similar problems every time they ran with the ball. Fareham made few chances and struggled to retain their ball at the set piece, making it difficult to create a real attacking platform. Fareham Heathens are confirmed as relegated, along with Farnborough, while Saints face champions Ellingham & Ringwood at Pickett's Post in the last league game of the season on 12th April. But before that it's the simple matter of Winchester 2s, away....

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