Southampton came away with a narrow victory against league leaders Gosport and Fareham after a tense and scrappy match at Test Park.

The home side started strongly with the forwards turning over the first scrum of the game. They built on that platform and worked the ball towards the Gosport try line, before putting in Josh Fearon from close range. He is proving difficult to stop from close range and Gosport were unable to prevent him adding to his try count. Tom Howells converted to give Saints an early 7-0 lead.

But if Saints thought they were going to run away with it after the early try, they were wrong. Gosport used their big runners, particularly their massive second row, but Saints defence was strong with Gus, Jack and Jordan in particular putting in big shifts in defence.

On a cold day there were plenty of handling errors and mistakes at the line out which made it difficult for either side to threaten the other's try line meaning much of the game was played in the middle of the park. A ridiculous and somewhat unnecessary goose step from the G&F flanker resulted in nothing but amusement in a game which lacked many clear-cut opportunities. Saints were unable to add to their total and in the second half, when the penalty count started to rise, Gosport and Fareham turned to their kicker. One successful kick took the score to 7-3, but two more missed penalties let Saints off the hook as they held on for a narrow 7-3 victory.

Jordan Dashwood was awarded the Man of the Match for his fierce tackling, particularly on the G&F scrum half, although whether his tackle count finished higher than his penalty count is unclear. Robbie Ashby earned the Dick of the Day award after almost forgetting to arrange a referee.

This was a big win for Southampton against a side who started the day top of the table and who were comfortable winners in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. When the bonus point win for the walkover against Trojans is factored in, this result should see Southampton leapfrog Gosport and Nomads to the top of the table.

Saints will be looking to continue their winning run against Lymington Mariners next weekend.

Southampton Rugby Club

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