Southampton 0 - 5 Romsey

Southampton had to make do with a losing bonus point as they were unable to break through Romsey's defence in a closely fought contest.

Romsey started the game strongest and were only kept out by some last minute tackling on the Southampton line. Kev Cant, Jamie Hoque and Greg Speed all combined to hold up a Romsey forward as he crashed over the line following a 5 yard scrum.

Southampton also made things difficult for themselves, with the half backs struggling to clear their lines on a number of occasions which allowed Romsey to keep the pressure on.

When Saints did get the ball wide, their backs looked threatening and stretched Romsey out wide, but were unable to convert into tries. Up front, the Southampton pack looked dominant at the set piece with new boy Ian Paul settling in amongst the big runners, but they were unable to control the breakdown enough to create a decent attacking platform.

Despite an open first half, the score at the break was a surprising nil-nil as the Romsey kicker missed two easy penalty chances.

The second half saw Romsey take the lead after some continued pressure forced a gap in the defence, but again the kicker let Southampton off as he skewed the conversion wide.

Much as they had done against US Portsmouth, Southampton sprung into life with twenty minutes remaining. The forwards started hitting in numbers and recycling well, while the backs took every opportunity to attack with Mark Waterer making a number of jinking runs from outside centre.

Southampton's best chance came from a chip over the defence which bounced high on the try line with full back Julian Robins closing in. But he was unable to gather under pressure from the defence and knocked the ball on.

Southampton were now dominating possession and looked like they might work a match winning opportunity, but as the forwards powered their way forward they were penalised for offside at the ruck, giving Romsey the chance to clear their lines.

With time running out, Adam Tyson showed exceptional pace and confidence to beat his man on the outside from inside his own twenty two. He found support inside from Robins and Alex Scott, but the two were bundled into touch and Romsey were let off the hook.

Southampton face Millbrook next week and will be desperate to kick start their campaign with a first win.