Fareham Heathens 12 - 31 Southampton

Southampton powered to their first win of the season against Fareham Heathens and claimed a bonus point in the process.

The game didn't start too well for Southampton as they lost fly half Ward to the blood bin in the first minute. The home side made the early running and had an early attempt held up over the line. They opened the scoring off a four-man lineout, which was popped off to a forward who came from depth through a gap for the opening try. The conversion was missed.

But Southampton hit back soon after through Adam Tyson, who broke through the defence from inside centre with an excellent angled run. Ryan Keary added the conversion to put Southampton ahead.

Southampton's lead did not last long though as Fareham scored after a series of drives from the forwards. The conversion took the lead to 12-7. Both sides then went down to fourteen, when Lee Mauger and the Fareham scrum half were sent to the sin-bin for a bout of handbags. But despite being a man down Southampton were able to hold the Fareham scrum and neither side could add to their scores before half time.

The second half saw Southampton take control of the game, with Fareham unable to clear their lines with the wind against them. They capitalised on the pressure when Mark Waterer put up a perfectly weighted cross-field kick which bounced kindly for Ramsay Lind to touch down. Keary made no mistake with the conversion from a difficult angle.

Southampton then stepped up a gear to put some daylight between the two sides. Tom Barnes capped an excellent First Team debut with a try when he cut between Fareham's centres, taking the score to 12-19.

Adam Tyson grabbed his second try of the game with another break through the centre. He had plenty still to do but showed a clean pair of heels to outpace the covering defenders. The conversion took the score to 12-26,

Tyson could have claimed a hat-trick as he intercepted a pass from the Fareham scrum half, but the ref pulled him back for offside. In the end, Paul Brant rounded things off when he scored Southampton's fifth to seal the win, with a vital bonus point. The final score was 12-31.

An excellent performance from Southampton, after a difficult start to the season. The forwards provided a solid platform for the backs, who took their chances and looked dangerous. The defence was also solid, especially in the second half where Fareham really had very few chances.

Southampton will look for more of the same when they face league leaders Andover at Test Park next week.