Alton 27 - 3 Southampton

With a number of players unavailable, including Captain Pierre Molyneux, Southampton travelled to face the league leaders, Alton.

The game started badly for the visitors, when Alton caught a lineout on the Southampton twenty-two and set off on a threatening driving maul. Despite dogged defence from the Saints’ pack, the maul proved to be unstoppable and Alton forced their way across the try line. The conversion was missed, but Alton took an early five point lead.

After the bad start though, Southampton raised their game and could have notched up points of their own, but Dave Griffiths was unlucky with two penalties which proved too difficult in the strong breeze. Southampton then got their forwards working together as Tony Cador and Kev Simmons both made good ground with some typically strong support running around the breakdown.

Right winger Femi Adeniren came close to scoring, but his run was stopped inches short of the line. Scrum half Ward picked up and dived over a mass of bodies, but somehow the Alton defence got underneath him and held the ball up.

The game was littered with penalties as both sides fell foul of the ref’s whistle, but Alton certainly benefited from this more as they dominated the lineout. Southampton tried to mix things up with some training ground lineout moves, but the league leaders were able to disrupt and stole a number against the head. They also put pressure on the Saints scrum, which consequently struggled to return the ball cleanly. But despite dominating much of the set piece, Alton were only able to add a penalty, which Southampton equalled, making the score 8-3 at half time.

The second half saw Southampton playing up the hill, but with the wind and sun behind them. But they started the second half as badly as the first, with some missed tackles allowing Alton to force their way over the line inside the first five minutes. This time the conversion went over, opening up a 13-3 lead.

Dave Griffiths almost made a try for Mark Waterer with a crossfield kick bouncing infield and finding the winger in space. But as he tried to collect the bobbling ball it bounced forward off his knees, which the ref deemed to have been a knock on and the try went begging. Saints then had a period of continued pressure where they pinned Alton in their twenty-two. But despite camping within sight of the try line, Saints were unable to find a gap and Alton were eventually able to clear their lines.

But the depleted squad meant that Saints were short of replacements and when prop Marcus Coffin injured his knee they struggled to match the league leaders. Alton ran in two tries in the last ten minutes to take the scoreboard to a comfortable 27-3, but that certainly does not paint the whole picture. Southampton created plenty of chances but really must start taking their points when they threaten the opposition twenty-two.

An excellent performance from Doug Barrow who made some big tackles at outside centre, while Rob Greenaway continued his excellent run of form at second row. Mark Waterer also looked dangerous on the left wing, while Kevin Cant was his usual fiery self at flanker.

Another break from league action next week as Southampton host current Sussex 1 leaders Crawley in the Cup.