With Southampton and Alton 2s both short on numbers, the two sides decided to team up and take on the challenge of a Tottonians club side comprising mainly players who will be running out against Southampton's first team next week.

The wisdom of that decision - or lack thereof - became clear early on as Totts ran in four quick tries, whilst the makeshift Southampton and Alton side struggled to put together a decent attacking platform against a well-drilled side who were used to playing with one another.

But Southampton did cause Totts some trouble, with Dave Ward taking a smart interception as Totts threatened to open up the defence. Ward found Marcus Coffin, who powered forward and found Carl Shodeke on the wing. He was stopped just short of the line but Luke Inder picked up from the breakdown and drove over the line for the try.

Southampton's second try was somewhat fortunate as Dave Ward clearly knocked on as he gathered the ball. But as every coach will tell you, play to the whistle... Totts did not and Ward ran through a sea of confused faces to score.

Despite Tott's clear dominance there were more moments of brilliance from Southampton. Aidan Sharp made a clean break through a crowd of players, only to be stopped short of the line. New boy Tom Vernon proved to be a powerful runner and made good ground with ball in hand, while the Alton contingent did their part, in particular prop Alex and second row Mark. Gus Nye put in a number of massive hits and was hard to stop going forward. The game also saw a welcome return to action for scrum half Paul Brant, who had a great game after pulling his boots on for the first time in thirteen years.

When arranging the game, Totts' fixture secretary asked whether their 2s might be too strong for a makeshift team put together from a mixture of Southampton and Alton's 2s. Whilst that was never really in doubt, this game exemplified what grassroots rugby is all about - a bunch of lads coming together to make a game happen when otherwise everyone would have missed out.

In something of a coincidence Southampton face Totton again next Saturday, but this time it will be the Firsts lining up against them. In the home fixture, Southampton Ones outscored Totts by four tries to one but Totts' faultless kicker got them out of jail and salvaged a draw. Southampton will be hoping to improve on that outcome next time round.

Southampton Rugby Club

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