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BEST OF THE SEASON
HAVANT 5 CANTERBURY 61
by David Haigh
The bare statistics of this Canterbury performance read as follows: nine tries scored, a winning run now standing at five games and the season’s biggest victory which closed the gap on third placed Dorking in the National 2 East league table to just two points. Equally impressive was the combination of efficiency and panache they displayed in achieving this win. The city side arrived with a reshuffled squad plagued by injury and illness but their flexibility and depth of talent banished any doubts as they produced a stunning display of attacking rugby. They were thirty points in front by half time, with a try bonus secured, and after a cautious start proved deadly with the ball in hand. An early Frank Reynolds penalty goal was the only score until the nineteenth minute when the fly half’s pin point cross kick was plucked out of the air by Kurt Heatherley for the opening try. The work in the loose of an aggressive pack now began to pay dividends, with back row trio of Chad Thomas, Sam Rogers and Tyler Oliver in prime form. Havant, vulnerable in defence and eclipsed at the line outs, had no answers as Canterbury used their domination of possession to maximum effect. Adventurous handling created a wonderful second try which started behind their own line, went the length of the field and Garry Jones finished off. A catch and drive from the pack was next with Eoin O’Donoghue touching down and the bonus point score went to Rogers who was on the end of more swift off loading. A second penalty goal and conversion from Reynolds completed the first half set and it took just two minutes of the new half for Havant to crack again, Jones’ powerful hand off making space for Oliver’s try. Havant rallied over the next twenty minutes as Canterbury’s ball retention went missing but they found the city defence a real stumbling block. The hosts came away with just a catch and drive try from Cam Boa but in the final quarter Canterbury overpowered them with four more tries, three of them converted. As the frequent line breaks came and Havant wilted there was one for Tom Best, back on first team duty, quickly followed by Tom Williams and Harvey Furneaux and another for that serial poacher O’Donoghue who rounded off Canterbury’s memorable afternoon with a score from a quick tap penalty in the final minute.
Canterbury: K.Heatherley, G.Jones, W.Waddington, T.Best, T.Williams, F.Reynolds, P.Farrance, D.Huntley, E. Donoghue, D.Herriott, J.Stephens, C.Thomas, S.Rogers, T.Oliver. Replacements: A.Cooper, H.Furneaux, M.Campbell, O Frostick, D.Irvine
After the game Head Coach Matt Corker said:
“I am very happy with how clinical we were in attack. There were obviously a good number of tries but I don’t feel like we wasted many opportunities, which is pleasing. There was also a very important period early in the second half, after we had conceded, where our hard work in defence kept a physical Havant “team from adding to their tally. The way we wrestled back control from this pressure shows the progress we are making.”
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