Old Reigatians vs Hove 9 December 2018

Hove took a while to wake up to this game! In the first half they didn’t play badly but lacked the urgency going forward or the strength in defence they showed in the Heathfield/Uckfield game. Some handling errors and late arrivals at rucks meant they were unable to make the most of the opportunities they had and by half time Old Reigatians had scored 5 tries and converted 2 of them.

At half time we moved pitches as the one we were playing on was ‘a bit boggy’ (what a luxury!). They seemed like a different team! Positive in attack and resolute in defence they worked fantastically as a team, passing freely and with their rucking improving as the game went on. In the second half Old Reigatians scored 3 times and Hove scored twice. Tries came from Lara and Renee with contributions on the build up from many different players. The match finished 48-10.

Despite the score line, there were plenty of positives to go away with. The referee confirmed what we all thought when he said that if they had played like they did in the second half all the way through they would have won. He was particularly complementary about the strength of the Hove scrum. Congratulations to Lydia and Renee who made their Hove debuts today.