Sandown & Shanklin RFC Hurricanes made it 4 wins from 4 in 2026 with a pulsating 47-42 victory over Bognor RFC at the Fairway ground on Saturday afternoon (14th February).
The visitors, who defeated the Hurricanes in the reverse fixture back in October and currently sit 2nd in Counties 1 Hampshire, arrived in strong form and brought a large travelling support with them. However, the hosts have also enjoyed an upturn in fortunes and were unbeaten in 3 matches heading into the contest.
Despite poor weather in the build-up, conditions on the day were bright and dry, with the Fairway pitch in excellent condition for running rugby.
Sandown struck first after capitalising on a loose ball from a Bognor set piece. Jack Sothcott fed winger Michael Barrett, who sprinted over in the corner to make it 5-0.
Bognor responded quickly, breaking to the Hurricanes’ 5 metre line before crossing near the posts and converting to lead 7-5. The lead continued to change hands in a breathless opening quarter.
Hugo Jolliffe powered over from a driven maul to restore the advantage at 10-7, only for Bognor’s scrumhalf to snipe over and retake the lead at 14-10.
The Hurricanes then produced one of the tries of the afternoon. Slick handling involving Max Fletcher, Sothcott and Ant Burr ended with Burr chipping ahead and touching down under the posts. Zak Chiverton converted to put the hosts 17-14 ahead.
Bognor again edged in front at 21-17 before half time, using their scrum dominance to create space out wide.
After the break, the visitors extended their lead to 28-17 with a converted try under the posts, putting Sandown under pressure.
Barrett grabbed his second of the afternoon to reduce the deficit to 28-24, before Jolliffe crossed for his second following sustained forward pressure, with Chiverton converting to make it 31-28.
The Hurricanes continued to press and replacement Ben Shannon crashed over from close range to stretch the lead to 36-28. Chiverton added a penalty soon after to push the score to 39-28.
Bognor refused to go away and capitalised on a loose ball to score in the corner, cutting the gap to 39-35.
Matt Miselbach then powered over from short range following relentless pressure to give the Hurricanes breathing space at 44-35, although the conversion was missed.
A late Chiverton penalty extended the lead to 47-35 with only minutes remaining. Bognor mounted one final charge and crossed under the posts to narrow the score to 47-42, setting up a tense finish.
However, a late penalty for not releasing sealed the victory for the Hurricanes, bringing an end to a thrilling encounter that showcased attacking rugby from both sides.
The result continues Sandown & Shanklin’s impressive start to 2026 and marks a significant win against one of the promotion contenders in Counties 1 Hampshire.
