A dramatic, hard-fought contest at Wootton saw Isle of Wight RFC extend their winning run with a narrow victory over 3rd-placed Winchester on Saturday (24th January).
Isle of Wight RFC made 3 wins in a row at the Wootton Recreation Ground, but unlike the previous week’s comfortable success over Portsmouth, this victory was not settled until the final whistle.
Motivated by a controversial last-gasp defeat in the reverse fixture in November, the home side started brightly with the benefit of a strong diagonal wind. George Huish was wide with an early penalty attempt, but Isle of Wight opened the scoring after 8 minutes when a planned move from an attacking scrum broke down and Ben Sanderson recovered to send Huish down the touchline to score.
The home scrum quickly established control, though Winchester showed they were not about to relent, competing strongly at the breakdown and moving the ball wide with intent. A fine try from inside their own half gave the visitors a 7–5 lead, but Isle of Wight responded when number 8 Luke Blackman picked from the base of a scrum on the 22 and outpaced the cover to score.
Winchester again hit back, some loose defending contributing to a 2nd try and a 14–10 advantage after 25 minutes. The see-saw nature of the half continued, with Huish’s tactical kicking providing territory that the forwards capitalised on. A series of drives were halted illegally before Blackman’s quick tap and Huish’s hard running line saw the fly-half cross for his 2nd try.
As half time approached, Isle of Wight continued to apply pressure, with Sam McQueen and man of the match Kevin Blackburn among those driving close. Replacement Jayme Bishop eventually forced his way over, and Huish’s conversion gave the hosts a deserved lead.
Half time: Isle of Wight RFC 22–14 Winchester III
Facing the wind in the 2nd half, Isle of Wight knew the contest was far from settled, and an absorbing 3rd quarter followed. Winchester laid siege to the home 22, forcing a heroic defensive effort, with the visitors held up over the line on 4 occasions as Isle of Wight’s improved defensive resilience was put to the test.
Despite struggling to clear their lines due to errant kicking and ill-judged offloads, it was Isle of Wight who struck next on 64 minutes in improbable fashion. A knock-on from a Winchester 5-metre attacking scrum fell kindly for Huish, whose pace carried him the length of the field to complete his hat-trick. The conversion followed to extend the lead.
Winchester returned to the Isle of Wight 22 and, after a team warning, captain Luke Blackman was shown a yellow card for an infringement at the breakdown. The pressure finally told as the visitors crossed to reduce the deficit to 8 points with 10 minutes remaining.
The crowd were treated to an entertaining finale, and Isle of Wight enjoyed their best spell of the 2nd half when scrum-half David Blackman’s strong carry set up valuable field position. Patient build-up play followed, and Dan Bishop grounded the ball well after almost being held up to restore breathing space.
Winchester were not finished, breaching the defence as normal time expired to score a converted try and set up a tense finish. However, Isle of Wight’s rearguard stood firm during stoppage time, keeping the visitors at bay until the final whistle.
Full time: Isle of Wight RFC 34–28 Winchester III
Isle of Wight RFC: Browne, Wynyard-Wright, Jones-Evans, Sanderson, Vickers, Huish, D Blackman, Savill, McQueen, Newnham, Blackburn, D Bishop, Lynch, Bennett, L Blackman. Subs: J Bishop, Webster.
