Isle of Wight’s first away game of the rugby season ended in defeat at Millbrook.
The game was much closer than the final score line suggests, the Isle of Wight having their fair share of the play but unable to defend as well as the winners in key moments.
The early stages of the game were worrying for the Islanders and summed up the result in one sense. Millbrook scored in the first 10 minutes, but the Isle of Wight had a strong spell of pressure, ended when a lineout 5m from the home line went awry. A couple of phases later, Millbrook’s breakaway ended in a 2nd score. Missed tackles were an unfortunate feature at times, leading to Millbrook’s 3rd try inside the half-hour mark.
The Isle of Wight were competitive and played some fine attacking rugby, Biffa man of the match Ben Hart standing out with good carries in heavy traffic, along with a powerful scrummaging performance. Another spell of pressure led to points on the board, as a penalty was taken quickly by captain Luke Blackman, who scored under the posts.
This score was soon followed by another, IW building phases from a close-in scrum, before experienced front-rower Martin Newnham barged over. George Huish added both conversions, and IW now only trailed 21-14.
Half time: Millbrook 21-14 Isle of Wight
Half-time came and went with little between the sides, but Millbrook had some pace and power which undid the valiant Island side as the 2nd half aged. In spite of the best efforts of Ian Bennett and Ravenprint man of the match Kevin Blackburn, the hosts registered 3 further tries in the 2nd period. Meanwhile, they tightened up defensively, though the Isle of Wight had some chances to add to their tally and were encouraged by their performance overall against their unbeaten opponents. The concerns from their previous games of missed tackles and lineout woes remain, but if these can be eliminated, the team can be even more competitive at this level.
Full time: Millbrook 44-14 Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight: Young, Wynyard-Wright, Jones-Evans, Blackman (c), Browne, Huish, Lockhart, Hart, Newnham, Keyes, Blackburn, D Bishop, J Bishop, Bennett, B Martin. Replacements: Thorne, Scandrett, Ward.
Isle of Wight are back on home soil on Saturday, hosting Winchester II at Wootton Rec with a 15:00 kick off.
