On Saturday afternoon, Chichester made the short trip across the Solent to play Sandown and Shanklin. Blues made 7 changes to the team that came up just short against Basingstoke, last time out, with Fin Glass and Huw Binfield coming into the pack, Gareth Davies, Lennon Bell and Roy Davidson joining the backs and Tom Treagus and Mike Burton on the bench.

With Chichester playing up the steeply sloping pitch, into the 25 mph headwind, it was Sandown who kicked off on a bright but chilly afternoon. Blues made an encouraging start and, from a lineout on halfway, Gareth Davies moved the ball out to Tom Mahon for a pass to a charging Harry Clark who burst through the Sandown defensive line and evade the full back line to run in 50 metre try. Converted by Mahon. 0 - 7 with 5 minutes played. From the restart, Sandown moved the ball down the pitch and after several phases Chichester were penalised for what looked a harsh deliberate knock on, losing a player to the sin bin and conceding a penalty try. 7 - 7 after 9 minutes. Blues depleted defence held out for 5 minutes before conceding a penalty within kicking range. 10 - 7. Despite the challenging conditions, Josh Brown’s throw ins at lineout were arrow straight and Davidson’s kicking into the wind was exemplary. However, Chichester’s tackling was woeful and, in the space of 23 minutes, they conceded 5 tries of which 4 were converted.

43 - 7 at half time.

Chichester kicked off and immediately had Sandown under pressure as they tried to repel the Blues advance towards the try line. It took 14 minutes, 6 penalties and a sin binning before a Chichester tap and go, close to the 5 metre line, was moved forward and Davies dived over to score. Converted by Mahon. 43 - 14. From the restart, Sandown made their one and only visit to the Blues’ red zone but a glorious clearance kick from Davidson moved play 80 metres down the pitch. The host’s clearance kick was received by the chasing Davidson and his grubber kick bobbled, cleared the defensive line and was collected by Ethan Etherington who rounded the last defender to dot down. Converted by Mahon. 43 - 21 with 18 minutes left. As the clock ticked down Blues struggled to convert their dominance into points because of the Islander’s well organised defence. On 70 minutes it seemed that Etherington had scored again but the ball was stripped as he crossed the whitewash. Sandown then spilled the ball after a chop tackle from Rob Hennig, with Dan Heriot on hand to pick up and off load to the supporting Owen Tucker. Chichester’s captain surged forward but the last defender clung desperately to his shirt and he was stopped 5 metres short. Davies and Huw Binfield arrived in support but the Sandown scramble defence bundled the Blues’ players into touch. The lineout was knocked on and from the scrum the Islanders were penalised for crossing, providing Blues with a final chance to secure a try bonus points with seconds left. Davies tapped the ball and Binfield took it into contact close to the posts but the referee blew for an infringement and signalled another penalty on the 5 metre line. Hennig spotted a gap in the Sandown defence, tapped the ball and had dived over before the opposition and some of the Chichester players had realised what was happening. A wonderful piece of opportunism securing a bonus point. Converted by Mahon before the referee blew the final whistle.

43 - 28 and a tough afternoon for players and supporters alike! Blues’ second half performance saw Sandown only carry the ball over the halfway line 3 times in 40 minutes and spend significant periods penned back in their red zone. However, the game was lost in the first half but the players will regroup and prepare for the visit of Winchester in 7 days.

Man of the match was Gareth Davies.

Chichester squad: G. Knight, Brown, Glass, Tucker (capt.), Heriot, Clark, Hennig, Binfield, Davies, Mahon, Etherington, Bell, Scrivin Wood, West, Davidson, Treagus, Burton and Cameron.