Ton march on to Twickers

Two match reports....the second one is from a supporter of the Ton and is a full reflection on the day....scroll down .

What an achievement !

One the hottest Easter Saturday on record Honiton travelled to Portsmouth to play their semi final in the national senior vase. The stakes could not have be higher, for the winners it would be a trip to Twickenham but for the losers an honourable departure and a gut wrenching disappointment .

As has been the way this season the Ton took an army of supporters, two bus loads, a train party and numerous cars, so much so that they out numbered the home support and definitely made the most noise. For the fans it must be said it was not for the faint hearted as it turned out to be a bruising close, end to end game!
There was a slight breeze running down the field which Honiton played into for the first half. The Ton received the kick off and cleared down field Portsmouth returned the ball and they won a penalty for offside and the home side took an early advantage and a 3-0 lead.
Honiton were however dominant in the scrum and won one against the head but unfortunately from the move Adam Thompson, who went close, was forced into touch and the home side cleared their lines.
Honiton repelled a Portsmouth attack and then turned over the ball and the home side winger dropped the ball in to touch. Ben Small made a great break from midfield and the ball was recycled wide and the, inform Adam Thompson scorched in round the defence . Tom Steer added the extras and Honiton were 3-7 to the good.
The Ton back line were making full use of a wide pitch particularly on the left, Adam Thompson made another break and the forwards got close but they lost the ball near the line and Portsmouth cleared down field. Again Honiton broke left this time through prop Ross Watts. Honiton won a penalty and Tom Steer calmly knocked it over and Honiton moved 3-10 clear after 23 minutes on the clock.
Honiton defence was strong and Portsmouth struggled to make any in roads to the Honiton try line but they did win a scrum penalty and their fly half knocked over the kick to reduce the arrears to 6-10 with just under 10 minutes of the first half to go.
The half fizzled out with neither side troubling the scorers again but things could have been worse as Honiton gave two interceptions passes but scrambled defence hauled the breaks down. Unfortunately in one try saving tackle Will Tyers got hurt and had to leave the field with a shoulder injury.
Half time came and you could cut the tension with a knife.
Honiton restarted with the wind behind now. Pompey moved the ball in to the Honiton half, fortunately they knocked the ball on and Alex Brooks cleared down field to relieve the pressure.
A penalty for holding on was conceded by Pompey and dissent re the decision saw them marched back a further ten metres. This put the kick into Steer’s range and he knocked it over and again Honiton were a score in front at 6-13
Portsmouth who were a very big robust side, got back in the game and were starting to look dangerous and after a period of sustained pressure when their forwards were camped in the Honiton twenty two, they forced there way over for try and with the conversion being well struck it was back to all square at 13-13 with twenty minutes left. The tension was just ratcheted up and as mentioned, it was not for the faint hearted.
From the kick off Portsmouth broke through but fumbled the ball again, Honiton gathered broke left and after the forwards were held up from the resulting scrum Tom Steer was put through a gap under the posts and he added the extras himself for the Ton to go out in front again 13-20.
The home side were however not in to the mood to simply give up and their left winger finished well wide left and to add to the tension the difficult conversion was successful and again it was back to being all square at 20-20.
From the kick off Portsmouth again fumbled the ball and a good scrum saw Honiton camped on the try line and this time Phillip Cooke sniped a try at the base of the posts. Tom Steer added the conversion and at 20-27 the Ton army were now very vocal.
There were no mistakes at the kick off this time and Honiton moved the ball down field and won a penalty in their opponents twenty two and with an easy kick to come heads were in hands, as Tom Steer missed it but moments later, he was given a second chance but this time from much further out and only just inside the Portsmouth half. It sailed through and at 20-30 everyone could start to believe!
Honiton maintained the pressure in the closing minutes and the clock ran out and when the final whistle eventually went the realisation was, Skipper Will Goulden's men had done it! Honiton were going to Twickenham for the final. There were emotional scenes as the supporters invaded the pitch to congratulate their players.
It was a cracking game of rugby and the home side were a good strong outfit. Commiserations must go to them as no one wants to lose in a semi final. They were gracious in defeat and were great hosts on the day. They will rue their mistakes but take nothing away from Honiton they were completely committed to the task and were out on their feet come the end. Hard to single out players as the whole squad played their part in a tremendous win and the Ton army march on to Twickenham in two weeks time which is frankly an unbelievable achievement for such a small town.
The Ton are a battle hardened group and with three impressive away wins you can only admire their commitment. 18 out of a squad of 22 are home grown and from a small East Devon town they have all put the Town on the map.
Huge thanks must go to the traveling supporters as there is no doubt out numbering the home fans at tough away games has made a big difference for the players and it's great to see so many feel that it's their team.
Reality needs to sink in fast and feet need to be back on the ground as this weekend there is the small matter of the Devon cup final which is at Allhallows on Saturday... see you there!

368 teams are eligible to play in this competition and Honiton are down to the last two. Portsmouth population is 208,000 Honiton is 12,000 just facts to highlight the magnitude of the achievement.

Supporters reflections by Keith Jenkin
Realising as I did that I had not ridden in a "rugby" coach for some forty years, I booked my seat in one of the two vehicles taking the Honiton faithful to Portsmouth with a little diffidence. I returned some twelve hours later, rather drained, very happy, having witnessed a game as improtant as any played throughout the club's long history. Below I have listed my recollections of the day and maybe one or two people will be able to identify with them and that they will serve to jog the memory of what was a great day out.

THE JOURNEY OUT

This was a comparatively sedate affair with conversations generally confined to selection, the heat of the day, traffic conditions, how the side would fare on the field. (This last discussion proved to be less than conclusive as no one knew too much about our opponents). Having managed to negotiate the Salisbury ring road eventually, we duly arrived at our hosts well before kick off and sought solace of the bar in the well appointed Portsmouth club house. I did enjoy wandering about, chatting to people and hearing many divergent views on just how Honiton were to come away with a win. Win or lose, it was not going to be for a lack of support, for the visitors outnumbered the home crowd by a considerable margin and, from the onset, made their presence felt (certainly at the bar).

THE GAME

The Honiton side would, I am certain, have given their opponents every respect. Portsmouth were a big side, especially in the eight (what do they feed 'em on) and gave notice of their intent by kicking an early penalty goal. Their style of play was perhaps a little one dimensional, concentrating as it did on the pick and drive and their attacks took place around the fringes generally. It was effective however. They recycled well and were winning the breakdown area also. This, allied to the fact that their backs lay very flat in defence seemed to indicate that they would be a tough nut to crack, and so it proved. Honiton did break the shackles however, finding a gap in the home midfield, recycling and scoring a converted try to lead 7-3. They added a penalty soon after, only for Portsmouth to kick one of their own and this took the score to 10-6 in Honiton's favour at the break. I thought the first half was pretty attritional for both sides. It was a hot day amd the tempo of the game was high. I personally felt that Honiton had better fitness levels than the home side and hoped that this fact would be proven in the final quarter. The issue was by no means resolved however.

It was Honiton who drew first blood in the second half when they kicked a penalty goal, but Portsmouth were sticking to their tried and trusted methods and countered with a converted try from close range to tie matters up at thirteen points apiece. Honiton were seemingly getting more opportunities to spread the ball wide now and regained the lead with a converted try of their own to again move ahead. Portsmouth were by no means done however and again drew level with another converted try by their pack. The game had been in progress for over an hour now and finger nails were being bitten down to the quicks (I know mine were). It was Honiton who finished the stronger however and after a concerted attack they got over by the posts. Their place kicker, who had kicked well thus far, added the extras and Honiton led 27-20. There were, I think, about ten minutes left at this stage, but there was a sting in the tail. Honiton's place kicker who had enjoyed a very good day from the tee, contrived to miss a penalty from just about in front. He won't know how he managed it! I certainly don't. I'm just glad I was not in Brendon F's company when it happened. All ended well however for with a couple of minutes left he stepped up and converted a longer range effort that took his side a score clear and served, to all intents and purposes, to make the game safe. at 30-20.
After the whistle for no side mayhem ensued. While the home side, who had contributed massively to the game, slunk off disappointed, the Honiton players and fans joined in ten minutes of celebratory frenzy. It did subside eventually. for both players and supporters were drained, the former physically and the latter emotionally. Thereafter the bar did a more than brisk trade.

THE JOURNEY HOME

The bus left about 6.45pm and the journey was certainly noisier, though not as noisy as I expected. There was no singing on our coach but some jeering took pace when the club president, suffering from an urgent call of nature, departed temporarily around the Ringwood services at a brisk canter. He soon reappeared however and the journey continued. I only mention this incident because in some undefinable way it showed how the game of rugby has progressed since I played. I had never travelled on a rugby coach with ladies before because rugby was, at that time, a male stronghold. Stupid really when one realises just how much women have contributed to it. It was both enlightening and pleasing to see that the ladies on the coach jeered the President's hurried departure as vociferiously as the men. We eventually pulled into the market car park at 10pm and, on my way to my car, was accosted by a mess who had in fact played. I think he asked if I was going into the clubhouse for a drink. At least I think he said that). I politely declined.

AFTERTHOUGHTS

1. Honiton deserved to win, although Portsmouth did impose their game on them for long periods. Honiton's attacks were more incisive however as the three try to two margin indicates. I thought their fitness levels were superior too. These will certainly need to be maintained at Twickenham.
2.Portsmouth certainly won the most colourful blazer competition.
3. Portsmouth's post match players' nosh is similar to what I enjoyed all those years ago.
4. My generation of rugby players had the best songs.
5. I'm all for ladies on rugby buses
6. IT WAS A GREAT DAY OUT FROM MANY POINTS OF VIEW. AND THE PROMISE OF MORE TO COME