Horsham back on winning trail

The warm sunny weather and firm ground made the conditions perfect for a game of running rugby and both sides did not disappoint.

A delighted Horsham backs coach Richard Bell said: “I was really pleased with the performance. Our intensity was good, particularly in the first half when we scored three well taken tries. We were running from depth with good patterns to our play hitting the space rather than the contact. We had a good defensive structure, good line speed and our line integrity held.

I thought our two centres played well together and James Whiting was elusive running from full back. We had good inter-linking between forwards and backs and our discipline was good, although we conceded too many turnovers. We were more dangerous and used the ball better than they did and could have scored a couple more tries.

It was a confidence building result for the side who looked to be enjoying it again playing with smiles on their faces.”

Horsham made their intent clear from the outset to spread the ball wide when Jonny Ordidge broke a couple of tackles when making a strong break down the left wing to almost score then moments later Ben Rush took a quick tap penalty but was stopped just short of the line.

Sheppey kicked long to clear their lines but man of the match James Whiting at full back counter attacked well but a lack of precision with Horsham’s passing prevented the Green and Whites from crossing the line.

Sheppey then showed from their first meaningful attack that they could threaten when they moved the ball smartly from right to left and it required a tackle from Whiting as the last line of defence to prevent a try.

Whiting then ran a good line on to a flat pass from Rush to run half the length of the pitch but again was stopped just short of the line.

On 24 minutes Sheppey had a player yellow carded for stamping and Horsham took advantage by scoring two tries in three minutes. First Ordidge ran straight and hard off a Matt Brown pass to break a couple of tackles and score under the posts then Lee Taylor ran the ball back after the restart and the ball went through several sets of hands before Jonny Goward powered over from ten yards to score an excellent team try. Both tries were converted by Will Bell.

Horsham kept up the momentum first with a powerful charge from Richard Henderson as he held a difficult high pass to crash through the centre, then from Ordidge as he made a powerful break to then pass to Whiting but he was tackled.

In the final minute of the half Ordidge put Bell clear to make a 40 yard break before the ball was recycled left to Whiting who straightened up to pass to Taylor who outpaced the defence to score and for Horsham to take a 19-0 lead into half-time.

At the start of the second half Rush made a diagonal grubber kick through a gap and followed up with a tackle then Whiting made another 50 yard break out of defence before offloading to Henderson who was tackled.

The balance of play at this point was quite even and Horsham won a kicking duel when Brown made a long kick upfield which Sheppey kicked back and the ball was caught by Goward who made hard yards to secure the next attacking phase.

Bell and Rush made try saving tackles before Sheppey finally opened their account to cross the line after 59 minutes after a period of pressure. Horsham were further disrupted by injuries to Goward and Jordan Smith which affected continuity and no further points were added.

Horsham’s next game is away to Gillingham Anchorians on Saturday March 22nd.

Horsham: Talbot (capt), Penfold (Fisher 45), Barber; Green, Goward (N Bell 59); Price, Smith (Jenkins 70), Jonathan Whiting; Rush, Brown; Taylor, Ordidge, Henderson, W Bell; James Whiting