Double dose of late agony for Havant RFC – after half-time kit change

Hampshire's highest ranked club conceded an injury-time try and then missed a penalty right at the end in a 26-23 loss against Westcombe Park in National League 2 East. It was the second game in succession that had got away from last season's Regional 1 South Central champions Havant late on. The previous weekend's visit from Guernsey was level at 20-20 after 74 minutes before the visitors pulled clear to triumph 39-20. On this occasion Havant got off to a bad start as a converted try in the opening four minutes gave Park an early 7-0 lead and a further score in the 23rd minute made it 12-0 at half time. Twice in the opening 40 minutes Havant passed to the opposition when in scoring positions as an odd kit clash caused confusion. Both teams were playing in blue and white-hooped shirts - the only tangible difference being the pink horizontal bands on Park's tops. Havant actually stopped the game after around 10 minutes and expressed their concern over the clash to the referee, who decided to leave things as they were for the rest of the first half and address the matter at half time. Havant emerged for the second period in a red strip and their change of kit coincided with a change of fortune as they fought their way right back into the contest. Park went down to 14 men following a yellow card and Havant almost immediately got on the scoreboard. Wes Dugan went over for a try and Jacob Knight kicked the conversion. Just three minutes later Havant were in front. This time Joel Knight crossed for the try and Jacob Knight's conversion made the score 14-12. Park regained the lead through a converted try only for two Jacob Knight penalties within three minutes of each other to give Havant a slender 20-19 advantage. Armandus Morgan was yellow carded in the 72nd minute, yet Havant extended their lead five minutes later via a long-range Jack Phillips penalty. But Park rallied with a match-winning converted try after the regulation 80 minutes were up and then a Havant penalty with the final kick sailed the wrong side of the uprights.

*Will Knight felt it was one that got away after Havant’s late loss to Westcombe Park. "We were very, very close against a team that are now at the top end of the table and we're looking at it as one that got away," said the head coach.

"One of the players said 'last week (when Havant lost 39-20 at home to second-placed Guernsey) we could've won, this week we should've won'. "But as a team we can't expect to come out and play half a game against quality opposition and come away with a win. "It was an odd game. We really didn't get going in the first half and we could've had absolutely no complaints about being 12-0 down at half time. But we came out in the second half, put our foot down and played a lot better. "We looked like we were in a position to close it out and again towards the end of the game we lost a player to the sin bin and it came back and bit us on the backside because we ended up getting turned over in the last couple of minutes." It was the second game in succession where Havant were undermanned in the closing stages. They went down to 13 players late on against Guernsey seven days previously. Knight added: "It's frustrating that two weeks on the trot we've had yellow cards at the end of the game which have ultimately cost us."

*Havant RFC will relish the role of underdog when it heads to Canterbury this Saturday, according to head coach Will Knight. The Kent outfit topped National League 2 East before dropping to sixth after their three-match winning start to the season was ended by an away defeat against Guernsey last weekend. Narrow losses in their last two games, following splendid wins in their first two, have left Havant ninth in the 14-team division. Knight said: "There's an element of us going there as the underdog and that sort of suits the Havant mentality. That will help us and hopefully we will go out there and be at our belligerent best. "We've had Canterbury watched. They've played very well in some of their games and I think they're a good side, but we've got to make sure we concentrate on what we do. "If we get our systems and intensity right, we will have a chance - that's something we will focus on this week in training." Outside-centre Wayne Dugan is facing an extended spell on the sidelines after becoming the second Havant player already this season to suffer a broken collarbone.