Havant RFC 2nds take over from Gosport & Fareham at the top of Hampshire Premier after late drama

There were only a few minutes remaining when he touched down to clinch a 31-26 victory in the battle of the teams boasting 100 per cent records.

Both Havant and hosts Gosport & Fareham had entered the fixture having won their opening six games.

‘It wasn’t that long ago that Havant’s first team were losing to Gosport,’ said 2nd XV manager Rob Packer. ‘So it’s great that the 2nds can beat them.

‘I’m told the biggest cheer at the club (where Havant 1sts had beaten Maidenhead) came when they found out the 2nds had won. So it was a well received win, and a well earned one as well.

‘It could have gone either way. Fair play to Gosport, they put in a hell of a performance - that needs to be made clear. There’s a huge amount of respect between the clubs as well as a rivalry.

‘I said at half-time I wanted to see more of what we showed in the last 10 minutes of the first half and less of what we had showed in the first half hour.

‘Physically and mentally, it was a tough game.’

In a roller coaster encounter, Gosport led 13-0 early on with Havant hitting back to lead 26-13 thanks to tries from Harry Rabjohn (2), Harrison Chalk and Will Brock. Then, after Gosport had stormed back to equalise, Smith had the final say.

‘Across 1-18, we have guys (in the 2nds) who could step up and do a job in the first team,’ Packer explained. ‘That’s the role of the second team, to keep that pressure on.

‘The first team are playing at level 5 - they need to be kept on their toes.

‘It all generates a lot of competition at training on a Thursday night - there can be some heated exchanges! But that can only be healthy for the club.’

Packer first joined Havant as a player in the early 1990s and took over the running of the 2nds in 2018.

The 2019/20 season was the 2nds’ first season in the Hampshire Premier.

‘I’m basically a one-man band - manager, coach, agony aunt, miserable headmaster - all things to all men,’ he quipped.

The club’s strength in depth has improved the quality on offer to Packer this season.

‘Wes Dugan was captain at the weekend - he’s a first team scrum half,’ he remarked. ‘Will Brock is a first team regular, we were lucky he dropped down at the weekend.

‘Harrison Chalk has played in the first team, Jeremy Smith is pushing for a place in the front row.

‘Harry Rabjohn has stepped up from the Academy and he’s got first team aspirations.

‘There’s Tam Lindsey, who’s in the Navy and played tighthead at the weekend - he’s got first team written all over him.

‘It’s not just the firsts and seconds, it’s right across the board. Our thirds are doing well - at some clubs the 3rd team is a social team but ours is anything but. The ladies are doing well.

‘We’re quite lucky, but then again you make your own luck in this game and we have a lot of people working in the background all pulling in the same direction.’

Havant 2nds face Sandown & Shanklin next weekend and Packer said: ‘Now we are top we are there to be shot at. I say that in a humble manner rather than in an arrogant way.

‘Teams are going to be coming at us from the off, and we have to be prepared for that.’