Joe Moore's treble leads Havant's rout of the Honourable Artillery Company

Chief destroyer of the opposition ordnance was centre Joe Moore who raced in for a hat-trick of tries.

His tries, however, resulted from excellent combination between the forwards and backs.

Senior coach Will Knight was thrilled with the way his team adapted to unusual conditions.

‘It took us half-hour to figure out how to play on their pitch,’ said Knight.

‘We couldn't play our normal patterns because their pitch was probably 20 metres narrower than ours.

‘The players had to be patient while they worked it out.

‘Once we adjusted and started to run tighter lines to create more space we took charge.

‘Our performance in last 10 minutes of the first half and the whole of the second half was impressive.

‘The forwards set up a great platform, provided good ball and we ripped them apart in the backs.

‘Some of the speed and precision of our handling was superb.’

Five tries in the eleven minutes either side of half-time put Havant in command.

After the teams traded two penalties each Will Brock scored the opening try eight minutes before the break.

Moore got his first try on the stroke of half-time giving the visitors a 20-6 lead.

A blistering start to the second period saw Havant score three quick-fire tries through Moore, full-back Ben Chambers and winger Scott Morris.

With the win virtually sealed the visitors had to wait until the 58th-minute before Wes Dugan added to their tally.

Two or three minutes later Moore completed his hat-trick.

Before the end James Wise and Jerome Trail also got in on the scoring act.

The home side bundled over for a consolation try at the death.

‘I think the break at Christmas came at the right time,’ said Knight.

‘It allowed us to get a few players fit and also recharge our batteries.

‘We are getting fantastic numbers at training and we are feeling very positive at the moment.’

The win keeps Havant in second place hot on the heels of leaders Westcombe Park with just one point separating the two sides.