Horsham RFC complete double over Chichester RFC – but how did both camps see it?

Here is Horsham RFC’s report from head of rugby Nick Stocker….

Horsham welcomed Sussex rivals Chichester to Coolhurst for round 15 of this season's league campaign having secured an important yet hard fought victory in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

With the players knowing each other well through a combination of past matches and involvements in various representative squads, this fixture is always a tough game. The weather relented following the torrents experienced earlier in the week and playing on the AGP, both teams served up a feast of hard hitting competitive rugby.

Horsham started the more brightly and began to pressure through astute kicking and suffocating defence which yielded field position. In the first 10 minutes, several driven lineouts were well defended but possession was maintained and with the forwards in rampaging mood, the Chichester defence was stretched. Eventually, on 10 minutes, Henry Warwick cut a hard line when the ball was moved to the backs in the Chi 22m and he scored a try that he converted himself.

Chichester responded with a penalty from their first foray into the Horsham 22m on 13 minutes which was swiftly followed by a Horsham score. Having withstood the first attempts at a driven maul, Horsham eventually got their timing right and drove a lineout from 15m over the line with Kyle Fairs scoring the first of his 3 tries of the afternoon. With the kick excellently converted into the wind by Henry Warwick, the score had moved to 14-3 after the first quarter.

Horsham continued to press but Chichester defence was up to the task and began to ask questions of their own. The key difference was the speed of ball generated by the Horsham ball carriers whereas Chi struggled to generate passages of play that kept the Horsham defence under pressure.

Against the run of play, Chichester scored an unconverted try when a kick through with Horsham on the attack was blocked. With the ball kicked long, a foot race followed which saw Chichester skipper Rhys Thompson win to touch down. With the try unconverted, the score moved to 14-8 with 27 minutes played.

Horsham doubled their efforts and with effective work at the ruck created a multi phase play which moved the ball into the 22m. With Horsham's ball carriers getting on the front foot, the ball was eventually moved to the right where Kyle Fairs was on hand to touch down for another try that was well converted from out wide. 21-8 took us into the break.

On 50 minutes, Horsham began to ring the changes to maintain momentum, bringing on Nick Bell and Jack Osgood and the fresh legs soon had the desired impact with another try for Kyle Fairs on the back of a driven maul.

With this try unconverted, the score had moved to 26-8 after 55 minutes. The pattern continued with Horsham continuing to dominate territory and possession but knowing that Chichester possess a dangerous set of players that could turn the game at any moment. Indeed it was key to maintain focus and not give Chichester a way back in. Alex Mannhardt's try on 67 minutes epitomised the Horsham focus.

Turning over a Chichester lineout on halfway, Horsham went through 13 phases of play moving the ball left and right until the ball reached Henry Warwick in space on the Chichester 10m line. Spotting that the defence had been pulled out of shape, he placed a perfectly weighted kick into space on the left for Alex Mannhardt to use his searing pace to gather and finish well. With the try going unconverted, the scoreboard now read 31-8 after 70 minutes.

With the match moving into the final minutes Chichester secured several phases of possession as Horsham discipline deteriorated. A driven maul was well defended initially, but in the act a further penalty was conceded.

Chichester's impressive tight head Joe Woods took a quick tap penalty and from 10m out on the charge there was no stopping him. The score was well converted moving the scoreboard to 31-15 with 5 to play.

Horsham however had the final word. With the ball moved into the Chichester 22m, a quick tapped penalty was recycled by the forwards each making dents into the tiring Chi defence. The ball eventually made its way to Jack Osgood 8 metres out and he crashed over the try line by the posts for an easy conversion for Henry Warwick. With the kick proving to be the last act of the game, the referee blew for time with the final score 38-15.