Horsham RFC beat champions to pull off great escape

This had to be secured the hard way against league champions Havant in the final game of the season.

The bottom two clubs across all the leagues in the country would usually be relegated but Horsham were granted a possible reprieve due to the demise of Jersey from the Championship earlier in the season.

Due to the trickle-down effect the side that finished second to bottom with the best record nationally would survive.

Horsham had one of the best records but would still need to accumulate more points than both Bournemouth and Doncaster, and with these sides losing this duly happened although there were some nail-biting moments after the final whistle waiting for the results to come through from around the country before a loud cheer in the clubhouse was heard.

Horsham’s points came from Alex Mannhardt with a hat-trick of tries including the try of season from the backs in a 1st phase attack following a scrum deep in their own half.

Oli Chennell added a penalty and Henry Warwick slotted the high pressure kick to see Horsham regain the lead with 7 minutes remaining on the clock and see out the historic win.

A clearly delighted Horsham Head Coach Nick Stocker spoke at length after the game; “Following a whole season of compliments from opponents puzzled why we were rooted at the foot of the table, this result proved beyond doubt that we deserve to be in this league with a performance that bristled with aggression, desire and moments of class.

"Havant came with a strong team determined to finish on a high but ultimately came up against a team desperate to secure a reprieve and keen to finally put in an 80 minute performance. The key throughout was the defensive pressure Horsham exerted limiting Havant to using their effective lineout maul once penalties had granted field position.

"Once these were cut out in the second half, it proved to be predominantly Horsham offensive spirit that saw the game tilt in our favour. Alex Mannhardt’s 3rd try epitomised this spirit when down to 14 men Horsham’s forwards battered away at Havant’s rearguard with a try and two penalties (one missed) the just reward.

“Performance wise the five back row forwards selected were monumental with Jordan Smith’s huge hit on their key ball carrier early doors setting the tone. Vince Everitt and Tyrese Makasi were relentless throughout and justifiably shared the MOM award run close by Owain McLaughlin playing in the back row today.

"The front row of Charles Newey, Josh Earle and Joe Woods put in an outstanding 80 minute shift and the try on the stroke of halftime was just reward for their graft at scrum time all afternoon.

“In the backs, the cohesion in defence was excellent limiting a useful set of backs to sporadic forays. Max Greatwood’s try saving tackle as Havant desperately sought to win the game in the last 3 minutes was of huge significance and demonstrated the defensive hunger throughout. In attack, we looked dangerous and the try on the stroke of halftime where all the backs ran beautiful lines to cut Havant to shreds was a thing of beauty!

“What this means of course is that due to the Jersey reprieve announced by the RFU, Horsham fight another day in Regional 1 and the performances over recent weeks will give great confidence ahead of next season, especially knowing the big players we have coming back from injury and the lessons learned in this league.

"The focus turns to the Lions’ Sussex Cup final and beyond towards a long deserved rest where the debrief and planning will continue at pace.”