RUGBY: Vikings frustrated after opening day defeat at New Milton

Tuesday 10 September 2024

St Jacques Vikings were left frustrated and disappointed after they were handed an opening day defeat away at New Milton.

Layton Batiste's side were a long way short of the performance levels they have produced in their pre-season matches, as the hosts made them pay for high levels of indiscipline and unforced errors.

The changing weather throughout the match no doubt made the Vikings task harder, but New Milton adapted far better to the greasy conditions. 

It was not all New Milton's way though, as in the opening twenty minutes it was the Sarnian side who were dominant, particularly in the set piece. Their forwards set an early tone that the English side struggled to contain, and with that momentum the Vikings scored after just eight minutes. 

Chris Croft was the player to secure their first points in Counties One, as the no-8 touched down from the base of the scrum, after his pack had produced a strong shove from 5m out. Matt Lomas-Lloyd pushed the conversion wide. 

The weather was still bright and dry at this point, and the Vikings defence was working well. With the ball they were also making ground and looked to be in control. New Milton also had  a player sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes for a repeat infringement. 

With this momentum they were back in the New Milton twenty-two on around 20 minutes, following a penalty kick to the corner. The lineout drive was stopped short. Another penalty followed, and from the resulting scrum debutant Marcus Whitfield picked the short side and scored. The conversion was missed. 

Until this point New Milton had barely ventured into the Vikings twenty-two, but following a handling error they were awarded a scrum.

An early push from the visitors saw a free-kick awarded and they quickly spread the ball to the waiting backs.

A defensive error in the midfield from the Vikings left a big enough gap, which gratefully the home side exploited to score under the posts. The conversion was added. 

That score galvanised the home team, and the momentum began to turn, just as the weather was doing the same. Several avoidable penalties cost the Vikings territory, which was not helping their cause.

St Jacques lost former captain Matt Lomas-Lloyd to a shoulder injury, after he went down following a tackle. To add to the disappointment New Milton charged down an attempted kick from Tom Veillard in the aftermath of that challenge, which they narrowly missed chasing down for a score.

The home side were causing plenty of frustration for the Vikings, and to their credit whenever they were presented with an opportunity or a mistake they sought to take it.

There may have been some opening game nerves from the Vikings, as they were making territory, but often seemed eager to play and were trying to force a pass rather than building phases and creating the opportunities. 

The second half started with the visitors under pressure, but then a high tackle from the hosts inside centre saw him become the second player of the afternoon to be sin-binned. That did little to assist Batiste's side however, as the Vikings could not utilise the one-man advantage. 

New Milton scored next after they were awarded a penalty in the Vikings twenty-two. They reacted quickly to take a quick penalty and caught the defence napping to score under the posts to take the lead for the first time. 

Joe Le Roux had a brilliant chance for St Jacques to regain the lead, after Tom Veillard had sent an excellent kick to the sky. A New Milton player knocked the ball on and Le Roux hacked the ball through. Unfortunately the bounce of the ball was not kind, and he failed to gather it cleanly when he was clear. 

The game became very scrappy as it drew towards the end. The hosts had a penalty attempt at goal which was missed. They were holding a narrow two-point lead at this point. 

A quick tap penalty from Chris Croft got his side back into the New Milton half, but another poor ruck clearance cost them, as the referee awarded a penalty to the defensive side. These mistakes were killing any chance of overturning the deficit for the Vikings. 

Kieran Creber was also sent to the sin-bin for the visitors.

With 7 minutes remaining New Milton had another penalty shot at goal, but this was also wide. 

They would finally put the game to bed at the death. 

After being camped in the Vikings twenty-two following a series of scrums, they went through several phases before the pressure eventually told, and they exploited the short side to cross out wide. The conversion was missed as the referee blew for full time. 

St Jacques will need to improve drastically on Saturday at home against Bournemouth Seconds if they are to secure their first win in Counties One Hampshire.

The game at Footes Lane kicks off at 12:00.

Pictured top and above: All pictures by Simon Carlton.