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The Vikings overcame a battle in the mud against Millbrook on Saturday afternoon, to secure an important bonus-point victory at Footes Lane.
Playing on the club pitch against the fifth-placed team, Ray Smart’s side handled the challenging conditions exceptionally to record the win over dogged opposition.
Dan De Kock starred in only his second game for St Jacques, scoring a hat-trick in what proved unsurprisingly to be a forwards dominated game.
Going into the clash the home side were mindful of the threat posed by their Southampton based opposition, having only managed to secure a one point victory earlier in the season.
While the conditions were far from conducive for expansive running rugby, the Vikings were keen to try and stretch Millbrook from early on. That was coupled with big carries from some of their forwards, with Jacob Smith proving himself to be a real handful.
The game remained a stalemate until 17 mins when Jacob Smith broke the deadlock.
Having been denied a try, the Vikings were quickly back on the attack in the Millbrook 22. They resorted to forward power and after several phases Darrin Bellingham released Smith, who used all of his big frame to drive over from close range. Matt Lomas added the conversion.
Millbrook were a tough nut to crack, a task not made any easier by the greasy ball conditions and soft ground.
Will Forbes-Lee was another Vikings player who was having a fine game, as the centre made repeated metres whenever he touched the ball. The home side struggled to convert this into points, however.
They finally did manage to cross the whitewash again before half-time however, as De Kock scored his first try with a powerful carry. Lomas pushed the conversion just wide.
10 mins into the second half De Kock scored his second, this time from slightly further out, seeing off three tacklers. Lomas converted. This opportunity was created after a strong carry from Phil Le Noury.
Millbrook were still fighting in the match, and on several occasions they found space on the outside and attempted to exploit it. However, good covering defence for the Vikings eventually nullified the threat.
Solid defence from the home side was a theme for the game, as they produced one of their best showings without the ball all season.
Jamie Mahy was now on from the bench, he scored next after the offensive pressure of the Vikings started to tell on the visitors. He gathered the ball 8m out from the line, and showed good power and pace to see off several defenders before diving over the line. Lomas added the extras.
De Kock then completed the proceedings with his final try. This time it was a much simpler affair, after he reacted quickly to the ball being out the back of the ruck.
He gathered the ball and strolled over the line for a clever and opportunistic score. The conversion was missed.
In all it was a strong showing from the home side, who handled the conditions better than their opponents.
Pictured: The latest standings in Counties 2 Hampshire.
Next up is the big one for the Vikings, as they host the league leaders Sandown & Shanklin this Saturday.
They must secure a win against the side from the Isle of Wight to keep the title ambitions on course.
Vikings: Bellingham, Le Noury, Bray, Creed, Williamson, M Smith, De Kock, J Smith, de Garis, K Creber, Cahill, Forbes-Lee, Sargent, Lomas ©. Replacements: Mroch, Wallis, Mahy
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