Darts continue their unbeaten run with hard fought victory

Darts welcomed Horsham to Bourne Rd expecting a tough encounter against a team that combines tough forward play with exciting back moves. The results in recent years have been very close and the first half was a very tight affair with both teams looking to move the ball wide after softening up the opposition defence with some hard driving play. Horsham started really well and had Darts under pressure but the home defence was again in excellent form with some big tackles but eventually it was the visitors who were first on the scoreboard with a penalty in front of the posts. 0-3. Darts have had the ability this season to absorb pressure and then counter with clinical efficiency and this was the case with their first try. Good play inside their own half saw the ball moved wide to Liam Brencher who attacked at pace before chipping over the oncomong defenders. the chase was good and when the Horsham was caught in possession Darts had enough players to turn the ball over and it was moved two passes to Connor who scored. Jonny converted. 7-3. Darts were getting into their stride now and using their forwards to great effect and space was created on the left where Mike Briggs went on a great run and with Liam outside him was able to sell a fabulous dummy to go over for the seccond try. 12-3. Horsham were looking dangerous in the tight and pushing Darts back in open play and when they were given a penalty took the lineout route. They set up a strong driving maul and scored in the corner to close the gap to 12-8. Darts welcomed back young Ashley Hadler following injury and he made a couple of great tackles to keep Horsham at bay and keeping their dangerous winger out of the game. This was a match between two young sides with Darts just slightly older and it was this extra experience which gave them better clinical finishing. Further great play saw Darts on the attack again and using their forwards and backs in combination to give Ryan Chandler the chance to go over from 15 metres out. Jonny converted. 19-8. Following the try there ensued a small amount of argy bargy which resulted in Matt Randall recieving a yellow card.

Darts started the second half a man down but with the advantage of the wind and slope and they started in great fashion pinning Horsham deep in their own half. They made light of being a man down and kept the ball tight for numerous phases before then getting the ball out wide. Horsham were working really hard in defence stopping any further scores from the home team but were not managing to make any headway when they had control of the ball as the Darts defence was very strong with players doubling up to bring down the big visiting runners. Despite the cold and damp conditions both sides continued to try and play expansive rugby at a high tempo and this led to a greater than expected number of dropped balls and minor errors but the game remained a tight and interesting tussle. When restored back to 15 players darts really did take control of the game not allowing Horsham to get any foothold. A good flowing move nearly resulted in another try for darts but an accidental offside forced the referee to call play back. Mike Briggs and Connor Sutherland were doing some great stuff in the centres both in attack and defence and it seemed only a matter of time before the bonus point try was scored and it was a great line ran by Joe Scott that created the space for him to pop the ball into where the impressive Alex Vousden was waiting to score under the posts. Jonny converted again. 26-8. Darts had a great platform in the scrum where they had control of their own ball as well as putting the Horsham pack under pressure, the lineout also provided good ball but was not as impressive as in recent weeks. Darts created numerous opportunities to get the ball out wide but on some occasions cut back inside or were blocked off by good Horsham cover defence.
An excellent bonus point win against a good tough young team who will continue to improve as their young players gain experience. Darts teamwork , defence and ability to keep their high tempo game going for 80 minutes ensured that they maintained their unbeaten record in a match that in the first half could have gone either way.
Darts had numerous players contending for man of the match including the entire front row who were again great in the set piece as well as providing superb work around the field, Joe Scott playing full back for the first time. Ashley Hadler was very solid coming back to the team after a lengthy absence but Head Coach Bob Hussey gave the award to Mike Briggs for an all round quality performance in the centre.

Next week to team travel to Heathfield for what will be yet another fixture.