H&B rattle up points to stay top

The home side tore apart a fit, confident and hard-tackling opposition with a display of assured handling, incisive support running, and aggressive ball-winning in this Division One clash.

Remarkably, they did it all without their customary dominance in the set piece. But with far more fire and mobility from the pack at the breakdown they won and recycled quick ball throughout the game, enabling them to play multi-phase possession rugby, and spin the ball through hands for a range of excellently-worked, text book tries.

Pulborough came out fired up and assertive, and H&B did well to cut down the visitors' options with excellent defence.

'Offensive defence' led to the opening try after 10 minutes. From a tap penalty Piers Claughton darted through traffic to score between the posts. Paul Sandeman converted.

Danny Ralph, with a good winger's break, scored the second, while the best try of the day involved backs and forwards running intelligent lines and timing their passes, Sandeman outpacing the remaining cover.

From a line-out, a beautifully crafted move involving all the back line ended with David Northen scoring and Sandeman converting.

Good offloading in the tackle by Rob Sparks and Kit Claughton led to Paul Flood's well-deserved touchdown, converted by Sandeman.

After the break, the scoring reopened with Kit's chip to the corner standing up for the chasing Ben Campbell.

Danny Ralph cut inside and rounded the fullback for his second, converted, try. Another tap penalty rounded off the scoring, Neil Redman timing his pass to Ben Campbell.

Captain Redman led by inspirational example, and the front row seemed revitalised, with man-of-the-match Andrew Hitch a firebrand round the pitch.

The backs looked classy and dangerous. The Claughton brothers, deft and assured at half back, tormented Pulborough and kept H&B going forward.