All Tourists must have Travel Insurance that will cover 2 days of Rugby.

Personally I use www.insureandgo.com (0844 888 2787)

They do single trip for around £6 you might want to call them to get cover for Rugby.

This is a must have, please do it!!

On another note could everyone please pay Will £10 a.s.a.p. This is to cover the club ties we will be giving to the Tournament organisers and the teams we play.

If everyone pays there will be plenty left over which will be used to buy beer and cider for the coach so we don’t go thirsty as soon as we get on the coach (probably when we get on the boat, the first boat that is).

Not long now, 29 sleeps

Tour Committee

A total dominant performance confirmed promotion for The Isle of Wight RFC, as they emphatically gained revenge for their earlier season defeat to Kingsclere.

From the first minute, as Nick Puckett won the chase to touch down a Williams chip, the hosts had the upper hand in all departments. Their second try was soon to follow as full back Stu Browne recovered a high ball to set up a quickly recycled ruck. Quick hands by the backs released Lymington Precision Engineers Man of the match, Chris Williams for the first of his three tries. Paisley added the conversion.

Kingsclere responded with a penalty from some 30 yards, but a break from a scrum by Neil Brading, supported by Adam Leal allowed Gareth Paisley to crash in the corner. This was soon followed by a confident Island side counter attacking, releasing Ian Rock to score.

From the ensuing kick off Williams dazzled the Kingsclere defence as he ran in from half way. Paisley again added the conversion.

It was then that the visitors had their most productive territorial play, pinning the Island on their line, but tough, robust defence hammered them back, turning over the ball at a scrum. The first half scoring was completed when Will Peters crashed over following a 5 meter scrum.

The dominance continued second half as recycled ball allowed Rock to claim his second. Full back Browne then added his name to the score sheet. Throwing two dummies to cross under the posts. One way traffic continued as Rock claimed his hat trick, then Adam Leal broke free to run in from half way.
Quick thinking by Williams and Paisley at a 22 kick, allowed Paisley to chase the kick, pick up and score. Williams then broke blind from a half way scrum to be supported by flanker Sandy Wilson to score. Williams then completed his hat trick before James Curran completed the scoring.

The Island now focus on completing the season by winning the division over the next couple of weeks.

IWRFC: S Browne, I Rock, N Brading, W Peters, G Paisley, C Williams, C Cotter, N Puckett, A Leal, A Thomas, D Church, O Boulter, D Jennings, M Newnham, I Puzey, N Tombleson, S Wilson, J Curran.

A late try gave the Island second team a dramatic victory at sunny Wootton Rec. The scrappy and stoppage-filled nature of the game would not have impressed any neutrals watching, but the closeness of the exchanges and the wholehearted endeavour on show was more impressive.

Andover fielded a big pack, while the Island side was built primarily on pace and youth. Neither side could get the upper hand early on, though the Island held their own with Chris Byrne and debutant Josh Wright impressing in the early skirmishes. When the Island secured clean ball, they looked dangerous and scored the first try. It stemmed from a sizzling break by scrum-half Sam Tyson, who was able to offload to the outstanding Neil Harrison who spun out of a tackle to score. Kieran Leahy missed the conversion.

This concession seemed to galvanise Andover, who laid siege to the Island line. In this period the home defence was magnificent, making a succession of big tackles to keep their line intact, not least Drainmaster man of the match Tom Love and Andy Jones. However, from another series of Andover phases they squeezed over the line for an equalising try. The conversion was missed, and the Island faced the second half with the sun on their backs and optimistic of regaining the lead.

Continuity was hard to come by in the second half, a combination of handling errors, strong defence and the referee’s whistle dominating matters. The Island lost captain Rob Lilly to injury in this period, but were able to overcome this setback and continue to compete well. Both sides forced penalty opportunities while the scores were level, Andover dropping one short, while Leahy and Gary Warvill missed one each.

As the second half went on, the Island began to gain an edge in possession and forced Andover back. Lymington Precision Engineers man of the match Warvill was constantly probing and almost put replacement Steve Sellick in, but the winger was foiled by good cover defence. Other chances were created but went begging, and it appeared that stalemate was to be the Island’s lot.

It was the seventy-eighth minute before the Island finally won the game. They secured good ball in the Andover 22, and a brilliant blindside pass by Warvill found unnoticed fullback Leahy, who was able to get outside his man and score in the left corner despite some desperate cover tackling. Leahy proceeded to strike a post with the conversion, before the referee allowed time for the kickoff. Hearts were in mouths as Andover recovered the restart and battered away at the Island defence in an effort to save the game, but the hosts had defended magnificently for the whole eighty minutes and were not to be denied.

On Saturday the Island seconds host Chineham at Wootton Rec, while the firsts are next in action at Locksheath Pumas on Saturday 20th.
IW: Leahy, Gates, Salter, S Gilpin, Collinson, Warvill, Tyson, Byrne, Love, Lilly, Downer, J Wright, Jones, Frost-Jones, Harrison. Replacements: Finn, Paterson, Brodie, Sellick, Deas.

With most of the possible weather conditions thrown at both sets of players, causing a slippery ball and underfoot conditions, it was a credit to the players that the ball was moved about so much.

From the start the Island asserted their forward pressure, playing up the slope, pinning back the home side. Only rushed opportunities or spilt ball seemed to prevent the visitors from scoring. It was some thirty minutes before their first points, via a Gareth Paisley penalty, were on the board. This was to be the only score of a frustrating half for the Island.

Turning round, the visitors tore into their hosts, driving them back time and again, yet could not cross the line. Instead two Paisley penalties were their only reward. An interception by the Alresford centre who then chipped ahead led to the first try conceded by the Island since December.

With Chris Williams controlling the game a standoff and the forwards with Sandy Wilson, James Curran and Lymington Precision Engineers Man of the Match Martin Newnham to the fore up front, the Island continued to pressure Alresford back in their own 22 and kill off the game.

Although not the prettiest of wins, with some 10 1st XV squad members unavailable, it was a win for the depth and determination of this club to achieve their goal of the division title.

Next week The Island entertain Kingsclere at 1st XV level and the 2nds play Andover 4ths, Kick offs 2-30pm at Wootton Rec.

IWRFC: S Browne, D Gilpin, G Paisley, W Peters, A Gates, C Williams, C Cotter, N Puckett, S Wilson, J Curran, D Church, A Thomas, D Jennings, M Newnham, D Metcalfe.

The signs were ominous for Chineham as the Island’s scrummage got into it’s stride and the lineout began to function smoothly. From a lineout on the home side’s five metre line the ball was spun wide in a neat set play that saw Will Peters roll back the years, picking a great line to wrong foot the defence and score the Island’s second. At this point it was one way traffic as Chineham were unable to maintain possession or field position and Baldwin added a penalty. The Isle of Wight’s third try was another team effort scored following good play in the loose from the forwards. Cotter at 9 fed the ball left and again a set piece neatly executed this time created space for the pacy Williams to score in the corner. Baldwin converted. The final try of the first half was a forward effort as a rolling maul sucked in the home defence and Leal pounced to go over for a well taken try.

Turning round at 30-0 to the good the Island were prepared to defend as Chineham now had the advantage of the considerable slope, however it was the Island side who dominated territory and possession in the second half. Key to this was an action packed performance from Adam Thomas whose selection on the blindside allowed him to give an epic performance in both offence and defence, earning him the Lymington Engineers man of the match award. To their credit Chineham defended admirably and only conceded one try to substitute James Curran, who scored under the posts with an athletic dive. Baldwin converted. Two clear scoring opportunities were squandered as the Isle of Wight’s concentration slipped toward the end of the game. Overall, another satisfiying performance on the road and good preparation for Saturday’s rearranged fixture away to Alresford.

IW 1st XV : Browne, Williams, Gilpin, Peters, Paisley, Baldwin, Cotter, Tombleson, Leal, Thomas, Boulter, Church, Puzey, Newnham, Jennings, Rock, Curran.

As usual this season, the IW gameplan involved keeping the ball in hand and playing open rugby, which suited the extra space on the pitch created by the lack of numbers. This paid dividends early, as quick ruck ball was generated inside the Chineham 22 before Gary Warvill darted down the blindside and evaded two tacklers for the opening score. Kieran Leahy converted, but Chineham were soon to answer with a five-pointer. A penalty goal from distance by Leahy extended the Island’s lead to 10-5 after the first quarter.

Chineham themselves contributed to the entertaining nature of proceedings, regularly running the ball and making use of their considerable size advantage. They fielded a number of big men who ran hard and straight, committing Island defenders and creating space which was exploited. Two quickfire tries saw them into a 15-10 lead, before the Island equalised, as busy scrum-half Sam Tyson hacked on a chip kick and was first to the loose ball to score. The hosts scored again before halftime, and led 20-15 at the break.

The second half saw a cavalcade of scoring as attack overwhelmed defence. Chineham scored straight from the kickoff, but Leahy narrowed the gap to seven with a further penalty goal. However, the IW were now struggling to cope with Chineham’s power, shipping two further tries and a conversion to trail 37-18, with the game seemingly out of reach.

True to recent form, the Island dug deep, with Tom Love and Brad Salter to the forefront in defence. Firstly, the in-form Warvill produced a jinking run which tied the Chineham defence in knots, before making it to the line despite the attentions of several defenders for a converted score. He followed this up with an improbable and sweetly-struck drop goal from near halfway. Then, Lymington Precision Engineers man of the match Brandon Frost-Jones scored the try of the game, fielding the kickoff and speeding from his own 22 past a succession of despairing tackles for a sensational score, his first in senior rugby. Leahy’s conversion left the Island trailing 37-35 with ten minutes to play.

To Chineham’s credit, they responded well, controlling possession for most of the last ten minutes, and scoring two good tries to secure a merited victory. The game was played in a sporting manner and the Island will take several positives from it, as they look forward to three home games in March.

Tomorrow (Saturday) the Island firsts travel to Alresford, while the seconds are next in action at home to Andover on March 6.
IW: Leahy, Owen, T White, Salter, Warvill, Tyson, Byrne, Johnson, Lilly, Quarmby, Frost-Jones, Collinson, Love.

Photos of the Stoneham and Lychett games are in the gallery section courtesy of Nick Phillips and Kieran Leahy

After good performances in defeat in recent games, the IW targettedvictory in this game, and began like a whirlwind. Forwards and backscombined well, and from a close-in ruck Lymington Precision Engineersman of the match Ali Downer was able to drive over for the openingscore. Kieran Leahy converted. Alresford responded but the Islandturned over ball in their own 22, and Ali Gates was given some space.He took full advantage, showing tremendous pace to beat severalwouldbe tacklers en route to the line for another converted try.

It was by no means one-way traffic, but Alresford's only score camefrom an Island error, as a backline move malfunctioned and the hostswere able to hack on and score a seven-pointer to halve the deficit.Stung by this, the Island were soon on the attack again and Leahy wasaccurate with a 40 metre penalty to open up a ten-point lead. The IWwere soon scoring again, being more patient in their build-up play andstringing together a remarkable number of phases before theinfluential Martin Newnham crashed over. The conversion made it 24-7at the break.

The Island would now have to play up the significant slope, and knewthat a quick try would realistically finish the contest. They obligedin the second minute of the second half, as centre Stuart Browne cut astraight line off a Will Peters pass and raced in untouched underneaththe posts for another seven points.

Alresford showed good spirit throughout, and the next twenty minuteswere something of a stalemate, as neither side were able to get theupper hand. However, the Island finished the stronger, as Tom Lovemarked his return to the game after a long absence with an industriousperformance, while Andy Puckett and replacement Simon Gilpin alsoimpressed. An inside ball by Peters was taken on by Sandy Wilson, whojinked around a number of defenders to score, while Wilson then turnedprovider to free elusive wing Tom White, who sidestepped his man toscore on the right. Leahy narrowly missed the last conversion to spoilan otherwise perfect record from the placed ball, but it wasimmaterial as the Island celebrated victory.

Tomorrow (Saturday) both Island sides host Overton at Wootton Rec,kicking off at 2.30 pm.IW: Leahy, T White, Browne, Phillips, Gates, Peters, Tyson, Newnham,Love, Scovell, Downer, A Puckett, Frost-Jones, Wilson, Curran.Replacements: Finn, Collinson, S Gilpin, Howell.

Early scrummages hinted at the later dominance the Island pack were to impose, but it was from a line in the Nomads 22 that the Island drove, re cycling fast ball for Chris Williams to put Andy White in. Phil Baldwin added the conversion.

With their defence as solid as ever, it was the Islands infringements that denied them further chances. When these chances were created forced play killed them off. A Baldwin Penalty was the only other score of the half.

A refocused Island came out at the start of the second half and stamped their authority on the game and the league. Again White was on hand to crash over for his second. It then seemed that it was all White, as again Andy White completed his hat trick, carrying three defenders over the line.

Counter attacking from a line won on Nomads put in, the Island ran from in their own 22. Fullback Williams weaved up field and Adam Leal popped up on his shoulder to score. Baldwin added the kick.

Nomads then applied pressure as the Island side relaxed. But with not conceding any points in 2010 and no tries for four matches, the defence locked in on their own line. Pressure on the attacking Nomads led to turn over ball as the counter attack raced up pitch. With what appeared as an overlap to the left, Baldwin focussed right and chipped into space for Nick Puckett to run some 30 yards, collect the kick and sprint over. With Baldwin adding the conversion the Island had signed off with another impressive away victory.

Lymington Precision Engineering Man of the Match went to the industrious Coleman Cotter who had linked forwards and backs effectively all day.

IWRFC: C Williams, J Curran, N Brading, C Dinu, G Paisley, P Baldwin, C Cotter, N Puckett, A Leal, A White, A Thomas, D Church, D Jennings, M Newnham, I Puzey, O Boulter, N Tombleson, I Rock, A Gates, D Metcalfe.

The Island started well, scoring a try in the second minute. Having forced a scrum in the home 22, Sam Tyson moved the ball right to flyhalf Gary Warvill, who ghosted through a gap in the home defence to touch down. Warvill missed the conversion and had an unsuccessful day from the kicking tee, but his contribution in general play was invaluable.

Millbrook came back strongly and pressurised the Island line for some minutes, but were forced to settle for a penalty to narrow the gap. The IW soon extended their lead to 10-3, as Kevin Scovell supported a Warvill break to score his first try in five years. Again Millbrook responded with gusto, but again the Island defence was firm, as captain Rob Lilly and Drainmaster man of the match Dave Gilpin led their resistance. Millbrook were awarded a penalty on the stroke of halftime which they kicked to leave the score at 10-6 to the IW.

The second half started badly for the visitors, as the kickoff was not secured and the ensuing passage of play saw Millbrook touch down to take a one point lead. Now the hosts began to dominate possession, opting for a mixture of close in driving and garryowens, which tested the back three of Leahy, White and Collinson regularly. However, the Island were often able to negate both tactics, but a period of intense pressure eventually led to a converted Millbrook try and an 18-10 lead.

With a side brimming with youthful pace, the Island gameplan had always been about running the ball wide and often, and this tactic continued to pay dividends. From a quick lineout engineered by Warvill and Ali Downer, quicksilver centre Brad Salter was given enough space to outpace his man and race clear from inside his own half for a magnificent try. A Millbrook penalty goal soon after left the Island trailing by six.

Once again the Island rallied, and another fine move ended with Lymington Precision Engineers man of the match Salter touching down in the opposite corner. Now trailing by a point, the Island could sense victory but Millbrook constructed another score with the help of their strong replacements bench. As time ran out on the Island, they attempted to move the ball from behind their own line in search of a winning seven-pointer, but a chip kick was charged down and regathered by Millbrook for the final score of the game, which was harsh on the Island who were close to victory throughout.

Tomorrow (Saturday) the seconds travel to Alresford, while the firsts are next in action at home to Overton on Saturday 13 February.

IW: Leahy, Collinson, Salter, Phillips, T White, Warvill, Tyson, Byrne, Lilly, Scovell, Downer, Paterson, Finn, D Gilpin, Frost-Jones.