“Rugby, bloody hell!” ....as Sir Alex might have said.

OK. So it’s tough at the top against an unbeaten Hove ...... but we belong at this level.

At 17-17, with just a few minutes to go, we were denied in the corner by a fine Hove defensive tackle. Then moments later, to compound the agony, Hove were able to kick out of their 22 gathering the bouncing ball to score well at our end. “Rugby, bloody hell!” ....as Sir Alex might have said.

Hove had the better of the first half and their 7-0 lead could have been greater. They were both more decisive and clinical. From the comfort of the touchline our boys seemed hesitant when playing under pressure which is a shame because in the second half they showed everyone just what they can do.

In that second half any number of our boys (forwards or backs) made the runs and the angles to give us momentum against a quality opposition. This then put pressure back on Hove and created 2 excellent tries (which were superbly converted). In the end it just wasn’t quite enough.

Next up, very early in 2017, we travel to Brighton where we have had absolutely no success over the years! However, if we start our next match like we finished this one then we should give Brighton a decent run for their money.

Happy Christmas!