Eastbourne 1st XV add Victory over Brighton 2's

First rule; concede fewer penalties than the opposition. Second, keep the play tight when the pressure is on. Thirdly, concentrate on defence and increase the tackle count to snuff out every threat. And this is exactly what Eastbourne did against their more physical neighbours to be rewarded with the deserved victory.

Bolstered by the return of Mottram from suspension, the first 20 minutes saw Eastbourne on the front foot with 80% of possession but no reward. When a loose ball was picked up and carried forward, it was left to Rob Fenner on the right wing to score in the corner and for James Coulthard to kick a magnificent conversion for a 7-0 lead. However there was a price to pay for Fenner who was injured in the act of scoring and who left the field shortly afterwards.

His departure seemed to spur Brighton on and the home side put in a huge effort just before the half time break which was only repelled by massive defence from the visitors. A seven point margin never looked enough however and the players were relieved to hear the referee’s whistle for yet another penalty against Brighton for infringement which Coulthard kicked easily.

By this time the big Brighton forwards were blowing hard and Eastbourne’s superior fitness began to tell. Despite conceding a penalty themselves to reduce the margin to 10-3, the confidence in the back line started to show. Following the breakdown of a promising Brighton move, the ball was whipped upfield and Luke Sage, who had barely touched the ball during the game, got on the end of the move to cross the line under the posts. The easy conversion by Coulthard gave a two-score lead which felt more comfortable. But on 35 minutes, the best move of the game developed in which the ball moved through 5 pair of hands with inch-perfect passing and yet again it was Sage who was the beneficiary to score his second, this time in the corner. Nathan Ring made the conversion look simple; it was anything but.

At 24-3, Eastbourne sought the final bonus point try but were thwarted and to their credit it was Brighton who rumbled forward in the final minutes and were rewarded with a typical No.8 effort. But there was no doubting that Eastbourne deserved the victory for their concentration on core rugby skills

Man of the match: hard to choose between back row, fly half and centre but Max Cheater for the number and quality of tackles made.