‘I’m frustrated that another game has got away from us’ – Havant RFC coach Knight after home loss to table-topping Tonbridge

Hampshire’s highest-ranked club was beaten 39-31 at home to a Tonbridge Juddians side which is three points clear at the National League 2 East summit with six wins out of six.

It was the third successive game Havant have lost by eight points or fewer, all of them against opposition residing in the top seven.

Havant remain 10th in the 14-team division, having now lost their last four matches, three against sides in the top four, after winning their opening two fixtures.

Head coach Will Knight said: "They're a very good side and they took their opportunities very well. Certainly two of their tries we presented to them on a plate. I'm pleased with the positives, but frustrated that another game has got away from us."

Havant, who were led out by Ross Parkins on his 100th appearance, fell behind to a converted try in the opening 10 minutes at Hooks Lane.

A Tonbridge penalty made the score 10-0, but Havant replied in kind via the boot of Joel Knight to get themselves on the scoreboard before half time.

The same player then went over for a try under the posts, which he duly converted himself, to level the scores at 10-10 with 10 minutes of the second period played.

Immediately after the restart, however, Tonbridge gathered possession following a poorly-executed Havant chip out of their 22 and ran in under the posts.

With Havant on the back foot, two more Tonbridge tries followed in the next five minutes, the second of which was converted, as the visitors suddenly enjoyed a 29-10 advantage.

Havant, though, fought back strongly. Cam Boa bagged a brace of tries, both converted by Knight, to cut the deficit to 29-24 after 77 minutes.

A Tonbridge penalty and converted try within moments of each other put the contest beyond Havant at 39-24, but the hosts had the final word when Dylan Lawley touched down in injury time for the bonus point-securing fourth Havant try.

* Havant 2nds are four points clear at the top of Counties 1 Hampshire after extending their winning start to five matches with a 51-19 victory at Ellingham & Ringwood.

*Will Knight was left with mixed emotions after Havant loss against the unbeaten league leaders.

Havant were edged out 39-31 at home to National League 2 East top dogs Tonbridge Juddians and picked up a point for scoring four tries.

Head coach Knight said: "We performed well, there were lots of positives to take from it. They're top of the table, they're a very well-resourced team, they've recruited some very good players and they've got a Premiership-standard coach who works with Harlequins, but we were close to turning them over.

"We will take a huge amount of positives from the fact that we've pushed the guys at the very top that hard, but at the same time there's a level of disappointment that we've missed another opportunity to get a win. We've got to start turning some of these close losses into wins.

"We were pretty close on Saturday's performance to Tonbridge, we were very close for much of the game to (second-placed) Guernsey (who beat Havant 39-20 after a late burst of points last month).

"We're not a million miles away from where we need to be, but we do need to be more clinical. We need to make sure when we get into the opposition 22, those opportunities are not missed.

"The teams we're playing against don't necessarily play brilliantly in between, but when they get an opportunity, they take it - that's something we've got to be better at.

"What's positive for us is there's so much improvement still to come. We know we're not the finished article. We've got to find that confidence as a side that will allow us to see ourselves as winning these games."