While the Roms pull together their invading warband gathering around their portcullis battle standard, the weather hammers away at Portsmouth’s fleet, who are equally preparing for the upcoming assault. Led by the infamous commander, Harrison Scott, the Roms have been a force to be reckoned with. Most recently, decimating Aldershot and Fleet to take 3rd place.
With conditions having not improved, the travel wary Roms are poised to begin their assault. The vanguard general, Jim Lamont begins the attack by sending a flurry of arrows into the Portsmouth’s defence. This was sharply followed by a counterattack made by some of Portsmouth’s cavalry, turning the attackers into the defenders. The Roms were spirited and eager to turn this battle on its side. This moment came when commander, Harrison Scott, held strong and forced Portsmouth to crack. This gave Jim Lamont an opportunity to attack the heart of the fleet, which he did so with ease despite the heavy winds. 0-3, Romsey.
The battleground had taken a beating. Waves of Portsmouth counterattacks were shut out firmly by the portcullis the Romsey warband had created. Despite a few cracks in the battle due to various offsides, misplaced tackles, and scrappy rucks, the Roms persisted. They tried to find breaks in the Portsmouth defence, but it was a tight battle, with both sides’ defence holding strong. This was until the very moment that Jim Lamont, with absolutely zero help from the wind, kicked a 50-22. The Roms now had a good foothold, deep in Portsmouth territory. In only his second battle under the command of Harrison Scott, hooker Dylan Argent was young and hungry. With a change in tactics in the line, Michael Streicher took the charge from Dylan and made a clean break. The Portsmouth shield wall folded, and the Roms’ assault had took an exciting turn, 30 minutes in. 0-8 Romsey. In attempt to capitalise on this surge, Lamont took a punt, but due to the adverse conditions, his arrow was directed away. With 40 long, cold minutes endured, it was time to formalise the strategy for the duration of the battle.
The battle standards are reset, and Portsmouth try again to drive the invaders out. However, Romsey’s portcullis stayed held strong and they did not break. Instead, they turned the gears, and amounted another heavy assault. This time, the Roms’ top try scorer, Ian Milanak, broke the defensive lines. This sent the Pompey cavalry into panic. They tried several times to chop him down, but Milanak’s territorial gain had already pierced the soul of the fleet. Portsmouth managed to re-align, but not for long. Brilliant waves of attack and great handy work from Dylan Scott led to Oliver Soundy to charge at Portsmouth’s flank. 0-13 Romsey. Within minutes, Romsey’s top point scorer, Lamont, again capitalised on the crumbling Portsmouth defensive line to fire the ballista. Again, the fiery bolt found its target, 0-16.
Despite some emphatic charges from the likes of Harrison Scott, Ben Powell, and the fresh legs of Elliot Johnson, the Roms’ attack seemed to have come to a halt. Portsmouth felt like they may have been able to turn the tide of battle. However, due to the quick thinking of Tyler Beardsley who kicked his way deep into Portsmouth territory, he secured a scrum by carrying the Portsmouth fullback over his own line. The siege tower was set. 5 metres out, a Romsey scrum. Three waves of attack were shut out, but then the rearguard assault of Oliver Coburn broke the defensive line. 0-21 and the Roms had finally brought the Pompey wall crumbling down. A quick attack led by Lamount’s band was cut short due to Beardsley’s weapon of choice breaking. The Roms forced Pompey into a rout. Error after error, a grievous attack on Lamont led to a Pompey yellow. However, the siege had been completed. Due to a sturdy fortification being setup, The Romsey portcullis remained unbreeched. Portsmouth 0, Romsey 21.
Coaches comments
The lads really dug deep today in awful conditions they showed why we are pushing top of the league composure and patience was the ingredient today as well as building on our solid defence of late.
Captains thoughts
Thought we played well in tough conditions, Portsmouth is aways a hard place to play especially in the wet. The lads have put in a big shift the last 3 weeks to get 3 wins is a testament to our resolve
