A much changed CS team from the previous week took the field for this first ever encounter between these two clubs . Injuries happen of course but the skipper’s absence in Dublin was less explicable. Having made himself unavailable, he did at least have the good grace to forego any motivational emails to the team last week. No doubt sack cloth and ashes will be worn at training !
The Stags scraped through to win this match at the death but it was a close one! Most of the first quarter was played deep in their own half and there seemed to be an element of torpor about aspects of their play. All the home side had to show for it though were two well struck penalties.
Overall they had certainly started by looking the sharper of the two sides, as well as seeming to be more comfortable with the aerial ping pong that was quite a feature of the game, understandably so perhaps on such a dark and dank afternoon with slippery conditions underfoot and a greasy ball. The home side was also a handful in the tight scrum and it was very much against the run of play up to that point when CS were able to profit from a Totts’ midfield spillage. The ball was gathered up by centre James Dazeley who did well to wriggle out of a couple of tackles before offloading to hooker, Josh Forrester, in support. He carried strongly into the home 22 and -when he eventually took the contact - the ball was quickly recycled and centre Kevin McLean was left with pretty much an open door to stroll through and score under the posts.
6-7 remained the score until half time by which time CS had shown that they had fully woken up and were more than just a fiercely tackling unit – which in itself was a particular credit to those from the second team who had had to step up to the plate – and that they had considerable slickness of hand and guile in their locker as well. But was this really the day for such attributes to be rewarded?
6-7 indeed it then stayed throughout a scoreless third quarter which had included a significant period when the Stags had been camped on the home team’s line without quite being able to breach it. Finally CS’s line-out - which had been most impressive to that point - let them down and the siege was lifted. When the home side was awarded a central penalty on CS’s ten yard line with quarter of an hour to go, the outcome of the kick was in little doubt and this was certainly not a bad time to be getting your nose 9-7 in front.
CS were still to be twice in kickable penalty range but on the first occasion the kicker, Tom Jones, slipped as he was striking the ball and then a later attempt sailed wide. It was looking for all the world as if this would be the home side’s day but with no more than three minutes of the game remaining second row Alex Davidson alertly charged down a Totts’ kick in the centre on the half way, flanker Tom Procter skilfully regathered and fed second half replacement scrum-half Eitan Humphreys and he had the requisite gas to go all the way to the posts with Jones again converting.
And so it was to be the sweet taste of a hard fought victory rather than the bitter pill of a close defeat. Winning ugly has to be cherished though and our excellent hosts on this our first ever visit to Totton had, unfortunately for them, augmented their off-field hospitality with a dollop of charity on it.
Really there had been little to separate the two sides, even if one draws comfort from the fact that CS’s own whitewash had not been crossed, and the Stags will need to raise their game when 3rd placed Havant - who have been scoring sackloads of points - come visiting this coming Saturday. Ko at Duke’s Meadows in this significant encounter will be at the earlier time of 1400.

Meanwhile the 2nd XV had a thoroughly enjoyable game at home against their counterparts from Hammersmith & Fulham in the Zoo Merit, eventually running out 36-10 victors.