Andover

Our 1st XV Men’s team play in the Hampshire Counties 1 league.

All our Men’s senior teams train on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6:55pm to 8:30pm. If you’re interested about getting involved, please get in touch via our contact form!

Upcoming Fixtures And Events

Date	Matches	Time
02 DEC	Andover VS Eastleigh	15:00
09 DEC	Havant II VS Andover	15:00
16 DEC	Andover VS Ellingham & Ringwood	15:00
06 JAN	Petersfield VS Andover	15:00
13 JAN	Andover VS Alton	15:00
20 JAN	Portsmouth VS Andover	15:00
27 JAN	New Milton VS Andover	15:00
03 FEB	Andover VS Bognor	15:00
17 FEB	Gosport & Fareham VS Andover	15:00
02 MAR	Andover VS Trojans	15:00
16 MAR	Eastleigh VS Andover	15:00
23 MAR	Andover VS Havant II	15:00
06 APR	Bournemouth II VS Andover	15:00

PAST RESULTS

Bognor

36

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37

Andover

SAT 25 NOV

2:30PM

Bognor Rugby Club Bognor Regis

MATCH REPORT

Match Report:

Saxon Safety sponsored Andover pulled off a superb win against the odds on the road in Bognor last weekend, to move five points clear in second place in the league.

This game was rearranged due to a previous postponement which meant Andover had several changes for the long journey and they faced a very well drilled home side at full strength for the first time this season.

The game began well with Max Graham slotting an early penalty to give Andover the lead.

Soon after however a misunderstanding in defence allowed the home side a free run to the line to take the lead.

Despite creaking at scrum time early on, Andover, with man of the match Bryn Waite to the fore in the lineout, began to gain the upper hand.

With good possession, Charlie Waite, making his seasonal debut after a long injury, sent a long cross kick which was well claimed by Harvey Maloney on the floor who combined well with Harry Scobie before finishing neatly.

Bognor soon asserted themselves again however with a penalty and a second try, before Andover immediately struck back through Callum Barber Starkey, after a clever lineout move with Bryn Waite well converted by Charlie Waite.

Bognor once again snuck in front through a penalty before Andover again drew level.

Bryn Waite again was instrumental counter attacking superbly from his own 22 before feeding Matt Green deep in the Bognor half, who in turn fed Fin Waite allowing the number eight to put Stan North in in the corner for a wonderful length of the pitch try.

Before the break however Bognor struck what they must have thought would be a vital blow, scoring a fine try through their pacey winger to take a half time lead.

After the break Bognor created some daylight with a further penalty before that man Bryn Waite was at it again.

He set off on another mazy run before linking with the excellent Maloney who combined with Harrison Pape to once again put Stan North powerfully in in the corner.

Andover suddenly smelled blood and when Fin Waite went over from a Catch and drive for a lovely forwards try converted by brother Charlie, they were back in the lead.

The same player then added a penalty and Andover at last thought they were in control.

Not so as Bognor once again struck back superbly as their winger completed his lightening brace, but with the conversion missed there was all to play for in the final five minutes.

Andover seemed comfortable with good possession until a spilled ball in midfield set up an incredible finale.

Bognor poured forwards time and again from open play, scrum and lineout but were met with ferocious resistance.

By now regular second team players Toby Dixon, Harry Ward and James Reeder had all entered the fray and all did superbly to hold the home side out.

Jake Dixon, Matt Green and skipper Alex Hibdige were everywhere and when after a knock on the referee finally blew for time Andover and their travelling fans erupted.

After the game Director of rugby Andy Waite said 'What a game of rugby, both teams were a real credit to the division. Our performance was a testament to the strength of our squad these days and I thought alongside Bry Tom erskine was immense.'

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Trojans

28

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47

Andover

SAT 18 NOV

2:30PM

Trojans Rugby Club Stoneham

MATCH REPORT

Match Report:

If anyone thought after the previous week's try fest at home, Andover would be less adventurous in a difficult away game played in wet heavy conditions, they were soon put right as the 'All Blacks' once again turned in an incredible display of attacking rugby at Trojans.

The game was played on college pitches adjacent to the Trojans club due to waterlogging, on a pitch with very long grass, which could have slowed play, but Andover were having none of it as they attacked with great pace from everywhere on the pitch.

After going behind to an early penalty Andover immediately showed their intentions. A superb break by Harvey Maloney and Jake Harwood from their own 22 allowed Stan North to set up Tom Erskine and the big second row picked a great line through the defence to score with Rich Retallick converting.

Trojans responded with a good attacking spell, but when Callum Barber Starkey and Stan Pearson combined in the front row to take a scrum against the head and Retallick cleared forty meters up the pitch, they must have known they were in for a long afternoon.

Trojans pressed again but this time it was a superb steal in a lineout from the excellent Bryn Waite that thwarted them, and when the same player cleverly won the ball in a defensive maul, he fed the backs and as the ball got to man of the match Harry Scobie in space, the big winger took off on a sixty meter dash to score a fabulous try converted by Retallick.

Trojans answered with another penalty, but before the break Andover pulled further ahead.

More good lineout work from Bryn Waite saw hard working brother Fin take the ball on through the middle and when Billy Pollard set Scobie away he repeated the dose from forty meters this time, with Retallick again on target with the extras.

Andover knew Trojans were dangerous and would come back at them, and so after the break the message was put the game to bed as soon as possible.

Andover responded and almost from the restart Harwood was short by a whisker from a clever kick chase, but when the home lineout was again disrupted Erskine was on hand to increase the Andover score with his second of the afternoon to secure a try bonus point.

Andover with tails up went at Trojans. From the kick off North broke powerfully, fed Scobie and his big hand off and inside ball set Max Graham away under the posts, giving Retallick an easy shot at goal.

Soon after from a good lineout move, Retallick found Harwood's wonderful hard line and the winger again went under the sticks for an excellent try converted by Retallick.

Andover visibly began to relax and Trojans soon showed that against good sides that is an error.

They grabbed a good try of their own and when Graham saw yellow for a deliberate knock on they soon added another and then a third.

Any attempt at a comeback however was short lived when even a man down Andover put themselves out of sight.

From a good scrum Fin Waite fed Rettalick and when he gave the ball to North, the giant center went through three defenders to go over for a superb score again converted by Retallick.

Trojans did not give up and were happy to complete the scoring to gain an try bonus of their own right at the death.

Afterwards Director of Rugby Andy Waite said ' This was a tough assignment and the boys dealt with it very well. Trojans have improved a lot and never gave up. But we had several outstanding performances capped by Harry Scobie and not to mention skipper Alex Hibdidge playing out of position at tight head doing a magnificent job. A fine bonus win in a potential banana skin game on the road is all we can ask for.'

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Andover

57

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17

Gosport & Fareham

SAT 11 NOV

2:30PM

The Goodship Ground Andover

MATCH REPORT

Match Report:

Saxon Safety Sponsored Andover produced their best display of the season last Saturday, to run out comfortable winners over top of the table rivals Gosport and Fareham.

Both sides came into the game with only one defeat in the season so far, but Gosport had no answer to the returning Ollie Carr Smith at fly half and the outstanding pace and finishing skill of man of the match Jake Harwood, who helped himself to four tries.

Indeed so good was Harwood, it's hard to choose which of his scores was the best as he tormented Gosport all afternoon.

Playing up the slope in the first half skipper Alex Hibdige's Andover began well, but were soon shocked by the visitors when at scrum time they were unusually sent backwards and conceded a penalty.

Andover soon recovered their poise and when a monstrous 50-22 kick from Carr Smith gave Andover a 5m lineout, Bryn Waite combined with brother Tom to send the hooker over for the opening score, superbly converted by Rich Retallick.

Gosport pushed hard to level, but when Bryn Waite stole their lineout on Andover's line, they were soon to rue the missed opportunity.

Andover countered and when Gosport returned a long kick, the first of Harwood's wonder finishes lit up the large home crowd. He collected a difficult bounce, managed to keep his feet and set off on a mazy run to score under the posts, with Retallick again adding the conversion.

Stung into action Gosport roared back at Andover and after a series of phases from their powerful forwards they eventually managed to dive over from a ruck.

Not long after they were at it again but some fine defending notably from Jake Dixon, Tom Erskine and the excellent Fin Waite kept them at bay.

Andover sensed that if they could match the visitors up front they had too much for them in the backs and with Max Graham and Carr Smith orchestrating things, they began to move the ball with real purpose.

As Gosport began to wilt Harwood struck again. Finding a gap on half way he streaked away and when Harvey Maloney's support run took away two defenders, Harwood outpaced the remaining cover to again give Retallick an easy conversion.

At the break Andover changed their set up slightly with Stan Pearson coming on at prop, Nic Reed to lock and Dixon to number eight and with the slope in favour the result was almost instantaneous.

The extra power nullified the Gosport forward threat and the backs had a field day.

Callum Barber Starkey came on for the injured Tom Waite and his pace around the park in support of the backs was too much for Gosport.

After set of phases, quick hands from Dixon and Carr Smith set the superb Harrison Pape in for a fine try, before he in turn did the same, for Maloney to finish neatly with Retallick converting.

Arlo Matley entered the fray on the wing as Andover continued to press.

Gosport would not lay down however and soon scored a converted try of their own after Pearson saw yellow, but this simply stung Andover into more attacking play.

Despite being a man down they terrorised the visitors with slick interplay and Harry Scobie took full advantage to finish strongly.

Soon after Fin Waite went clear and was felled by a high tackle when certain to score, but with no yellow or penalty try forthcoming, Gosport just about clung on in the game.

With Pearson back on Andover pushed even harder and Gosport finally broke.

Struggling to cope with the pace and power of Andover, tempers frayed and when an alleged punch saw a Gosport player sent off the game was up.

From the resultant penalty Harwood produced an incredible finish from a Carr Smith cross kick and then returned the compliment unselfishly feeding Carr Smith to finish, after another incredible break.

Retallick converted both before Harwood finished things off with another fine finish again from a Carr Smith kick through.

Afterwards Director of rugby Andy Waite said 'What a performance that was. Gosport are a strong side but we played some fantastic stuff at times. Obviously, Jake and Ollie were outstanding but the whole side was excellent, and we ran them ragged. I thought despite a couple of controversial moments, the ref Rhys Cleary controlled the game very well and when he missed something, it was nice to see the chivalrous Nic Reed on hand to help him award a try to Gosport.'

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Andover

38

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3

New Milton

SAT 21 OCT

3:00PM

The Goodship Ground Andover

MATCH REPORT

Match Report:

In the first league meeting between these two sides for many seasons, Andover ran out comfortable winners against newly promoted New Milton at the Goodship ground last weekend.

Andover had disruption in the backs for this one with absence forcing them to play two forwards, Bryn Waite and Callum Burge on the wings and positional changes for the pacey and creative paring of Harrison Pape and Jake Harwood.

Up front Andover had no such problems and dominated at scrum and lineout from the off, despite scrummaging uphill.

The all-county front row of skipper Alex Hibdige, Tom Waite and James Monck, terrorised their opponents with Tom Erskine and Nic Reed contributing strongly from the engine room. And in the lineout man of the match Matt Green was once again flawless.

His back row partners Fin Waite and the excellent Jake Dixon carried strongly and were ferocious in defence giving Andover a solid platform that in reality they should have exploited further.

Young scrum half Max Graham had another good game and is showing his continued development, but he also took over kicking duties from the absent Rich Retallick and was flawless from the tee.

Andover scored on five minutes when Graham fed Stan North for a fine thirty-metre dash to the line.

Graham converted and soon added a penalty.

Four minutes later a powerful break from Tom Waite saw Harrison Pape put Harwood clear and when he superbly chipped ahead, Pape himself won the foot race to score a fine try again converted by Graham.

Andover continued to dominate possession but not for the first time this season were a little wasteful in attack. 'Milton' defended well but on several occasions Andover had good chances to score, but came up short.

The visitors scored their only points with a penalty, but before the break Andover suddenly came up with a try of quality, that shows what they are capable of when it clicks.

From an excellent lineout the ball flashed through the hands to Harry Scobie, who's majestic run ended under the posts to put Andover well in control.

After half time Andover continued to pour forwards but were still finding finishing difficult.

After ten minutes they emptied the bench and the replacements made an instant impact. Callum Barber Starkey, and George Goodridge added renewed vigour in the loose and Bruno Matley, making his seasonal first team debut, sharpened up the attacking threat.

Andover camped in the 'Milton '22 and in the end the belligerent defence had to give way.

After a series of scrums and lineouts, Nic Reed powered over for try superbly converted by Graham from wide out.

Five minutes later Reed was at it again. Excellent continuity from Matley, Bryn Waite, Dixon and Goodridge left the visiting defence in tatters and the big tight head prop needed no second invitation to grab his second.

Graham again converted to give Andover a solid bonus point win and make it a very satisfying five wins from six games in the first quarter of the season.

Afterwards Director of Rugby Andy Waite said 'We're setting our own bar quite high now, so I think some of the players will be a little disappointed with a few personal errors that probably cost us more tries. But whilst there are work ons, we should remember we had a lot of changes in the backs and they still all did very well and between them scored three superb tries. overall it's been an excellent first quarter of the season and the challenge now is for us to keep it going.'

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Andover

18

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13

Portsmouth

SAT 14 OCT

3:00PM

The Goodship Ground Andover

MATCH REPORT

Match Report:

It was a game of complete contrast from the previous week's try fest, as Andover struggled to overcome a determined Portsmouth side at the Goodship ground last Saturday.

The 'All blacks' were never really in trouble in this one, but a disjointed and inaccurate attacking display, left the game a closer one than it should have been.

Poor decision making and handling riddled the Andover display, especially in the first half, in a game that was very stop start and never really got going.

Andover fell behind to an early try from Portsmouth after falling asleep as a penalty shot hit the post and bounced back into play.

This produced a response from the home side who took control behind their very reliable set piece, and finally put together some dangerous looking phases of play.

Rich Rettalick kicked two penalties to put Andover within a point and they looked likely to take the lead.

Fine breaks from Harry Scobie, Matt Green and Max Graham all saw Andover go close but the final option continually denied them.

Andover lost Rettalick to injury at half time leading to a reorganisation in the backs, with the impressive Harrison Pape moving to stand off and Jack Stott making a welcome return to action, taking over the full back slot.

Andover began to look more threatening through their very pacey back line and when Jake Harwood took the ball in his own half, sold an outrageous dummy and outpaced the cover for a wonderful try, converted by Graham, it seemed Andover would finally break the 'Pompey' will.

The visitors had other ideas though and soon narrowed the gap with a penalty, but Andover kept pressing.

Matt Green was ruling the lineout and with Jake Dixon in fine form alongside Roman Barton Knott, Andover had plenty of the ball.

Andover lost replacement Robbie Duncan to an arm injury, forcing Fin Waite to return to the fray also nursing a knock, and soon after younger brother Bryn now deputising on the wing, was unlucky to be penalised when Andover looked certain to score.

Andover continued to press but with only a three-point lead needed the buffer of another try.

At just the right moment the experience of hooker Tom Waite came to the rescue. He combined with brother Fin in a clever lineout move that stunned Portsmouth to leave them needing a converted try and time running out.

They gave it a go but the Andover defence, with Stan North outstanding were in no mood to concede.

In the end with almost the final move, Portsmouth decided to kick a penalty and grab a bonus point, their efforts deserved.

Andover still had a further chance to extend their lead, but with nothing to gain, skipper Alex Hibdige made the sensible decision to kick the ball out and take the win.

Afterwards Director of Rugby Andy Waite said ' We were our own worst enemies today and have to learn to be calmer in possession and take advantage of our dominance. That said, as Nic Reed commented in the huddle, this is a game we may well have lost this time last season, so we have to be pleased with our resilience and game management. And what try by Jake Harwood who alongside Jake Dixon, was outstanding.

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Alton

21

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83

Andover

SAT 07 OCT

3:00PM

Alton Rugby Club Alton

MATCH REPORT

Match Report:

In a wonderful display of attacking rugby Andover put struggling Alton to the sword at their own Anstey Park ground last Saturday.

Bottom side Alton expected Andover to be difficult, but the manner in which they swept them aside must have shocked them as the 'All Blacks' ran in twelve tries overall.

There were some sparkling performances led by Rich Rettalick with a personal 33-point haul and both Bryn Waite and Stan North with a hat trick of tries each, but it was so much more than the headlines, as the whole squad ran Alton ragged throughout.

Andover began as they meant to go on when after a fine break from Harry Scobie and North fed Bryn Waite who broke tackles to open the scoring.

Soon after a comedy moment from Nic Reed, stopping before scoring as he thought he'd heard a whistle, was rescued by a fine piece of work by Tom Waite that gave Retallick his first points from a penalty.

From the restart the impressive Matt Green took the ball and the equally impressive Jake Harwood and Niko Rowe fed Bryn Waite for an almost carbon copy of his first.

Moments later brilliant hands again from Harwood, North and Callum Hollingshead put in Rowe for a beauty and then not to be outdone by his brother Fin Waite dotted down from a pushover scrum.

Andover were unstoppable and soon after great work from Max Graham, Harrison Pape was on the end of another Harwood piece of magic to finish superbly.

Next up it was Harwood himself who finished fine work from Rowe and Scobie, but just before the break Alton showed some resistance with a nice score of their own, after Andover lost the unfortunate Hollingshead to injury.

After the break Andover started well but Alton pegged them back further with another score.

Andover woke up and went on the rampage with North finishing two moves involving some breathtaking handling.

The loss of Graham to injury saw Harvey Maloney make his seasonal debut and before long he had joined in setting Rettalick up after an incredible Stan Pearson break.

In defence Callum Burge was outstanding and that set a platform for another incredible handling move that saw North finish his third but Alton again bit back with another try.

From the Kick off Bryn Waite caught a loose ball and galloped away to score his third, before Rettalick scored his second to add to his penalty and ten conversions.

Afterwards Director of rugby Andy Waite said 'After last week's disappointment the lads were determined to bounce back and they did it in some style. Great attitude, brilliant skill, loads of pace, a real joy to watch. So good all round, it was impossible to pick a man of the match.'

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Andover

5

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34

Petersfield

SAT 30 SEP

3:00PM

The Goodship Ground Andover

MATCH REPORT

Match Report:

It was a tough day at the office for Andover last weekend as they endured only their second defeat of 2023 against a well drilled Petersfield outfit.

It was billed as a battle between two teams likely to be challenging for the league, but in the end, it was the visitors who looked the more likely, as Andover imploded after what they saw as a huge piece of injustice.

Playing up the slope Andover started brightly with good phases of possession from George Goodridge and Roman Barton Knott.

The Andover scrum began dominantly, and the ever-secure lineout was performing well through Bryn Waite and Matt Green.

But with the ball in hand Andover seemed edgy and it was Petersfield who eventually took the lead with a penalty.

Andover continued to attack and went close several times, but poor decision making was to cost them dear later as they struggled to score.

Eventually Petersfield did crack however and after a yellow card, a smart lineout move between Goodridge and Bryn Waite ended in a lovely try.

All looked good for Andover, but when they lost Rich Rettalick to a yellow card given for a perfect text book tackle, they rightly felt very aggrieved and allowed it to affect them.

Petersfield soon made them pay with two tries either side of half time, but going down the slope Andover still felt they could come back.

Restored to fifteen they enjoyed a lot of good field position, but time and again executed poorly. Even the much-lauded scrum and lineout creaked a little and too often Andover failed to move the ball wide when they had opportunities.

After fifteen minutes 'Field' made them pay again against the run of play when a quick free kick from a scrum caught Andover napping.

Andover shored things up with the extra physicality of Tom and Fin Waite coming into the back row, but even that was soon nullified as Tom Waite and an opponent saw yellow for a brief scuffle.

As the game continued Andover emptied their bench but to no avail as 'Field' ran in two more late tries to seal the win.

After the game Director of rugby Andy Waite said ' Against good teams you have to take chances and we didn't today. We weren't helped by Rich's yellow which was very harsh, but also we had some very good players out there who never really got going. We didn't stick to the game plan and we got punished. Back to the training park this week to put it right.

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Ellingham & Ringwood

25

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46

Andover

SAT 23 SEP

3:00PM

Ellingham & Ringwood Rugby Club

MATCH REPORT

Match Report:

In an incredible match full of incident and controversy Andover came up with a splendid win on the road against Ellingham and Ringwood.

The home side, newly promoted and fresh off of a good away win themselves last week, promised to be difficult opponents for the 'All Blacks' and their large partisan crowd certainly roared them on throughout, but in the end, despite some big setbacks, Andover had too much in attack and ran in seven very good tries.

Problems started in the pre match warm up when stalwart centre Billy Pollard pulled up with a groin strain.

With no back on the bench Andover were forced to put star lineout jumper Bryn Waite on the wing and youngster George Goodridge came into hook, with Harry Scobie stepping across to centre and hooker Callum Barber Starkey going to the back row.

If Waite was missed in the pack, an imperious performance in the air by summer signing Matt Green made up for it as Andover dominated from the off.

Ten minutes in Andover suffered another blow when winger Arthur Ratuvou was also forced off injured with a nasty looking knee injury and Andover looked in real trouble.

Andover undeterred however used their big pack and ever developing offloading game to immediately pressure the home defence and took a good lead through tries from Tom Erskine and skipper Alex Hibdige.

Soon after they just failed to score again after a wonderful attacking move, but Rich Rettalick slotted a resulting penalty.

Goodridge was next up with a lovely try to cap his man of the match performance and Andover looked in complete control.

E and R had other ideas though and came back at Andover well.

They scored two good tries of their own and kicked a penalty to briefly threaten a comeback, but the superb Niko Rowe snuffed that out with a lovely offload for Jake Dixon to confirm the bonus point for Andover.

Then the wheels came firmly off for the visitors as Barber Starkey saw red for a high tackle and soon after Bryn Waite was given an inexplicable yellow.

Then replacement Stan Pearson went off injured and Andover had just twelve players on the park.

E and R took advantage despite some heroic defending and scored another try, but with still only twelve on the pitch Andover immediately struck back with Hibdige completing his brace after great work from Goodridge.

Back to thirteen Andover again went for broke. Max Graham was orchestrating things from nine and with Scobie carrying hard, they made more inroads.

Erskine grabbed his second try powering through the defence and Harrison Pape finished brilliantly after more good work from Rowe. Rettalick added his fourth conversion to wrap things up for Andover, before the home side grabbed a late score to take a bonus point themselves.

Afterwards Director of Rugby Andy Waite said ' Sometimes adversity can really pull a team together and that's exactly what happened today. To score three tries with twelve and then thirteen on the pitch against a good side is quite remarkable, and the manner of it was very impressive. hats off to all of the players who played.

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Andover

31

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3

Bournemouth II

SAT 16 SEP

3:00PM

The Goodship Ground Andover

MATCH REPORT

Match Report:

Andover started their 2023/24 campaign with a dominant victory over Bournemouth in a strange game at the Goodship ground.

Andover had come off a strong preseason which had included an eye catching 50 point victory over Salisbury, who are technically the league above the All Blacks.

The 18 man squad included Debutants Matt Green, who is a summer signing from Marlborough, and 18 year old Academy graduate George Goodridge who is fresh from scoring the winning try for London Irish in the u18s Premiership cup final.

Both players show an increasing depth to an already impressive Andover squad and All of The All-Blacks quality was on show from the first whistle at the Goodship. Dictated by Scrum half Max Graham and Stand off Rich Retallick Andover settled into a nice early rhythm with the half backs feeding the evergreen Nic Reed and James Monk for some strong carries. The fantastic Roman Barton- Knott and Fergus Burtt made meters but Bournemouth stood resolute for the first 20 mins. Eventually Andover’s pressure told when centre Stan North smashed his way through the centre of the Bournemouth defence for a splendid score which was excellently converted by Rich Retallick.

Bournemouth then scored their only points of the game with a penalty, but the visitors had a real issue at scrum time that was being exploited more and more by the notorious black pack. Captain Alex Hibdige seemed to draw penalty after penalty from his opposite number, which allowed Andover to march their way up the pitch into the opposition 22. After some patient phases Andover eventually found their way back over the Bournemouth whitewash with Robbie Duncan crashing over from short range.

That was it for the first half with Andover up by 12-3. The second half began with Andover having to face a unexpected challenge. Bournemouth elected to go uncontested at scrum time with their front row options taken apart by Hibdige and Monk . This also meant the visitors had to drop to 14 players but Andover quickly infringed which saw them receive a team yellow to even the numbers. This gave Bournemouth’s young side more of a chance to attack Andover, but they found little inroads into the Andover defence with some huge hits from Billy Pollard, Jake Dixon and Callum Barberstarkey. Andover adapted to the change in scenario and soon found themselves back in the Bournemouth 22. This gave Tom Erskine, a regular try scorer last campaign, to score from the back of the driving maul after more fine work from the Andover forwards.

Man of the match Matt Green and the brilliant Bryn Waite were imperious in the lineout, a set piece that continued as normal throughout the game. Their dominance gave the Andover backs the chance to put some sparkle on the result. Pape found an inch of space after a fine move. He weaved through the Bournemouth defence to confirm the bonus point for the All blacks. Retallick converted giving Andover a comfortable margin.

The last 20 minutes of the game were rather disjointed. Andover had to tweak tactics and positions after some minor injuries and lost Robbie Duncan to a red card after the back row forward made head contact in a ruck. Those who have been watching the world cup will know that a mistimed clear out or tackle is likely to receive a sanction with the new laws in place this season.

Despite the red card Andover still found time to score a fifth and final try with lightning winger Jake Harwood stepping through the Bournemouth back line to run a fine try in from halfway. Graham converted and the game was over. A 31-3 victory to start the campaign for Andover. Comprehensive, professional and a statement. The early signs are good.

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Andover

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