BASINGSTOKE RFC suffered another Hampshire derby defeat as they lost 30-0 at home to Portsmouth in South West Two.

Stoke had Tala Petelo in their line-up and he helped marshal the back line, as well as add some defensive strength and definitely helped with some forward momentum.

The game itself saw the home side a lot more competitive at the scrums and lineouts than in their last meeting with Portsmouth. The pack played well against another heavy outfit.

For the majority of the game the Stoke defence was pretty solid, but a couple of lapses in concentration were punished by a well drilled visiting team. Portsmouth decided a couple of times to kick for goal, instead of running the ball which showed the improvement in that department.

Captain Rob Northcote said: “One thing I’m really proud of at the moment is the attitude and positivity shown by the players throughout the squad and against Portsmouth this was no different.

He added: “I will continue to praise the teams attitude and dedication - as with everything we need to stay on this path of improvement and stick together because if we don’t we won’t be able to achieve our goals over the next couple of seasons.

“We want to create the foundation for another great era for the club and to do that we need stand firm in these tough times and not forget the past when we’re enjoying the future.”

Stoke now have a week off before their next South West Two game, which will be a basement battle at Andover on March 5.

They will in fact face Andover two weeks running, as they travel there again in the Hampshire Cup.