8:00am Friday 21st May 2010
By John Boyman
HAMPSHIRE’S rugby team must win their final County Championship group game if they are to avoid relegation from Division Two South.
The White Rose County have lost both of their games so far this year, with a narrow 36-34 defeat away at Middlesex on Saturday following a 55-15 reverse at home to Kent the previous week.
They go into their last match, which will see them host Somerset at Down Grange on Saturday (kick-off 3pm), knowing that defeat will see them finish at the foot of the table – with relegation the likely result.
Even a victory might not be enough to lift them off the bottom – they must win by 16 points to ensure that they climb above Saturday’s opponents on points difference.
Somerset lost 43-14 at home to Kent last week and John Byett, the Hampshire manager, believes his side can go out and get the result they need.
“We have not played well yet and need to take it up another notch to win, but I think we can do it,” he said. “I was surprised that Somerset lost so easily to Kent and we are in a position to overturn them.
“We have got to really concentrate on not giving away as many penalties as we did against Middlesex. When we get the ball in hand we know what to do so we just need to avoid alienating the referee, which is what happened last week.”
Byett felt that his side’s performance against Middlesex was “100 per cent better than the previous week” and they were rather unlucky to lose after outscoring their opponents by six tries to three.
In the end, it was the lack of a genuine goal kicker that cost Hampshire, along with their high penalty count, and Byett plans to field a similar line-up.
“There will be a few changes but nothing like the wholesale changes we had the previous week,” he said. “If the basis of the team is able to play together for another week we will see a benefit.”
Basingstoke fly-half Paul Morris played well and scored a try after coming into the team and is likely to play again, as long as he gets over a tight hamstring, while Simon Appleby will be in the frame providing he recovers from an ankle injury.
David Byett, Neil Young and Jamie Folan will all hoping to be involved again, as will former ’Stoke men Karl Buttle and Matt Oliver.
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