Vikings defeat Millbrook in the mud

Playing on the club pitch against the fifth-placed team, Ray Smart’s side handled the challenging conditions exceptionally to record a vital victory over dogged opposition.

Dan De Kock once again starred in only his second game for St Jacques, as he scored a hat-trick in what proved unsurprisingly to be a forwards dominated game.

Going into the clash the home side were mindful of the threat posed by their Southampton based opposition, having only managed to secure a one point victory earlier in the season.

Whilst the conditions were far from conducive for expansive running rugby, the Vikings were keen to try and stretch Millbrook from early on. That was coupled with big carries from some of their forwards, with Jacob Smith proving himself to be a real handful.

Whilst the home side were causing plenty of problems for Millbrook, the game remained a stalemate until 17 mins when Jacob Smith broke the deadlock.

Having been denied a try shortly before, the Vikings were quickly back on the attack in the Millbrook 22. They resorted to forwards power to try drive their way over, and after several phases Darrin Bellingham released Jacob Smith, who used all of his big frame to drive over from close range. Matt Lomas added the conversion.

Millbrook were a tough nut to crack, whilst they were behind they proved a difficult task for the Vikings to deal with, not made any easier by the greasy ball conditions and soft ground.

Will Forbes-Lee was another Vikings player who was having a fine game, as the centre made repeated metres whenever he touched the ball. The home side however were struggling to convert this into points.

They finally did manage to cross the whitewash again before half-time however, as Dan De Kock scored his first try with a powerful carry. Lomas pushed the conversion just wide.

10 mins into the second half De Kock scored his second, this time from slightly further out, seeing off three tacklers for an impressive score. This opportunity was created after a strong carry from Phil Le Noury. Lomas converted

Millbrook were still fighting in the match, and in several occasions they found space on the outside and attempted to exploit it. However, good covering defence for the Vikings eventually nullified the threat.

Solid defence from the home side was a theme for the game, as they produced one of their best showings without ball all season, something that will greatly have pleased their coaching team.

Jamie Mahy was now on from the bench, he scored next after the offensive pressure of the Vikings started to tell on the visitors. He gathered the ball 8m out from the line, and showed good power and pace to see off several defenders before diving over the line. Lomas added the extras.

De Kock then completed the proceedings with his final try. This time it was a much simpler affair, after he reacted quickly to the ball being out the back of the ruck.
He gathered the ball and strolled over the line for a clever and opportunistic score. The conversion was missed.

In all it was a strong showing from the home side, who handled the conditions better than their opponents. They were made to work hard for it however, as Millbrook provided to be very dogged opposition.

Next up is the big one for the Vikings, as they host the league leaders Sandown & Shanklin this Saturday. They must secure a win against the side from the Isle of Wight to keep the title ambitions on course.

There is a bigger test to come, but the Vikings can be proud of their showing against Millbrook.