A new look Seconds side with a blend of youth and experience took the field in good spirits, determined to enjoy their afternoon against Stothert & Pitt Seconds. The first half may well go down in history as possibly the most boring in living memory, with no score to either side, despite Norton being camped in the opposition’s 22 for much of the time.
The teams exchanged penalties after the break, and Norton looked more dangerous with ball in hand when Murphy came on in the centre. Winning ruck ball and dominating the scrum, the Norton pack worked hard throughout, and were rewarded for their efforts when the ever-improving Schuster sniped from a five metre scrummage to score under the posts. Stotherts replied with a try of their own, but a late penalty by Murphy made the score 13–10 and that is the way it ended.
So, victory for the Seconds and the annual Port Circle festivities were made all the sweeter. With the amount of injuries and absences in recent weeks, the future looked bleak, but after this second half performance and a belly full of port, the outlook is one of optimism, once the hangovers have cleared. Onwards and upwards.