Southend deservedly took the spoils last week in a game of two halves, but I think it would be fair to say that the scoreline flattered them a bit and there were some encouraging signs from the young Hertford side.

Good early attacking play from both sides culminated in some frustration when Steph Jones was convinced he had touched down for a try Unfortunately the referee on the other side of the ruck could not confirm this.

However, within a couple of minutes, quick thinking and a quick tap penalty from Don Merritt (pictured)at scrumhalf, followed by some nifty footwork and good strength saw Hertford tak e a deserved lead and a Will Howes conversion made it 7-0.

A yellow for Ollie Cook, playing of position near the touchline wastelands, for a tip tackle, allowed Southend to exploit the blind side space to come back into the game before Will Howes added another Hertford penalty to make it 10 - 5.

Numbers were evened up when the Southend open side went to the naughty step for 10 after a head clash in the tackle. Hertford utilised this time well with a Steph Jones rumble try followed by a second for the supporting Dom Merritt after a good break from Tommy Neave.

Unfortunately for Hertford, after a series of quick tap penalties, the usually determined and reliable Hertford defense was caught napping and allowed Southend a score right on the stroke of halftime.

Southend added to this immediately after the break with another good try, narrowing the gap considerably and putting their tails up for the second half. This short phase of play seemed to turn the game in the favour of the visitors.

The home contingent were now waiting for the big Southend pack to blow and start flagging. Unfortunately for Hertford this never happened and it was Hertford who were expanding their energy in the defense department.

The teams exchanged tries midway through the second half with Hertford 'Man of the Match' Tom Lamb securing the Hertford touchdown.

The physical exertion took its toll on the smaller Hertford unit and in the last 10 minutes Southend ran in four tries to seal the victory by 29 points to 46.

On the plus side, we achieved a try-bonus point and there were some real positives to take from the game. The scrum held up reasonably well and for most of the game, defense was committed and effective. We are improving our strike rate in the red zone and the boots at 10 and 15 are having a positive impact on our game.

The bigger opponents had the edge in the contact area and our somewhat new look lineout has a bit of work to do, as the current incumbents would be the 1st to admit.

This week sees us on the road to Amersham and Chiltern who have an identical record to us except for the better points difference which places them one above us in the league. Both teams have had reasonably difficult starts to the season in terms of opposition so in terms of form it looks like a pretty even game.

If we can be at our best for 80 minutes, then I think we should take this one. However, A&C have home advantage so this one may come down to who concentrates best, makes least mistakes and wants it the most.

And look out for our latest Debutante, Mattia Mengotti, who’s looking to make a big impression off the bench.

See you there, mine's a Guinness.