TAUNTON Titans put up a brave fight before going down 15-10 at league leaders Henley in National League 2 (South) yesterday.

They led 10-3 at the interval but the home side’s experience showed in the second half as they hit back to claim the victory.

Despite constant rain this top-of-the-table clash didn’t disappoint in quality or entertainment with both teams intent on playing rugby and both showing why they are at the right end of the table.

It was Taunton who started the better, camping in the Henley half and earning two kicks at goal which were understandably missed given the conditions.

However Henley, who played in National 1 last season, displayed their experience when in their first incursion into the Taunton half they put the first points on the board with a penalty kicked by Comben.

The Titans then kept Henley under pressure and penned in their own half with some excellent defence and breakdown work.

The pressure on Henley finally told when Taunton fly-half Toby East crashed through to score under the posts for full-back Gary Kingdom to convert just before the break.

The team talks were probably a bit different in the respective changing rooms and it was Henley that came out the brighter adding a penalty in the first few minutes.

It wasn’t long before Kingdom replied for Taunton to make the score 6-10.

However Henley then showed their experience by controlling the rest of the game.

They moved up the field looking to draw Taunton into further penalties, which duly came, Comben taking advantage by kicking a further four to claim all Henley’s points.

Taunton kept trying to find a way to get back but a streetwise Henley saw the game out with some great controlled rugby to keep their winning start of the season intact.

Disappointed head coach Tony Yapp said: “To come to Henley and be disappointed to be only coming away with one point is testament to the effort the players put in today.

“The players kept to the game plan and applied it throughout and on another day the result could have gone our way.”

Titans: 15 Kingdom, 14 Mason, 13 Fraser, 12 Tichias (Harvey 52), 11 Faulkner, 10 East, 9 Webb, 8 Lee (capt), 7 Walker-Blair, 6 J Fleming (Davis 73), 5 Turner (Cormack 32), 4 G Fleming, 3 Cooper (Manton 32 – 52), 2 Gatford, 1 Ball. Replacement not used: Bath Half-time 3-10. Referee: Christophe Ridley. Attendance: 345.