This keenly anticipated local derby could not have started much worse for the home side as Holt were 0-7 up within two minutes. Holt flyhalf Grant McConnell gathered the ball and found a hole in the Norwich defence, which he galloped through with a clear run to the line. He then converted his own try. 

Norwich hit back quickly from a 10 metre line out and fired the ball out across the backs with Jake Christian-Goss making ground and offloading to Lewis Kenworthy to finish off in the left corner. Christian-Goss landed a superb kick from the touchline to level the scores.

Steve Soper, on a surprise last minute return to the squad, then scored from a scrum 5 metres out from the Holt line, the visitors passed the ball back just into the in-goal area, but before he could clear the ball, the receiver was hit by Dave Micklethwaite which dislodged the ball forward, back over the line from where Soper picked it up to dot down. Christian Goss converted. 

From the restart, Norwich hoisted a clearance kick that Holt failed to gather cleanly and Danny Van Staden gathered the loose ball and got in behind the  defence to run unopposed three quarters of the length of the field to score under the posts. Christian-Goss added the conversion.

Scrumhalf Callum Van Staden then scored from a scrum inside the Holt 22, collecting the ball and chipping over the top. He regathered and went over under the posts and Christian-Goss converted. 

It looked at this point that Norwich might run away with it but their penalty count and Holt’s determination meant that never happened and the game went from one end to the other.

There was a prolonged period where it seemed almost inevitable that Holt would score as they pounded the Norwich line, but the Norwich defence held. The score remained unchanged at 28:7 by half time but the visitors were still in the game and looked dangerous on the counter attack.

Norwich dominated most of the second half territory but lacked the composure to hit the accelerator. They did, however, score after 60 minutes from a scrum in the Holt 22 when Soper broke from the back and powered his way forward over the line. The kick was missed. 

Norwich’s final score came from a penalty that they took quickly and moved wide to the right for Danny Van Staden to go in at the corner. An excellent Christian-Goss conversion concluded the scoring. 

Both sides were reduced to 14 men for the last 10 minutes with Soper for Norwich and Guy Savory for Holt in the bin.

Holt never gave up and had their opportunities but Norwich did enough to hold them at bay to record a much needed win after 8 consecutive defeats.

The only dampener on the day was the news that Soper has to return home to New Zealand and has played his last game.