SUPERMARINE head coach Sean Millwaters is taking as much solace as he can from his team’s first defeat of the season.

The South Marston outfit have made a fine start to life back in Dorset & Wilts One North, winning three of their opening three games, but their Dorset & Wilts 1st XV Vase campaign fell at the first hurdle last weekend as they were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

A depleted Supermarine went down 37-12 at league rivals Minety but were missing 10 bodies and if his team were going to suffer a reverse, Millwaters was at least somewhat relieved to see it come in a cup competition.

“I didn’t really find out until the Thursday, when we went through the selection, that we were going to have 10 players missing,” said the Supermarine chief.

“That’s a lot of players to be missing and we just weren’t able to play our rugby.

“We didn’t turn up, we were poor and it was just a bad day at the office that we need to move on from.

“I did think that the scoreline flattered Minety a little bit but there’s not much that we can do about that now.

“Hopefully we can get some players back next weekend and at least the defeat came in a cup game and not in the league.”

Playing downhill in the first half, Minety raced into a 10-0 lead with tries from Jack Ward and Steve Brown before extending their lead before half time through a Garin Garland penalty.

The visitors’ Dan Taylor crossed the line to reduce the deficit before half-time but Matt Roberts and Gareth Graham both scored for Minety, with Garland converting both.

Garland then kicked a successful penalty and Brown grabbed his second try of the game, which was again converted.

Supermarine’s Taylor crossed the whitewash for a second time, with his try converted by Sean Rees to provide some late consolation.

Minety coach Andy Ward said: “In patches we played some really great rugby but we need to add consistency and improve our discipline.”