After defending like a leaky sieve the week before, Rosslyn Park put on a defensive display of the highest order to deny Championship-chasing Westcombe Park the bonus point they desperately needed in National Division Three South on Saturday.

Westcombe arrived with a giant, young pack that would clearly be a threat, plus more than 100 noisy supporters who had made the short journey from Orpington to cheer their side to victory. It felt like an away match for Rosslyn Park.

But Park underlined from kick off that they were not in the business of gift wrapping the game and presenting it to the visitors. From kick off, Richard Mahony booted Park into the opposition 22, where they chased and harried. Tony Paul almost got over the visitors' line, but they had to settle for a penalty, stroked over by Richard Mahony for 3-0.

Combe came straight back, their hefty pack driving at the defence and soon gaining a penalty, from which they equalized. They effectively laid siege in the Park 22, with forward drive after forward drive at the line but Park's defence was magnificent.

Time after time they looked as if they must crack but always someone, somehow, managed to hold up the attack. Penalties were conceded, each one kicked to touch, where the visitors had complete domination of the lineout, to set up another drive. But they could not cross the line.

Eventually, after 28 minutes, Combe had a penalty in front of the posts from 30 metres out and opted to kick at goal to at least put some points on the board. But an awful kick bounced wide before it even reached the posts.

Back to constant driving. On more than one occasion, the numbers Park were needing to commit to stop the driving mauls left workable overlaps, but the visitors seemed to lack the vision or tactical nous to involve their backs. The home defence simply refused to crumble and half-time was reached at 3-3, Combe having scored none of the four tries they needed.

Again Combe's forwards swarmed all over Park at the start of the second half, and after 7 minutes they finally involved their own backs in the onslaught, passing along the line for the winger to exploit a gap on the right. Nine minutes of further intense pressure, and they again worked the trick, this time in reverse, to go in on the left, the conversion making it 15-3.

Park were trying to counter-attack but remained penned in their own half until the last 10 minutes, when they managed to exert a bit of pressure of their own, but it was Combe who still held the whip hand and scored again close to the posts, converted for 22-3.

With eight minutes remaining, plus injury time, few would have bet against them securing the bonus point, but Park were having none of it. Digging deep into their reserves, Park took the game to the visitors and when in injury time Duncan Traynor crossed the line for a consolation try it brought the biggest cheer of the afternoon.

Park: King; Odejobe, Ridley, Paul, Traynor; Mahony; Lapidus; Cooke (Daw), Blemings (Small), Heenan; Ryan (McGuckian), Forster; Cable, Rodman, Gates.

Park scorers: Traynor (T), Mahony (P).