Darlington Mowden Park 28

Henley 30

PREPARATIONS for the All Blacks' visit have resulted in an immaculate playing surface at The Northern Echo Arena, but Mowden didn't seize their opportunity to grace it on Saturday.

The combination of accommodating the New Zealanders and bedding in a host of new signings has not allowed a settled start to the season.

The uncertainty surrounding where this match would be played resulted in a disappointing crowd and they had to wait until injury time for the highlights of a messy contest.

Hooker Simon Uzokwe, powerfully built and mobile, twice skipped through tackles to run in from 25 metres and earn two very unlikely bonus points.

Substituted during a first half shambles, Uzokwe was sent back on for the last ten minutes straight after Callum Mackenzie romped over from 30 metres to reduce the deficit to 27-14.

Mowden ran the restart and Uzokwe was the second receiver. He made good ground before being tackled, only to be penalised for getting back up with the ball. Henley kicked the penalty to put the game beyond Mowden, although only just as it turned out.

The previous week Henley shipped 62 points at Rosslyn Park, who Mowden visit on Saturday in the first of four successive away games.

They have a lot of work to do to sort out their set piece. Scrums generally are becoming increasingly shambolic and Saturday's produced a stream of penalties, while Mowden's line-out was even worse.

They aspire to play a high-speed game, while Henley's ambitions did not extend beyond the width of a rowing boat. Catch-and-drive, pick-and-drive, disrupt the scrums, defend doggedly – surely the Pimms drinkers down by the banks of the Thames would prefer something a bit more fancy.

They led 20-0 after 25 minutes, during which Mowden's new-look side performed like a bunch of strangers. There were also silly errors like Garry Law, one of last season's survivors, twice kicking the ball dead from long range.

At both the resulting scrums back at the point of the kick Mowden were penalised, the first resulting in three points and the second in the first of two catch-and-drive tries.

Mowden made two front row changes, sending on the burly Darren Fearn and Santiago Socino, the back row man who Newcastle Falcons want to convert into a hooker.

Whatever his attributes as a No 2, throwing-in is currently not one of them and Mowden scarcely won a line-out.

They made more changes after 50 minutes, but waited a further ten before sending on Mackenzie, a player they have always wanted in the team in the last two years whether on the wing, at centre or in the back row.

Well received by the fans, he took over at open side from ex-Tynedale man Matt Charters and made an instant impact, supporting a run by left winger Tom Kill prior to scrum half Bruno Bravo nipping over.

Law converted from the touchline, but it was the sort of day when as soon as Mowden gained any momentum something went wrong.

A fracas resulted in Ali Bone, who impressed at blind side, being sin-binned, then Fearn was injured and Henley kept battering at the line until they scrambled over to lead 27-7.

Mackenzie eluded a couple of tackles on his run to the line after the lively Bravo ran a penalty on halfway, only for Uzokwe's error to allow Henley to stretch their lead beyond two scores.

He atoned in thrilling style, but his second try left time only for Law's fourth conversion.