26th January 2020
Sevenoaks Cheetahs
An early start at Ashford saw the Cheetahs drawn in a small pool of three teams which included Ashford A and Sidcup B.
First up were Ashford . A hugely physical team whose home crowd roared them on . We struggled initially in the rucks and breakdown conceding an early try with ease . The cheetahs came straight back with some direct running and team play scoring a try, making it 1-1. This seemed to jettison the home team into top gear who then delivered some incredible powerful play from both their forwards and backs . The size of the Ashford players made it difficult to differentiate who played where . The home team scored a further 5 tries. This could have been more if not for the dogged team play and support provided by all players in the Oaks team who stood firm and defended in numbers. The Cheetahs nearly snuck a late consolation try right at the death only to be robbed by the touch judge from Sevenoaks!! Final score 1-6.
Next up Sidcup B. A highly competitive game from the start with both teams eager to compete. The Cheetahs were always first to the breakdowns and were looking for retribution from their first match defeat. Forwards and backs working well together. Delivering the basics to a high standard made the difference. Captained by Harry House who was instrumental in distributing the ball the team ran out 4-0 winners carving through the Sidcup defence and powering over the line. Sidcup had their chances to score but sheer resilience and backs to the wall defence delivered a nil score sheet for them at the end. Final score 4-0.
All our players should be proud of the effort and determination they showed today. Their determination and team camaraderie was very special and humbling. They fought for each other and made us all proud - well done the Cheetahs who are through to the Kent Salver final on 5th April!!
Sevenoaks Tigers
The Tigers faced our arch rivals TJs (runners up in the Cup last year) in their first match. As expected, it was hugely competitive and both teams gave 110% throughout the entire match. Oaks tackling was immense, with very few tackles missed. Mitch’s tackling timing was immaculate again, with some big crowd pleasers. However, TJs matched us for tackling and both sides kept each other from crossing the line. TJs came very close to scoring with a clever grubber kick, but Harry worked hard to get back and managed to touch it down before them. We were very undisciplined in the ruck and kept coming off our feet which meant we gave away over 15 penalties. We also didn’t secure the ball in the ruck when we had possession, giving away too many turnovers, making it difficult for ourselves. Colby came on at half time and added great power to the scrum, steadying the set piece. There really wasn’t anything in the game until a clever rehearsed move, from a scrum well within our half, put George into space. He then ran the length of the pitch to score the only try. Phew! Final score 1-0.
Next up was Sidcup (third in the Cup last year) a very physical side. The match was very similar to the first due to the tiny pitch size. However, a fantastic short sniping run off the base of a ruck, by Josh gave the Oaks a one try lead very early on. The teams then went at each other for the rest of the match. Again, the Oaks gave away far too many penalties, which kept Sidcup in the game throughout. Our tackling was immense. Tom made a try saving tackle after a break away run from Sidcup’s winger. Jake punched well above his weight with some fantastic tackling and rucking, helping the Oaks win back possession. Ben and Ed were front line troopers, putting in tackle after to tackle to keep Sidcup pinned back. Zach’s fantastic tackle technique enabled him to fell some of the biggest players on the pitch. The Oaks were close to scoring on several occasions after Luca made several of his trade mark strong direct runs and rolls, but we didn’t quite manage to make it over the line. Luckily our defence held out and the final score was 1-0. Phew again!
The Tigers benefited from a break between each of their matches and the final game against Maidstone was thankfully different from the first two. Maidstone looked tired and the Oaks came out firing on all cylinders, scoring a try right from the kick off. After a few neat passes Benjy ran half the pitch to go in for the first score. Having spent the rest period focusing on our rucking and entering the ruck from low to high as opposed to high to low, the Oaks were much better at the breakdown, giving away far less penalties and securing the ball when we had it. After a period of Oaks pressure, Joel broke through several tackles running an aggressive line. A well-timed pass put in Gerran for a nicely worked try. This was then followed by a classic scrum half try from Max, sniping round the base of the ruck and launching himself over the line. Next came Kyle, who managed to run 15 metres to the line with half the Maidstone team hanging off him. At that point there was a player count by the referee who realised Sevenoaks had one player extra on the field. Luckily, we were only docked one try. In the second half, the Oaks took control with George going over again. Next came a very complicated ‘jungle’ move off a scrum led by Hamish and Will which confused everyone on and off the pitch. It resulted in Brennan getting the ball and crossing for a spectacular try. The last move of the day finished with Hamish stealing the ball in a maul again and driving hard to the line. Taylor managed to get hold of the ball and went over for a well-deserved score after a massive work rate throughout the day. Final score:6-0
Well done the Tigers, who are now through to the Kent Cup final on 5th April!!