Winger Rich Adeniyi-Jones scored another hat-trick against Guildford RFC, following up his three tries the weekend before. Photo Credit: David Purday
Whilst the 1st XV bonus point win away at Guildford RFC 1st XV gave Oaks their second such win in succession, it was the 2nd XV’s win away at Bury St Edmund’s that provided the most joy amongst the Senior Squad and their coaches on Saturday. It was the second time that Oaks had overcome Bury, following up the victory earlier in the season when the sides played out a 35-33 thriller.
Speaking about the 2nd XV win, Adam Bowman said ‘I was absolutely delighted for the boys on Saturday. To beat a side with such quality (BSE are in National 2) was superb and exactly the start to 2020 that the team wanted. I said last week that they hadn’t played together for a time, which would be a challenge, but the group stepped up and the reports from Tommy (Swallow) were very positive. It sets it up nicely this week for the visit of Medway RFC 2nd XV at the Paddock – it’s always a humdinger of a game against Medway RFC so to have a result like last week will give the boys real confidence ahead of this weekend.’
Despite his 1st XV’s bonus point win against Guildford RFC, one could tell that Bowman and his coaching staff, as well as players, were a little flat after the match. ‘Reflecting after the game, we were disappointed as a group that we didn’t have the energy levels that were present against Wimbledon RFC the week before. Of course, respect to Guildford, who I thought played much better rugby in patches, but I said to the group after, that if we want to maintain our current position, we will have to be a lot better in nearly all departments. I think it took a bit of time to sink in, but I hope that on reflection, the players agreed with me and the coaching staff.’
The Ladies Lunch is also back this weekend with a strong turnout expected again. Photo Credit: David Purday
Looking ahead to this Saturday, Oaks 1st XV are back at the Paddock and take on Dorking RFC, who beat Bowman’s side in October 26-23, albeit the score line suggesting a tighter game than it was, with Oaks scoring a try with the last play of the game. Bowman is in no doubt that his side will need to be at their best to get any kind of points out of the game. ‘Dorking really showed in the reverse fixture that longstanding experience at this level really counts. They have talent in abundance and an excellent goal kicker in Wilson, who we know doesn’t miss much.’
The Head Coach continued ‘Although they will start as favourites, I firmly believe, like with Wimbledon, that if we play with energy and accuracy in the detail of our game, we should cause them trouble. I’m also really looking forward to seeing how the 2nd XV get on against Medway. The 2nd XV league table is tight and we need a win to keep up the pressure on other teams around us, particularly as the league is slimmed down due to a couple of teams dropping out.’
‘The key and focus for me though this week is energy levels. We have to ensure that we are hitting the expected levels each week, or we will get quite literally stuck in the mud.’
To complete the fixture list this week, the 3rd XV are also at home, taking on Deal and Betteshanger RFC 2nd XV, but perhaps the tie of this weekend is the Mighty Gents, who take on local rivals Tonbridge Juddians, with both sides sitting second and first respectively.