We arrived at a cold dewy Brentwood on Sunday the 10th October with our first game being against Woodford at 10:30, the boys started very strongly putting 19 points on a hearty Woodford side and conceding nothing, the next game in our 3 team group was Upminster, a greater challenger for the group but we managed to grind out a 0-0 draw putting us through to the cup final to face moldon RFC, Moldon put up a good contest but we ended up winning 14-0 and progressed to the final against the hosts Brentwood, Brentwood posed the biggest challenge of the day scoring almost immediately after the game started putting pressure on the Oaks team, then with some marvellous individual play from Isaac Canham who picked and went through a gap by the ruck and went half the pitch beating the fullback, levelling the scores, we then managed to score two more with some gritty defence and determination ended up winning the contest 21-7 and left Brentwood tournament victors.
Aylesford Bulls U16As 7 - 24 Sevenoaks Academy U16As
Sevenoaks travelled to Aylesford Bulls on Sunday 3 October for a double header at Under 16s As and Bs levels.
In the first match the Oaks As enjoyed a rapid start. Collecting the kick off well and recycling down the narrow channel set up field position for Fin Stables to romp through the Bulls cover for a trademark try that Ben Pearl converted. But that strong start did not open the floodgates; actually quite the opposite.
Bulls were tenacious up front and their riposte came in the form of the home side 10 waltzing through the Oaks defence a little too easily. He converted his own try and at 7-7 the game was on.
What followed were a series of disrupted exchanges as both sides sought the ascendency to no avail and they entered the half time break still locked at 7-7.
A few adjustments at the break saw Oaks emerge with a little more composure and patience which soon paid off.
Oli Ebsworth made the breakthrough for Oaks with an outstanding individual break from the half way line to show his turn of pace and with the extras Oaks were 14-7 to the good.
The game then got stuck in a similarly abrasive pattern to the first half until great play by Joe Sussmus in the loose presented Oaks outside half Ben Pearl with the opportunity to run a try in and put the game out of the home side’s reach.
In the final flourishes there was enough time for Oli to add the icing on the cake as he secured his second try to round off an outstanding all round Oaks performance.
Aylesford Bulls U16Bs 12-20 Sevenoaks Academy U16Bs
Having watched the U16A’s win through in a disjointed game, marred by some interesting refereeing, it was deja vu for the U16Bs!
Despite conceding an early try, the boys played with aggression and intent and responded with a well worked try and conversion for captain Thomas after some good offloading and collision wins However, the first half saw an unbelievable penalty count of 9-0 against Oaks culminating in a penalty try to Aylesford. To the legions of Oaks fans, however, it certainly wasn’t clear and obvious that a try would have been scored. We levelled the scores at 12-12 despite some of their A team coming on, which led to nervy last 5 mins.
Oaks then shunned a shot at goal much to the dismay of the away fans but were luckily rewarded with another penalty after excellent rucking in their 22. Thomas kicked the goal to make it 15-12. From the restart, Oaks won back possession and then an off load to Thomas led to a final deserved try, 40m and 7 defenders later. Result 20-12 to Sevenoaks…. Overall, an excellent performance from all 18 – all the basics were done extremely well and the lads handled a very frustrating match admirably.
Squad list: Nick McLean, Charlie Andrews, Jacob Bund, Fionn Daly, Max Gilbey, Conrad Sykes, Kam Sattretin, Liam Thomas (C), Alexander Blackmore, Will Francombe, Joe D'Alessio, Chris Barrett, Will Curtis, Sam Keenor, Alex Holden
Subs: Dan Featherstone, Sashan Chandrasekera, Jack Davies-O'Malley
Oaks Academy U16s played their first fixture as an 'A' squad on Sunday, producing a physical and clinical performance to down a very physically imposing Romford side.
Having gone out of county to find bigger and sterner challenges, there was admittedly a small amount of apprehension from the coaching staff when it became apparent that Oaks would be without several front-line players due to injury and availability. Romford's arrival at the Paddock - where Head Coach Dawson mistook several of the Essex outfit to be opposition for our later U18s game - did nothing to alleviate this.
As it turned out, this apprehension was wildly misplaced.
Oaks shot out of the blocks. They turned Romford over almost immediately from the kick-off and quickly won a penalty in phase play. This was followed by several lineout drives, each resulting in another penalty. Finally, a driving maul stopped legally a couple of metres out was capitalised on by strong pick and go play, resulting in talismanic number 8 Frank Kitchen powering over from close range. The width of the try made the conversion incredibly difficult, so Oaks had to settle for an early 5-0 lead.
Oaks 16s succeeded where the older academy groups have thus far failed this season with a superbly effective exit straight from the kick-off. The Oaks defence applied pressure from the Romford lineout and won a turnover on the floor which was followed very quickly by a penalty for hands in the ruck. Oaks once again went for the corner and another strong lineout drive enabled prop Jack Wilson to break off and surprise Romford's guard defence for a second score. The conversion from wide out went unconverted, but Oaks were 10-0 and dominant.
At this stage, fly half Angus Hall's kicking game really took over. Romford simply couldn't get out of their own half. Another turnover on the floor just inside the Romford 22 was followed by a sweeping wide strike move that resulted in impressive winger Alfie Stratton going over in the corner for Oaks' third try. Sadly for Hall, his magnificent kicking from hand was being undermined by his teammates seemingly having a 'who can score closest to the touchline' competition. Another impossible conversion was duly missed and Oaks found themselves 15-0 up instead of a much more commanding 21-0.
Romford to this point had struggled to really build any phases. Their extremely direct attacking style was coming up short against very powerful Oaks defence and this was leading to frequent turnovers. However, it was clear to anyone watching their warmup that they had players out wide who were one weak tackle away from scoring an incredible try at any point. This looked as if it might happen when Romford forced a turnover of their own and immediately shifted the ball wide to their left winger. Oaks were set up to attack, leaving right winger Oli Ebsworth with a huge amount of space to cover on the scramble. Fortunately, Ebsworth proved to be every bit as lighting fast as the Romford winger and bundled him to touch some 30m further down the pitch. Oaks had received their first real warning.
Encouraged by their line break, Romford started to push the ball wider in their phase play and once again caught the Oaks midfield a little too narrow. This time it was Alfie Stratton's turn to prove his defensive worth by shutting down the Romford right winger with another outstanding scramble tackle. Romford were showing signs of promise, but Oaks went in to half time 15-0 up and deservedly so.
Oaks knew that despite their dominance, their lead was by no means unassailable and they began the 2nd half with fantastic energy and urgency. Their increasingly impressive ruck defence forced a knock on in line with the posts around Romford's 22. From the ensuing scrum, number 9 Ben Pearl ghosted blind and used clever decoy lines from his outside backs to open up a hole for himself. He glided through for Oaks' 4th try. With fly half Hall off with a hip injury, Pearl had to convert his own try to take Oaks into a 22-0 lead.
Changes for both sides at half time did affect the fluidity of the game and much of the remainder of the match was spent in the middle third of the pitch. On one occasion where Romford were able to force their way up into Oaks territory, powerful defence from the likes of Rui Beaufoy, Ryan Dixon and the immense Frank Kitchen stopped their big runners in their tracks. On the other side of the ball, centre Raphi Simmonds-Dancer was beginning to influence the increasingly scrappy game more and more. Powerful carries close to the ruck got Oaks back up into Romford territory. There they remained until centre Sam Sherwood, who had been growing more and more into the game, found fullback Max Avery running a fantastic line to scythe through the Romford midfield and go over for Oaks' 5th and final try. Pearl added the extras for a 29-0 win.
This was an impressive performance from the young Oaks. It was their first 'A' fixture since joining the Academy and they executed their new patterns and plays extremely well. This combined with a ferocious defence and some excellent game-sense made them too much for a very physically impressive Romford to handle. Romford for their part were incredibly combative and lacked no threat in the wide areas of the pitch. Indeed one can easily see them putting some big scores on other opposition throughout this season.
Next up for the Oaks U16s is a double header at Aylesford Bulls 16As and Bs next weekend.
Squad list: Peter LaTrobe, Andrich Skein, Jack Wilson, Arthur Hansen, Rui Beaufoy, Ryan Dixon, Tom Hewitt, Frank Kitchen, Ben Pearl, Angus Hall, Alfie Stratton, Sam Sherwood, Raphi Simmonds-Dancer, Oli Ebsworth, Max Avery
Subs: Fin Thomas, Mac Raymond, Liam Thomas, Will Francombe, Alex Holden
Oaks and Bromley enjoy compelling run out
Oaks play Aylesford and emerge strong from lockdown
Oaks hosted Old Alleynians in the Kent Plate semi final, both teams having exited the Cup the previous week. On a soft pitch with a strong breeze, conditions were not ideal but both teams were up for the match with the Plate Final the reward for winning. Oaks started the stronger and soon broke the defensive line to score out wide. From then on in, it was a stop start game with both teams conceding penalties and a fair amount of scrums preventing any momentum although Oaks were enjoying the better of possession and territory. Old As were dogged and against the run of play scored a try, and duly converted it just before half time to lead 5-7 at the break.
Despite being against the wind, Oaks started the second half brightly and again were on top and again broke through early to retake the lead, this time through some power forward play. Unable to convert, the game was still tightly poised. The Oaks forwards were having a grip on the match though and continued to test the defence and also provide a platform for the backs. Eventually, the killer try deservedly came for Oaks through more forward graft and craft near to the end and clinch the win, 15-7.
Oaks welcomed Blackheath, current Kent Champions for the Kent Cup quarter finals. The match began in a fierce manner with both teams fighting for possession in difficult conditions, play being restricted to the middle of the pitch. The visitors eventually broke the deadlock with a rolling maul and resulting break down the wing. They then added another shortly afterwards after intercepting a loose pass. Sevenoaks were up for the battle and began to exert more pressure resulting in a clever cross field kick to let the Oaks winger in for a deserved try. The score at HT was 5-12 and all to play for. The second half was equally combative with defences standing strong but it was the visitors again who struck next with 2 tries in 10 minutes, clinically working overlaps. Sevenoaks came back at them fighting hard and again had plenty of possession and territory. Unfortunately, they could not convert this into points as the Blackheath defence stood firm. The final score was 5-24 but the score did not reflect a much closer match with 2 teams giving everything in a very entertaining contest that could have gone either way at one point. Well done to Oaks for a very decent display.
After a few weeks enforced lay off due to the weather, Oaks were relishing a run out away at Vigo. Playing up hill and against the wind in the first half, the opening exchanges were tight in midfield. Soon though, Oaks started to exert more pressure and with quick hands and fluid support they began to stretch the Vigo defence. And with Vigo starting to concede penalties, Oaks were restarting play quickly to catch Vigo on the hop. Mid way through the half, Oaks were scoring tries and led 36-0 at HT. The second half was one way traffic with the elements in their favour and Oaks cemented their win. But this was more about the play and not the score. Oaks kept their shape and game plan together to the end allowing for 9 different try scorers, illustrating a team performance
Oaks travelled down the road to TJs and played on the all weather pitch to beat the weather at least. From the start, against the strong wind, Sevenoaks struggled to gain any decent possession and were on the back foot for most of the first half with TJs constantly testing a strong defensive effort. TJs inevitably broke Oaks down and scored 3 tries with no reply and were up 17-0 at HT. The second half started as the first and TJs quickly ran in another try after a poor pass. But then the tide turned. Oaks suddenly began to dominate and after some continual pressure, scored a try. And then another and then another. This was now a very different game with Oaks controlling the play. In the last minute, Oaks thought they were clean through only for it to be pulled back. The final whistle came too early for Oaks with the final score 19-24.
Oaks entertained Canterbury in a rearranged Kent Cup group match on a heavy pitch. From the off it was a close encounter with both teams defending very well and neither team making much ground. Oaks then struck first after 17 minutes of deadlock when they reacted first to a botched lineout to power through the melee. The visitors hit back after they sucked in the defence and then used the space on the outside to score a converted try. After the break, Oaks went back into the lead after a deft kick through was picked up and dotted down. With the game swinging back and forth it was Canterbury who regained the lead, powering over from close range and then scored another in a similar fashion. Final score 10-17 to the visitors. Credit to both teams for a huge effort in difficult conditions and yet still played some decent rugby.
Oaks u16s made the short trip to Westcombe Park for a Kent Cup group match. The opening encounters were a bit messy with both teams competing hard in midfield but Oaks finally broke the deadlock after 10 minutes and then quickly crossed over again, capitalizing on a ball becoming free following a forceful tackle on halfway. A great forwards try followed from a well executed lineout catch and drive before some loose defence allowed WP to score a try just before the break, Oaks winning at HT 21-7.
The second half was much more straight forward for Oaks who now fully controlled the game. Clever kicks, sound handling and support backed up with a solid defence left WP reeling. Oaks scored a further 5 tries, all converted with no reply to win the match 56-7.
Oaks travelled to Old Dunstonians in the host’s first ever home match as a newly formed team. In a tight opening, it was the home team that edged ahead with a penalty after 5 minutes. Oaks were being punished several times for scrum indiscipline and struggled to get a hold in the game as both teams defended stoutly in midfield. As the half wore on, Oaks did begin to exert more pressure and were duly rewarded with a well worked try; switching the play to find space in the wide areas. With a converted penalty, Oaks were leading at half time 8-3. After the break, Oaks began to control the game; much more disciplined in the scrum, faster line speed and winning the breakdown. Two trys followed, 1 converted and there was daylight opening up. The hosts were rattled, losing 2 players to the sin bin and Oaks exploited the numbers from the resulting penalty with a fine kick pass to the wing to score another try. Old Dunstonians did not give up though and scored a consolation try at the end but the match was over with Oaks winning 25-8.
Oaks hosted Edenbridge in a friendly match. From the start Oaks were enjoying possession and territory with the forwards winning the rucks, holding the scrums and driving the mauls. The backs were handling the ball really well and with the forwards making holes in the Edenbridge defence, there was plenty of space outside to be exploited. Edenbridge were spirited though and did score a try in the first half to temporarily stop the flow. However, Oaks were clinical running in 7 tries from 7 different players to claim a 41-7 win
Oaks hosted Bromley in a friendly match designed to test the whole squad. The visitors started the brighter and exploited gaps in the Oaks defence, scoring a try to take the lead after the home side had edged in front with a penalty. Oaks then began to take more control and after a knock into the corner, executed the perfect lineout to score from a driving maul and led at the break 10-7. Oaks dominated the second half but poor decision making and poor execution meant they could not kill the game off. This proved costly as Bromley took a quick penalty just in the Oaks half to catch the hosts napping and score in the corner to win 12-10
Oaks hosted Folkestone in the first round of Kent Cup group matches. The first 15 minutes saw the visitors put on all sorts of pressure but the Oaks held out and slotted over a penalty in one of their rare periods of play in the Folkestone half. The visitors hit back and took advantage of a loose defence to score the first try of the match under the posts, duly converted. Oaks then began to rectify their poor rucking and scrums to slowly turn the tide and take the game on the front foot, resulting in 2 tries before the break to lead 17-7 at HT. The second half saw Oaks starting to dominate play in all areas and scored 2 more well worked tries to pretty much put the game to bed. However, credit to the visitors who did not give up and with Oaks having to make several changes and down to 14 players, Folkestone scored 2 tries in the last 10 minutes. But the game was over with Oaks winning 31-19
Westcombe Park 14 - Sevenoaks 23
For the second time in a season the two teams were drawn together in a cup match. In the previous encounter (Kent Met Cup Semi-final) Oaks, having been behind for most of the game, sealed the win with a last minute try to tie the game at 19-19 with the conversion from the touchline confirming victory at 19-21.
This time round Westcombe Park came out of the blocks on fire, eager to make up for the loss earlier in the season. The pressure paid off and Park took the lead 7-0. Oaks came back after a long period of phase play and great work by the forwards, Foster crashing over from a driving maul to make it 7-5.
From the restart Oaks gained possession, retained and recycled the ball to great effect. A clever chip through from O'Donnell saw inside centre Wines gather and sprint through to touch down out wide to bring the score to 7-10. Oaks again applied the pressure from the restart and earnt themselves a kickable penalty which O'Donnell slotted over to make it 7-13
Park again came back with a converted try of their own to bring the score to 14-13.
Oaks enjoyed sustained possession and territory for several phases, resulting in a scrum 10 metres out. A clever back row move by Hansen saw him crash over to edge Oaks' lead to 14-18.
From the restart Oaks defended solidly, through great work from the forwards, won the turnover and attacked with zeal. The best backs move of the day was finished by Sarkesian who crossed the line for the final score of the day, making it 14-23 at full time.
Under sunny skies Sevenoaks played some (mostly) excellent rugby to beat a fine Old Colfe's side and win their first silverware of this season, triumphing in the Kent Met Cup.
Gravesend hosted Sevenoaks on Sunday 13th November for a morning of rugby played in good spirit in front of a crowd enjoying late autumn sunshine.
Oaks began strongly and Osenton scored a well worked try out wide to take the scores to 5 - 0.
Gravesend responded and after a period of sustained forwards pressure, they breached the Sevenoaks' defence and drew level, at 5 all.
From the restart, Sevenoaks gathered the ball, the pack driving up field and then recycling to O'Donnell who chipped ahead audaciously, gathered his own kick and then sped over the try line under the posts to score a try he also converted to take the scores to 12 - 5.
After this score the rugby ebbed and flowed, but always entertained, with Gravesend spending the final five minutes of the half camped on the Sevenoaks' try line, with only tenacious defence keeping them at bay till the half time whistle.
After half time fresh legs came on for Sevenoaks and fairly quickly Wines burst through two tackles, dummied two defenders and off loaded to Hansen, running a fine support line, who dotted over to take the scores to 17 - 5.
Five minutes later a powerful run from Ridley, leaving defenders in his wake and showing his pace, resulted in the final try of the match, taking the score to 22 - 5.
Team: Stewart, Weekes, Sarkesian, Bram-De-Carvalho, O’Donnell, Bernicchi , Woolard, Northcroft, Martin, Marshall, Channon, Stone, Smith, Stephenson, Atkins, Hansen, Ridley, Osenton, Wines (Capt), Brown, Garrigan-Twyford
In what we knew was going to be one of our toughest fixtures of the year, Oaks once again raised their game to match the physicality of the opposition.
In a tense opening 10 minutes, Oaks were put under territorial pressure, but once possession was secured, Oaks were onto the counter attack with immediate effect, forwards linking well with the backs, a moved finished by a clever switch between Ridley and Wines, for Wines to go under the posts, O’Donnell adding the extras.
Ashford came back strongly and applied further pressure, but an infringement at the breakdown allowed Oaks to clear their lines. From the resulting line out Oaks put the ball through hands and an evasive run by centre Ridley saw him cross under the posts, O’Donnell converting.
Oaks were certainly up for a game of rugby and the boys keen to let their rugby skills do the talking, and continue to play in good spirit. Ferocious at the breakdown, the forwards got on top of the game, Martin, Stone and Hansen, competing hard at the breakdown and winning good ball for the backs to run at Ashford. This time the ball moved nicely through hands with a clever inside ball from Wines well finished by Jones running a lovely attacking line to go over under the posts.
Half Time 0-21.
A simple mistake from the restart costs Oaks territory and possession. An infringement 5 meters out and the quick thinking of the Ashford No 8 saw him crash over from close range with the extras added to make it 7-21.
It was the wake up call that the boys needed, Woolard, Teare, G-T and Sarkesian, competing well at the breakdown to recycle quick ball. The ball played beautifully through hands saw Stewart on the wing going over out wide, after some dazzling footwork. A fantastic effort from O’Donnell adding the extras from the touchline.
When under pressure in your own 22, do we look to clear it - no! We were here to play rugby, Brown, Foster, Bernicchi and Tiago competing well and working hard to secure good possession, Wines taking a pop pass at speed, finding the gap and hitting it hard; a powerful sprint from the 22 leaving tacklers in his wake to score under the posts. O’Donnell, who definitely brought his kicking boots, slotting the conversion.
With seconds left on the clock, a simple kick to touch could have pegged Ashford back in their own 22, but Oaks had other ideas! After some champagne rugby - forwards and backs linking well in midfield, Hansen was in the right place to take a pass at speed from O’Donnell to cross over for the final try of the game. O’Donnell finishing with a conversion once again.
Squad
Woolard, Brown, Foster, Teare, G-T, Stone, Sarkesian, Hansen, Martin, Bernicchi, O’Donnell, Wines (Cpt), Ridley, Jones, Stewart, Tiago, Green (T)
Sevenoaks U15s earned a thrilling victory in the semi-final of the Kent Met Cup against Westcombe Park, despite trailling 19 - 7 at one point.
Tries by Hansen, O'Donnell and Wines and great kicking by O'Donnell earned Oaks a last gasp victory.
Oaks play Old Colfs in the Final on 4th December.
