Pre match moment of silence for the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II
Bishops Stortford RFC U18B 13-16 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 2nd XV
Sevenoaks Rugby Academy 2s got the season off to a winning start in an incredibly even-matched run out at Bishops Stortford on Sunday 11 September 2022.
In the dying throes of the game only resolute Oaks defending kept the home side at bay, after the visitors had enjoyed enormous proportions of the possession throughout the match without truly capitalising on it.
At half time it was 0-0, as the field position Oaks established time and again was not transferred into points. Crucially while the Oaks scrum was rock solid the Oaks line out was not functioning to its normal high standards. Still there was much to be positive about in the huddle at the break and a determined Oaks returned to the fray.
Sevenoaks duly secured the first points of the match with a Max Lindsay penalty, which earned a rapid response from Stortford as they secured a penalty of their own. Lindsay was impeccable from the kicking tee and kicks in open play all day.
Finally pressure told once more for Oaks as a well worked backs move resulted in field position in the home side’s 22 from where Max Avery managed to weave his way under the posts and Max L secured the extras.
The match then truly sprung to life as with 10 minutes to go and at 3-13 the Stortford right wing found some space and excellent connection and passing resulted in the try of the match for the home side to bring the score to 10-13 after an earlier Oaks penalty.
Some barraging runs by Oaks Man of the Match Liam Thomas and good interplay between the Oaks backs earned Oaks another penalty slotted by Max L and again a quick response from Stortford. As it was Oaks managed to hold on to edge an ultimately impressive season opener.
Academy 2nd XV vs Bishop's Stortford (A)
Fin Thomas Andrich Skein Harry Corsini Harry Fulcher Rui Beaufoy Sam Keenan Ryan Dixon Liam Thomas
Isaac Canham Max Lindsay Max Avery Freddie Rudd Toby Goodman Alfie Stratton Finn Good
Charlie Andrews Alex Holden
Academy 2nd XV Man of the Match Liam Thomas
Bishop's Stortford RFC U18 0-26 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV
After a nail biting 10-13 win for the Academy 2nd XV, the 1s got stuck into an athletic and physical Bishop’s Stortford side.
Stortford's senior mens 1st XV ply their trade at RFU level 3, so stiff opposition was expected for the young Oaks against such a large and successful rugby club.
Sevenoaks came out of the blocks very quickly and attempted to move the larger BS pack around the field with quick phase ball. For 10 minutes or so, it was a case of close but no cigar as Oaks made line breaks but failed to deliver the killer pass. The breakthrough finally occured from a solid lineout drive inside the BS 22. Scrum half Mac Leason to feed newly converted flanker Raphi Simmonds-Dance running a powerful unders line to breach the defence and score. Fly half Louis Bouverie added the extras to take Oaks into a 0-7 lead.
The game settled into a clear pattern. If Oaks were unimaginative or static with their carries, the powerful Bishops Stortford tight defence punished them with brutal collisions. When Oaks held their shape and shifted the point of attack, they were able to generate ruck ball so rapid that Stortford were struggling to contain them. The final pass eluded Oaks on several occasions before BS had their first sustained period of attack after poor Oaks discipline gave them field position.
To their immense credit, the young Oaks repelled several waves of powerful tight carries from the BS pack before forcing an error and relieving pressure through the exiting kick.
Oaks went back on the attack for the remainder of the first half. They got their reward when Bouverie floated an inch perfect pass over the top of the wide BS defence to give flyer Oli Ebsworth the sniff he needed to scorch down the right-hand side from 30 metres out. No conversion this time meant that Oaks went into half time 0-12 to the good.
A scuffle early in the 2nd half seemed to take a lot of momentum out of the game and it was a scrappy affair until the latter stages of the half, with neither team able to keep possession long enough to mount any significant pressure.
Fortunately, Oaks were able to finish with a flourish. A counter attack from inside their own half created quick ruck ball for several phases inside the BS 22. Centre Ruben Le Roux took full advantage by picking up from the back of yet another rapid ruck and powering through a fatigued Stortford guard defender to put the game beyond doubt. Bouverie converted to make the score 0-19.
Oaks were not done quite yet as another counter attack, this time instigated by Man of the Match Fin Stables, generated more quick phases deep inside Stortford territory. Le Roux was again the beneficiary, cutting an inside line off of debutant Nathan Brown - now on at fly half - to score his 2nd and Oaks' 4th try of the game. Brown added the extras to take the final score to 0-26.
Error count aside, this was an impressive performance to start the season. Bishops Stortford will expect to win a lot more fixtures than they lose this season. The power and athleticism of many of their squad was present for all to see. For their part, Sevenoaks endeavoured to play at a tempo that any team would find difficult to cope with. Naturally, this led to a degree of 'looseness' in some of the finer skills, but when it clicked it was a joy to watch. The squad now has several training weeks before the first Kent League game in October.
Starting lineup : Jack Wilson, Dom Stangroome, Drew Mercer, James Kerton (C), Arthur Hansen, Raphi Simmonds-Dance, Elliot Wright, Joe Sussmes, Mac Leason, Louis Bouverie, Luka Crowcroft, Fin Stables, Ruben Le Roux, Oli Ebsworth, Ollie May
Subs : Nic McLean, Tom Hewitt, Jake Tucker, Zach Ferguson, Nathan Brown, Juan Barnard
Academy 1st XV Man of the Match Fin Stables