Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV 21-7 Sidcup RFC U18s

Oaks Academy got their U18 National Cup campaign up and running with a hard fought win against a young Sidcup side at the Paddock.

A lot of the Sidcup side had pipped Oaks in the U16 Kent Cup final last season, so a stern test was expected. 

For their part, Oaks played some fantastic rugby in the opening 20 minutes of the game. The speed of the ruck ball caused a lot of problems for Sidcup's defence as Oaks made several significant line breaks early on through outside centre Brennan O'Keefe. Unfortunately, forced passes and unnecessary offload attempts coughed up possession at key moments and the scores remained 0-0 until Oaks finally nailed a 4-phase starter play off lineout. Fly half Max Lindsay was the beneficiary as he was put in out wide by captain Fin Stables. The conversion attempt was just wide, but Oaks were on the move at 5-0.

More poor decision making from the home side and some belligerent carrying from the visitors led to several penalties and field position for Sidcup. They maintained pressure in the Oaks 22 for an extended period and after several powerful mauls, they crashed over from short range and converted to take the lead at 5-7.

Sevenoaks responded well and forced a penalty almost immediately from the kick off. Having turned down other kickable attempts earlier in the half, mature heads prevailed, and Lindsay stepped up to kick the three and take Oaks in at half time, 8-7 up.

The 2nd half was very much tit for tat, but fortunately for the home side, Oaks got that little bit more out of their periods of ascendancy. Oaks like to use 22-man squads in these games to manage the minutes of players who are playing a lot of school rugby - on this occasion, the bench was a real strength as the likes of hooker Andrich Skien and flanker Liam Thomas consistently dented the Sidcup defence. 

Another 3 pointer from Lindsay took Oaks out to an 11-7 lead before Oaks weathered another storm from the Sidcup pack to keep the visitors at bay. Returning Luca Esposito was at the forefront of the defensive effort as he won crucial turnovers to prevent a Sidcup score.

Captain Fin Stables broke Sidcup hearts with about 10 minutes to play as he overpowered several visiting defenders off turnover ball to gallop in from 50m out and take Oaks into a 16-7 lead. Lindsay was unable to add the extras, but a sweeping move a few moments later put the game beyond doubt as the outstanding O'Keefe finally got himself on the scoresheet. 21-7 to Oaks.

Sevenoaks finished the game on top as O'Keefe very nearly got his 2nd in the final moments, but such a scoreline would not have done Sidcup justice after such a brave effort.

The game ended 21-7 and there was very much a feeling of 'job done but work to do' in the home camp huddle post-match.

Oaks now await confirmation of their opponents for round 2 on October 8th with bated breath. More immediately, the academy U16s kick off their Kent League season next Sunday against Old Colfeians and the Academy 2s have a friendly against old friends and rivals, TJs.

Squad list: Max Gilbey, Harry Gullett, Colby Bedford-Eatwell, Arthur Hansen, Raphi Simmonds-Dance, Jake Tucker, Tom Hewitt, George Booth, Zach Ferguson, Max Lindsay, Oli Ebsworth, Fin Stables (C), Brennan O'Keefe, Joel Walter, Hamish McQueen

Subs: Taylor Nash, Andrich Skein, Luca Esposito, Liam Thomas, Isaac Canham, Ben Pearl, Charlie Thoma
MotM : Tom Hewitt

Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV 17-16 Tonbridge Juddians RFC U18s

Sevenoaks Academy 1st XV took on National Finalists Tonbridge Juddians in the Kent Cup final on Sunday just weeks after unknowingly securing the Kent League title in a hard fought victory at The Slade in March. A misunderstanding of the league format had meant that both teams were previously expecting this game to decide the league, when in fact the league and cup were, in the county's eyes at least, two separate things.

So, TJs looking to secure some silverware vs Oaks looking to earn the right to call themselves 'double Kent Champions'. A tasty encounter was on the cards.......and it didn't disappoint. 

The previous game at the Slade was a brutally physical encounter, with forward play and defence of the highest quality from both teams. However, it would be fair to say that the higher numbers didn't see much of the ball in that contest. At Knole Paddock on Sunday, the brutal physicality was still present, but both teams looked to move the ball a lot more frequently, resulting in a fantastic game for the supporters.

The visitors started brightly, applying massive defensive pressure from their kickoff and forcing Oaks into an early error just outside of their 22 on the left. From the ensuing scrum, Oaks got a little impatient and went for a jackal turnover that wasn't really on, resulting in a penalty and 3 points early on for TJs. 

The next few minutes were tit-for-tat as play was conducted in the middle third, with both teams looking use their kicking game to find space behind very well organised defences. Oaks gained the upper hand in the exchange when left wing Luka Crowcroft made solid yards up the left hand side from a TJs kick before quick ruck ball was fed to powerful prop Gregor Pauling who put another significant dent in the TJs defence. The quick ruck ball that Oaks so desperately craved was secured and in a sweeping move, the ball went from the left 15m line to the right hand touchline before winger Oli Ebsworth fed the ball back inside to centre Ruben Le Roux to score Oaks' first try of the game. Fly half Louis Bouverie converted the score to take Sevenoaks in to 7-3 lead.

Unfortunately for the home side, they were unable to replicate this success in attack for the remainder of the half. Basic errors at the usually impregnable lineout coupled with unforced handling errors meant that Oaks spent almost the entirety of the rest of the 1st half defending. To their credit, they did so exceptionally well, limiting TJs to just two kickable penalty opportunites. The TJs kicker was only able to convert one of them, giving a half time score of 7-6. 

The 2nd half began in much the same way that the 1st had ended. TJs having the lions share of possession, with Sevenoaks struggling to look after the ball in attack and continuining to make uncharacteristic errors at the set piece. Their fluency wasn't aided by an injury to fullback Ollie May, who had been having an excellent game up to that point. This coupled to an early 1st half injury to powerhouse centre Fin Stables, meant that previously substituted scrum half Mac Leason had to return to play on the left wing. Leason then took a nasty bump after an aerial contest and had to come off, meaning that Oaks played the last 15 minutes of the game with flanker George Burgess competing manfully on the left wing.

It is a huge testament to Sevenoaks' defensive capabilities that TJs' only return for a 20 minute period of territorial dominance was another 3 pointer and an opportunistic try from the one occasion when Oaks' failed to deal with a probing kick into their 22. However, with the score now at 7-16 and roughly 10 minutes to play, a historic double victory was beginning to look in doubt. 

The severity of the situation seemed to galvanise the home side. Bouverie had been testing the TJs back field all game long with a relentless kicking game, but now the Oaks chasers redoubled their efforts and exerted enough pressure on the TJs backfield to win a midfield penalty. Oaks finally got their lineout drive going and were stopped just 5m out from the TJs try line. They trusted their attack systems as repeated pick and gos tightened up the TJs defence, allowing Bouverie to find Crowcroft with a cut out pass to outflank the TJs scramble. Crowcroft fed Le Roux who dotted down out wide for his and Sevenoaks' 2nd try. The conversion was a difficult one, but Bouverie was up to the task, overcoming the pressure of the moment to slot the kick and bring Oaks' back to within 2 points at 14-16. 

Oaks found their way downfield after Crowcroft broke the line from a left hand scrum and after another tit-for-tat exchange, TJs ended up with a lineout between their own 22 and 10m line. Messy lineout ball forced the TJs fly half to run back into the lineout traffic, where the referee perceived that obstruction had taken place. The angle of the kick was not favourable, but once again Bouverie stepped up to the mark. With 2 minutes on the clock, everyone knew that this kick would possibly, if not probably, decide the match. It could not have been more through the middle. 17-16 with 2 to play.

TJs had one last roll of the dice as they forced a right hand scrum from a botched Oaks lineout. They desperately tried to get the ball wide to their powerful outside centre, but such was the pressure exerted by centres Pearl and Le Roux, the ball was fumbled with the clock in the red. Oaks had done it! Kent League and now Kent Cup champions!

This was a hugely entertaining game played by two teams who without question are two of the best club u18 sides in the country. The carrying power of TJs forward pack was a constant threat and Oaks' defence had to be of the highest calibre to keep them to one try. The physicality of players like Zach Johnson and Frank Kitchen, both of whom are U17s, was truly a marvel to behold. Apart from defensive excellence, Oaks won the game by being just a little bit more accurate in attack in the outside channels when it mattered. 

Man of the match could easily have gone to Ruben Le Roux for his brace of tries, or fly half Bouverie for two outstanding kicks at goal under enormous pressure. However, it was decided that captain James Kerton deserved the gong, with one of the most energetic performances ever put in by a tight five forward. 

The academy group now has just one game left for this season. Ironically, it is an Academy 2nd XV game against none other than our friends and rivals, TJs. Sunday 23rd April at The Slade. 

Squad list : Gregor Pauling, Dom Stangroome, Oli Langley, James Kerton (C), Zach Johnson, George Burgess, Elliot Wright, Frank Kitchen, Mac Leason, Louis Bouverie, Luka Crowcroft, Fin Stables, Ruben Le Roux, Oli Ebsworth, Ollie May

Subs : Jack Wilson, Drew Mercer, Ben McClinton, Zach Ferguson, Ben Pearl

Non-playing injury reserves : Jake Tucker, Isaac Canham 

Tonbridge Juddians RFC U18 17-20 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV (19-03-23)

Sevenoaks travelled to The Slade looking to make it 4 from 4 in the Kent League, which would grant them top spot in the table and qualify them for the playoff final in April. 

The challenge they faced was a stern one, as they took on a TJs side who are looking forward to a National Cup semi-final vs Bury St Edmunds on April 2nd. 

The game promised to be hugely physical and it didn't disappoint. 

Both teams opened with some huge carries met by equally powerful defence. Unable to break through in phase play, TJs struck first with a cleverly weighted kick from their 12 getting them in behind the Oaks defence. As Oaks raced back to diffuse the kick, it bounced horribly for the visitors and the hard chasing TJs 8 scooped up the loose ball before riding a desperate tackle to score. The try was converted an the home side led 7-0. 

Sevenoaks struck back almost immediately as TJs indescretions at the breakdown granted Oaks possession at the lineout inside the oppo 22. A powerful driven lineout crashed over the TJs line, with hooker Dom Stangroome the beneficiary. Fly half Bouverie was unable to add the extras, but at 7-5, Oaks were up and running.

The remainder of the half was largely played between the 22s as both teams' defence created slow, messy ball for the attack. In fact, it was defensive pressure that led to the next try of the game as TJs fumbled on an attempted counterattack from inside their own 22. Centre Fin Stables was first to react as he fended off two tackle attempts to go in under the posts. Bouverie added the extras and Oaks went in at half-time 7-12 up. 

Bouverie kicked an early 2nd half penalty to give Oaks a 7-15 cushion (if it could be called that), before TJs enjoyed a sustained period of ascendancy. 

First a charge down from an attempted Oaks clearance kick brought the home side back to 12-15 before a sniping run from a 5m scrum put their right winger in for a 17-15 lead with just under 20 minutes to play. 

Oaks raised their tempo and managed to string together enough quality phases to force penalties out of the TJs defence. Oaks used this territory to launch several powerful driving mauls in a short period, with starting 7 and Man of the Match Elliot Wright now throwing in after an injury to Stangroome. The culmination of these was a pulverising effort that began a few metres inside the TJs 22 and kept going until replacement prop Drew Mercer dotted down over the line to give the visitors a 17-20 lead. 

There was still time for TJs to launch a final assault on the Oaks try line. Having broken the halfway line, TJs created quick ruck ball a few metres out from the Oaks line over on the left. Their replacement hooker looked guaranteed to score as he came from what seemed like a mile away to charge at the holes in the Oaks defence around the ruck. He was denied by an absolutely bone-crunching hit from try scorer Mercer. TJs frustration got the better of them and chat to the referee led to a penalty that would ultimately make the game safe for Oaks.

The visitors launched one final attack of their own in an attempt to score the decisive try that would have seen Canterbury join them in the final instead of TJs, but brave defence from the home side prevented any such score and in the end, after a bit of 'to-me, to-you' with the ball, Stables decided to get the ball off the park and secure a momentous win.

There were some mixed emotions at the final whistle for the young Oaks side and it's coaching team. On the one hand, they had just beaten one of the best teams in the country and in doing so, secured top spot in the league. On the other hand, due to unique way that the competition is structured, Oaks knew that they would now have to beat this incredibly imposing TJs a second time if they are to call themselves Kent Champions. 

Confirmation of the final date awaits the result of TJs' semi-final as for some bizarre reason, the planned Kent Finals day is on the same day as the National Cup final. 

Squad list : Gregor Pauling, Dom Stangroome, Oli Langley, James Kerton (C), Ben McClinton, George Burgess, Elliot Wright, Frank Kitchen, Zach Ferguson, Louis Bouverie, Jake Tucker, Fin Stables, Ruben Le Roux, Oli Ebsworth, Luka Crowcroft

Subs : Drew Mercer, Zach Johnson, Ryan Dixon, Isaac Canham, Ben Pearl

Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV 67-0 Bromley RFC Colts

Luka Crowcroft - Man of the Match!

Sevenoaks continued their winning run in the U18 Kent League with a powerful display against a young Bromley side at the Paddock on Sunday morning.

Oaks did the majority of the damage in a blitzkrieg of a 1st half display that saw powerful defensive sets creating multiple opportunities to counterattack. Oaks were equally clinical off set piece and in their phase attack. 

Oaks scored 8 tries before half time. Centre Fin Stables opened the scoring after a wonderful crossfield kick from fly half Louis Bouverie. Elliot Wright was next to score after getting on the end of a sweeping counterattack from inside the Oaks half. Long range tries for winger Jake Tucker, centre Angus Hall, Bouverie and number 8 Frank Kitchen were complimented with a couple of vintage Oaks driven lineout tries for Dom Stangroome. Hall converted 4 from 8 and Oaks led 48-0 at half time. 

Oaks emptied their bench at half-time and the replacements picked up where the starters had left off. Ben Pearl, now playing at fly half having started on the wing, made a searing break from inside the Oaks half before drawing the Bromley fullback and feeding Man of the Match Luka Crowcroft to take Oaks over 50. Such a lead would normally signal an early finish to the match, but to their credit, Bromley agreed to play on for a little while longer so that young Oaks coming off the bench got more than a couple of minutes of game time. 

Unfortunately, their fighting spirit did little to change the course of events on the field as replacement winger Max Avery broke through before feeding Hall to score his 2nd before one last counterattack from deep saw Hall bag his hattrick. All 2nd half tries were converted and at 67-0, Bromley requested that the game be ended early. 

Bromley will no doubt be significantly stronger next season when their core of U17s have matured physically. To their credit, they might have kept the scoreboard a little tighter by playing more conservatively, but they came to play and one has to admire their ambition. 

For their part, Sevenoaks stuck to process even as the score began to mount - not always as an easy thing for a youth team to do when they are on top. Some of the rugby played was absolutely outstanding, but Oaks never allowed their basics of defence and set piece to be compromised. 

They now look forward to the challenge of all challenges in their final league game on March 19th, away at National Cup semi-finalists Tonbridge Juddians. The challenge will be all the more difficult given that TJs need to win the game in order to make the finals day in April, due to a slip up in their first league game before Christmas with a depleted squad vs Old Colfeians. 

It should be an absolute cracker of a game, whatever the final result. All Oaks rugby enthusiasts are encouraged to make the short journey to the Slade to support the lads! 

Squad list : Jack Wilson, Elliot Wright, Oli Langley, James Kerton (C), Zach Johnson, George Burgess, Dom Stangroome, Frank Kitchen, Zach Ferguson, Louis Bouverie, Jake Tucker, Angus Hall, Fin Stables, Ben Pearl, Luka Crowcroft

Subs : Drew Mercer, Max Gilbey, Tom Hewitt, Max Avery, Isaac Canham 

Canterbury RFC U18s 12-15 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV

The academy 1st XV travelled to the Canterbury on Sunday, hoping to make it two wins from two in the Kent League. Canterbury have had the better of the exchanges at U18s level in recent seasons, so a stern test was expected.

The game started in a frenetic and somewhat error-strewn manner. Both sides looked to play at a very tempo, arguably faster than either could manage! 

Oaks looked the more dangerous of the two sides and began to pin Canterbury back into their half. A strong defensive set forced a long Canterbury clearance kick that didn't find touch. Winger Oli Ebsworth returned it with interest, before linking with fullback Angus Hall and centre Ruben Le Roux to get the ball wide-left to Isaac Canham. Canham had a lot to, but his quick feet turned the Canterbury cover inside-out before he dotted the ball down in the corner. Hall added the extras and Oaks took a 0-7 lead.

The 1st half settled into a somewhat frustrating rhythm for the visitors. Strong defensive sets led to multiple possessions inside the Canterbury half. The Oaks carrying game was strong and multiple opportunities were created, but time and again an Oaks player would force an offload to an isolated teammate or players would go early and leave the ball behind them. It continued much in this fashion until Oaks finally did show some patience in attack and worked a resulting shortside overlap to put Canham in for his 2nd try. Hall was unable to add the extras this time. 0-12. 

Oaks were on top for the remainder of the half, with Canterbury unable to escape their own territory. Fly half Bouverie appeared to have added a 3rd try with a razor sharp inside step during phase play, but was unlucky to be called back after the referee deemed that he had accidentally impeded a potential tackler.

Oaks went in at half-time 0-12 to the good, but frustrated that they had failed to really capitalise on their first half ascendency. 

The pattern of errors reared it's ugly head immediately into the 2nd half, as Oaks gifted possession to the home side time and again. This became a real problem as the heavy duty Canterbury runners, who had been dealt with very effectively in the 1st period, began to make bigger and bigger dents in the Oaks defence as the half wore on. 

A clever inside ball from the Canterbury 10 to their winger opened up the previously air-tight Oaks defensive line, with the winger showing outrageous feet to step two players and score from 40m out. It was now 5-12 and suddenly the missed opportunities of the 1st half were viewed in a completely different light. 

The rest of the 2nd half fell into a pattern. Oaks would defend stoically, win possession back, almost score a wonder try on the counter and then either cough up possession or get carried away and give a penalty away somewhere inside the Canterbury 22. Canterbury would kick the ensuing penalty to touch inside the Oaks half and the process would start again. 

Finally, the visitors managed to push Canterbury back into their half and keep them there for a sustained period. This resulted in a kickable penalty, which Bouverie - on his way to a Man of the Match award - slotted to take Oaks to a 5-15 lead. 

This would proved to be the game winning moment just seconds later as an Oaks mix up at scrum time gifted the impressive Canterbury flanker with a run-in from 20m out, which with the conversion duly added brought the score to 12-15. 

The final phase of play was heart-stopping for the coaching staff. A missed tackle directly from the kick-off led to a Canterbury line break and possession deep in the Oaks half. The Oaks defence were out on their feet by now and only a forward pass to the Canterbury winger down the short side saved them from a conceding again. Oaks conceded a penalty as they tried to exit from the scrum and Canterbury had a choice - take the 3 and draw the game or go for the win.......

To their credit, they went for the win. To Oaks' credit, they summoned the energy and physicality to force a turnover from the lineout starter play before spreading the ball wide and breaking the line themselves via replacement fullback Luka Crowcroft. Canterbury somehow got Crowcroft to floor, but in their desperation to win back possession they infringed. Oaks tapped and kicked the ball out to an overwhelming sense of relief. 

The emotions in the post-match huddle were mixed to say the least. On the one hand, Oaks could and arguably should have been 3 or 4 tries up by half-time. To end up clinging on for dear life was hugely disappointing. On the other hand, Canterbury would be well within their rights to feel that had the game gone on for another 5 minutes, they would have won it. It would have been hard to argue that point at full time. 

Sevenoaks now have a couple of weekends off before they play Bromley at The Paddock in round 3, before a date with old rivals and friends TJs in the 4th and final round on March 19th. Sevenoaks have the weapons in their arsenal to be a handful for any team in the country, but they will want to address the lack of a ruthless edge when they are clearly on top in matches. 

Squad list : Gregor Pauling, Dom Stangroome, Oli Langley, James Kerton (C), Rui Beaufoy, George Burgess, Elliot Wright, Frank Kitchen, Mac Leason, Louis Bouverie, Isaac Canham, Fin Stables, Ruben Le Roux, Oli Ebsworth, Angus Hall

Subs : Jack Wilson, Drew Mercer, Max Gilbey, Tom Hewitt, Luka Crowcroft, Jake Tucker 

Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV 66-0 Old Colfeians RFC U18s

Man of the Match Dom Stangroome

Oaks Academy got their Kent League campaign off to a flying start with a superb performance against a well-coached and persistent Old Colfes side. With only 5 teams entered into Div 1 this season, every point counts and Oaks went about their business from the get-go. 

An early 50:22 from fly half Louis Bouverie set the tone as all parts of the Oaks game clicked in a way not seen yet this season. Two solid lineout drives in quick succession gave the home side a great attacking platform to launch from. A bouncing pass found winger Isaac Canham, who threw an outrageous offload to centre Fin Stables for try number one. 

Tries two and three followed shortly after. First, fullback Angus Hall scored a magnificent solo effort on the counterattack from inside his own half. Then a sweeping multiphase move found hooker Dom Stangroome holding his width on the left for what will possibly go down as Oaks' try of the season. 

Oaks were well and truly into their stride and score four more tries before half-time. Prop Jack Wilson scored off of a powerful driven lineout. Flyer Oli Ebsworth scored after a brutally physical line break from No.8 Frank Kitchen. Captain James Kerton finished another beautiful multiphase possession after Colfes got turned over running from deep before Wilson got his 2nd just before half time off of yet more quick phase ball. 

Oaks went in at half time 39-0 up.

The challenge of maintaining the same level of intensity was thrown down during the half time team talk. Oaks rose to that challenge.

The bench brought huge energy with them, as well as 5 more tries. 

Kitchen capped a hugely powerful display with a close range try before strong Oaks defence won a turnover that was worked to centre Ruben Le Roux for Oaks' 9th try of the game. Replacement fullback Luka Crowcroft finished off a flowing counterattack for number 10 and Ebsworth put the burners on after another Colfes turnover for number 11. 

Angus Hall, now playing 12, finished the job when his perfectly weighted crossfield kick found replacement winger Jake Tucker at full tilt on the left. Tucker bumped off the Colfes cover before going over for a well-earned score.

Final score, 66-0.

To their credit, Old Colfeians would have been well within their rights to request an early stoppage at the 50-point mark. They never looked like doing so. They came to play, and they played the full 70 minutes. 

As for Sevenoaks? This was the first time this season that the coaching staff had pretty much the full roster to select from........and it showed. There was an intensity and tempo to the Oaks game that was accompanied by a higher level of accuracy that made them incredibly difficult to defend, or indeed attack, against. Aside from the fireworks in open play, the set piece was once again superb - confirmed by the awarding of the prized Man of the Match jersey to hooker Dom Stangroome. 

Oaks now look forward to a huge test away at Canterbury this Sunday in their 2nd Kent League fixture. 

Squad list : Jack Wilson, Dom Stangroome, Oli Langley, James Kerton (C), Zach Johnson, George Burgess, Elliot Wright, Frank Kitchen, Mac Leason, Louis Bouverie, Isaac Canham, Fin Stables, Ruben Le Roux, Oli Ebsworth, Angus Hall

Subs : Gregor Pauling, Drew Mercer, Ben McClinton, Tom Hewitt, Luka Crowcroft, Jake Tucker 

Westcliff RFC U17 19-27 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 2nd XV

The Sevenoaks Academy 2nd XV headed to Westcliff RFC in Essex on Sunday with confidence drawn from a successful season so far, and more favourable weather conditions than they had experienced recently. 

The first half followed a similar pattern to those in previous games this season, in that Sevenoaks were in the ascendancy for much of the half. Despite having the better chances to score and the greater share of the territorial statistics for the half, an inability to maintain continuity in play through the phases meant that there was little between the sides on the score board. Sevenoaks had to rely on two displays of individual brilliance to score and go ahead in the game. 

Firstly, a fine counter attack from his own half led to Alex Holden scoring in the corner, and a powerful run from Max Gilbey in the last third of the pitch led to another try. This took the score to 12-0 and Sevenoaks had hoped this would settle their play down and lead to more fluent teamplay. Westcliff however had other ideas, and through excellent work at the breakdown, along with fine attacking play from both forwards and backs begun to assert their dominance in the game towards the end of the half. This resulted in two converted tries being scored, and at the half Westcliff were winning 14-12. 

With much head scratching during the half time team talk Sevenoaks prepared for the second half with renewed vigour and a focus on maintaining their shape and ensuring they had continuity in attack. Westcliff’s fluent play continued at the start of the second half and was met with stout Sevenoaks defending. When in possession of the ball Sevenoaks were still lethargic and struggled to maintain possession of the ball at the breakdown. Westcliff’s jackler’s along with their excellent line speed in defence thwarted Sevenoak’s attacks throughout the half. An increasing penalty count also played its part in Westcliff’s building momentum, which led to their third try mid way through the second half. 

At 19-12 down Sevenoaks turned to their kicking game to relieve the pressure and make forays into the Westcliff half. They also increased the work rate in defence to try and build pressure of their own, and special mentions have to go to Andrich Skein and Max Gilbey for their tireless and powerful tackling. This pressure finally told and from a turnover Chris Barrett went over late on in the half. 

With less than 10 minutes left Sevenoaks were still 19-17 down and still weren’t playing the fluent rugby that makes them so effective. In a backs against the wall situation however work rate, teamwork and moments of individual brilliance can see you over the line. Step forward Ben Pearl, who had been a thorn in the side of Westcliff’s defence all game, with two solo tries which left the defenders and supporters alike speechless. The final whistle went shortly after the final try and meant Sevenoaks won the game 27-19. 

The old adage of finding a way to win even when things aren’t going for you certainly applied the Sevenoaks Academy 2nd XV on Sunday, and there stubbornness in defence and inspired individual brilliance in attack meant that they were deserving winners. Westcliff however deserve huge praise for their work at the breakdown, and offloads in attack which gave them a lot of continuity. Sevenoaks look forward to the return fixture next season. 

Quite a few players could have been awarded the man of the match award but Ben Pearl, who’s mazey running still has the defenders confused, is the deserving winner.  

Squad list : Peter LaTrobe, Andrich Skein, Will Tarry, Rui Beaufoy, Max Gilbey, Liam Thomas, Ryan Dixon, Jamie Catchpole, Zach Ferguson, Ben Pearl, Sam Keenor, Freddie Rudd, Toby Goodman, Chris Barrett, Alex Holden

Subs : Charlie Andrews, Fionn Daly, Kam Satrettin, Rhain Coombes, Will Francombe

Hertford RFC U18A vs. Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV

1s Man of the Match George Burgess

Hertford RFC U18A 7-10 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV

In February of 2022, Sevenoaks Academy 1s and 2s travelled to Hertford for the first of what will hopefully be many double header fixtures between two massive clubs. 

The weather that day was cold, crisp and clear. The rugby benefitted hugely as Oaks came away with two hard fought wins in high quality games. 

Unfortunately, as Oaks travelled to Hertford for another double header in January 2023, the weather had other ideas. 

The rain and wind was constant, from the moment the teams took the field to warm up to the moment the referee called the game 5 minutes early due to visible standing water. Indeed, the only interruption to the rain was for an even more spectacular hailstorm just before kick-off. 

The conditions made any enterprising rugby highly unlikely.

To their credit, the Hertford players seemed far the more comfortable with the conditions as they dented the Oaks defence early on with some seriously robust carrying. Oaks maintained their shape, but a clever grubber kick from the Hertford 10 proved too much to deal with and the Hertford centre pounced on the loose ball for an early score. 

Sevenoaks struggled hugely to get anything going as the weather combined in a perfect storm (no pun intended) with some ferocious Hertford defence. Ultimately, the difference between the two teams were two perfectly executed scrum strikes from the visitors. 

Winger Oli Ebsworth was put away twice down the right hand side. The first time, he was pulled down short. However, Oaks strung together their only truly threatening multi-phase attack of the match to work the ball in field before sweeping back right to send Ebsworth over in the corner. The second time, Ebsworth cut out the middle man by going over from 60m out after a wonderful in-and-out on the Hertford cover defence. 

The score was 7-10 to Oaks at half-time.

It remained that way as the weather somehow got even worse, making it impossible for either team to construct anything meaningful in attack. Oaks had the wind behind them in the 2nd half and so were able to pin Hertford back repeatedly until, with 5 minutes left on the clock, the referee wisely decided to call an end to the game for safety reasons. 

This was a very difficult game to take any meaningful lessons from, but there were definitely bright moments. Ebsworth's finishing aside, captain for the day and fly half Louis Bouverie played the territory game exceptionally well and debutant George Burgess put in a Man of the Match display in the back row. 

Oaks now look forward to their first Kent League game of the season, at home vs Old Colfeians, on January 22nd. 

Academy 2s

In the 'B' game, Sevenoaks Academy 2s took the spoils 0-12 after tries from Jon Odeyimi, as well as a mightily impressive touchline conversion from returning Max Lindsay. Indeed, the sharper minds appeared to be on the 2nd team pitch as the B game was called somewhat earlier than the A game as players from both sides dashed inside to try and regain feeling in their limbs! 

The Academy 2s look forward to a friendly fixture vs new friends Park House at home on January 29th.

Academy 1st XV Squad list: Jack Wilson, Frank Kitchen, Drew Mercer, Ben McClinton, Zach Johnson, George Burgess, Ryan Dixon, Elliot Wright, Mac Leason, Louis Bouverie (C), Isaac Canham, Freddie Rudd, Jake Tucker, Oli Ebsworth, Juan Barnard

Subs: Peter LaTrobe, Tom Hewitt, Toby Goodman

Academy 2nd XV Squad list: Nic McLean, Andrich Skein, Charlie Andrews, Max Gilbey, Sam Keenan (CC), Jamie Catchpole, Alexander Blackmore, Raphi Simmonds-Dance, Rhys Williams, Max Lindsay, Alex Holden, Sam Sherwood, Jon Odeyimi, Max Avery, Finn Good (CC)

Subs: Ollie Smith 

London Irish Wild Geese RFC U18 0-53 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV

For the second time in as many weeks, Sevenoaks Academy 1st XV faced an old National Cup foe in a friendly fixture. London Irish have long been age group powerhouses and had been Oaks' regional final opponents in their run to the quarter final back in 2020. 

Sadly, much like Oaks' opposition last weekend, London Irish appear to have been victims of their own success. A team of varying ability levels took the field against a Sevenoaks side missing it's hefty Judd School contingent - Judd play Trinity School, Croydon in the NatWest Cup on Wednesday. 

Oaks kicked off and stood up well to some strong London Irish carries to force a turnover and go close to scoring in the corner. From the exiting kick, Oaks successfully worked the ball left and then back to the middle before fly half Ben Pearl called the ball back to himself down the shortside. Fast feet and a burst of pace later, Pearl was scoring Oaks' first try of the game. This was quickly followed by Pearl and Oaks' 2nd try as he sniped intelligently down a small but undefended short side around half way. This try was converted by winger Juan Barnard and Oaks led 0-12 early on. 

The remainder of the half was somewhat scrappy as both teams struggled to hold onto the ball in attack. Sevenoaks did still manage to score two more tries just before half time as their defence forced penalties out of the host side. Prop Peter LaTrobe was the beneficiary of a trademark lineout drive before captain James Kerton powered over from some nice phase ball at close range. Barnard converted Kerton's try, but not LaTrobe's and Sevenoaks led 0-24 at halftime. 

There was a sense as the 2nd half began that the floodgates were on the verge of opening if Sevenoaks could just maintain possession through enough phases. This is exactly what happened as Sevenoaks scored at consistent intervals throughout the half.

Winger Max Avery went over first before scrum half Mac Leason darted right from a close-range scrum to score Oaks' 6th. The visitors' best attacking set of the game led to another try for Avery as he stepped off his right foot out wide to beat the scrambling home defence before two powerful breaks on the counter led to tries for both the starting fullback Ollie May and his replacement, Luka Crowcroft. Of all the 2nd half tries, Barnard converted one and young centre Freddie Rudd converted another to give a final score of 0-53.

This was another solid performance from Sevenoaks, as they build towards a big double header vs Canterbury away on Dec 18th. Having lost to Tonbridge Juddians 34-17 in the 3rd round of the National Cup, Canterbury should pose a significant challenge for an Oaks side that continues to display excellent cohesion, in spite of the regular changes to the squad enforced by a gruelling school schedule. 

The prospect of the Kent League post- Xmas with a full squad to pick from, against the likes of Canterbury and indeed TJs, is becoming a more and more exciting. 

Squad list : Peter LaTrobe, Elliot Wright, Oli Langley, James Kerton (C), Zach Johnson, Rui Beaufoy, Ryan Dixon, Raphi Simmonds-Dance, Mac Leason, Ben Pearl, Juan Barnard, Freddie Rudd, Ruben Le Roux, Max Avery, Ollie May

Subs : Harry Corsini, Gregor Pauling, Tom Hewitt, Luka Crowcroft 

Old Albanians RFC U18 0-57 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV

For the first time since an epic National Cup quarter final in March 2020, a Sevenoaks Academy 1st XV took on Old Albanians RFC as they travelled to St. Albans on Sunday. 

OAs were victorious 13-17 in that brutal encounter and are a big name in national terms, so a tough fixture was expected. 

Unfortunately, OAs have been victims of their own success and it became clear in the build up to the game that they were far from full strength. Injuries from school fixtures plus players unavailable due to county and other representative commitments took it's toll on the hosts. Sevenoaks had their own problems as no fewer than 11 of the provisional 22-man squad had to be changed throughout the week leading up to the match. 

During the warmup, no one really knew how things were going to pan out with all the changes to both sides. 

Sevenoaks received kickoff and worked an effective exit to take the game down into OA's territory. They immediately applied pressure with some incredibly physical defence deep inside the OAs 22. The home side would probably have wanted more distance on their clearance kick to touch. Oaks leapt into life as hooker Frank Kitchen, playing his first game for the academy this season, was launched into the OA's defence from a lineout starter play. The ruck ball was rapid and two phases later, a well executed backs shot gave Ollie May space to sprint down the left flank. The tackle attempt was a good one, but May's refusal to be put to ground led to a line break and Oaks' first try. Fullback Angus Hall, also playing his first game of the season, slotted the conversion for a 0-7 lead. 

This early exchange set the tone for the remainder of the half. Oaks would use their kicking game to advance up the field, before applying huge defensive pressure to OA's to win the ball back. The next try came from an Oaks centre field scrum just inside the OA's half, as a beautifully weighted grubber kick from fly half Louis Bouverie was pounced upon by Hall. May scored his second a few minutes later in a carbon copy of his first try. Both were converted to give Oaks a 0-21 lead after 20 minutes. 

To their credit, Old Albanians showed a great deal of determination to force their way up to halfway with some belligerent ball carrying shortly after May's 2nd try. A knock-on by an Oaks tackler gave the hosts an attacking scrum on the right-hand side, around the halfway line. The following strike move created the overlap that OA's had so desperately been seeking, but winger Max Avery read the pass perfectly to intercept and glide away for another Oaks try. This was followed shortly after by a try for No. 8, Raphi Simmonds-Dance, after more quick phase ball from a lineout starter play opened up a shortside that was exploited by scrum half Zach Ferguson. 5 tries and 4 conversions in a clinical 1st half meant that Sevenoaks led 0-33 at the break. 

Oaks kicked off the 2nd half and once again used their defence to force a turnover deep inside Old Albanians' territory. Fly half Bouverie reacted quicker than anyone else and found winger Avery for his 2nd try of the game from a well weighted crossfield kick. This was a real gut punch for the hosts, who in spite of the scoreline had enjoyed some solid possession at the back end of the 1st half.  

The remainder of the 2nd half was somewhat scrappy compared to the 1st. OA's enjoyed significantly more possession as the game progressed but were unable to execute their starter plays in attack. This would lead to Oaks gaining multiple possessions in good attacking positions. For whatever reason, they weren't able to capitalise as ruthlessly as the game wore on. 

That being said, there was still time for 3 more Sevenoaks tries. First, centre Jack Tucker powered over on the left after more strong defence led to another turnover close to the OA's line.  Bouverie pounced on a loose pass to get his reward for another fantastic performance before Frank Kitchen bookended his debut with another ridiculously powerful line off the back of a lineout to go in from 50m out. Angus Hall didn't miss a conversion in the 2nd half and the final score was 0-57. 

It goes without saying that a fully tooled-up Old Albanians side would have presented a very different opposition, with no disrespect to those who wore the shirt on the day. That being said, Oaks' 1st half accuracy belied just how many of their own 'gun' players were unavailable, with several being lost less than 24 hours before the game. Indeed, this performance demonstrated very clearly that Oaks don't really have 'gun' players. Instead, what they have is 25-30 players who are all capable of executing a game plan to a high level, often when playing out of position. 

Special mention must go to captain and Man of the Match James Kerton. He dealt with the adversity of losing half of his starting pack to injury in the days leading up to the game with a calm determination that has become synonymouswith his leadership style. He led a physical and enthusiastic Oaks pack, in which he was one of only two U18s, with utter surety. 

Sevenoaks now look forward to another big weekend on the November 20th as the Academy 1st XV play London Irish over in Sunbury and the Academy 2nd XV play Park House in Bromley. With school National Cup and Vase fixtures removing a significant chunk of the playing contingent, it will be a huge test of Oaks' resources. We cannot wait! 

Squad list : Jack Wilson, Frank Kitchen, Drew Mercer, James Kerton (C), Rui Beaufoy, Ryan Dixon, Tom Hewitt, Raphi Simmonds-Dance, Zach Ferguson, Louis Bouverie, Ollie May, Ruben Le Roux, Jake Tucker, Max Avery, Angus Hall

Subs : Andrich Skein, Peter LaTrobe  

Teddington RFC U18 12-28 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV

With Kent League fixtures being moved to after Christmas, the academy 1st XV travelled to Teddington for a much needed (and appreciated) short notice friendly.

Not much was known about Teddington pre-game. Would the typical fallout from physical and intense Saturday school games be an issue, or would Oaks still have enough firepower to get the job done?

Early signs weren't promising as Teddington came out of the blocks at a rapid pace. Ferocious tackling and a pair of very lively half-backs gave Oaks a much needed wake up call as Teddington worked their way up the field before some clinical offloading out of multiple tackles led to an early home score. The extras were added and Teddington led 7-0. 

To their credit, Sevenoaks responded and slowly but surely began to dominate possession and territory. However, the ferocity of the Teddington tackling combined with an aggressive breakdown policy meant that Oaks were never able to fully capitalise on the field position that they were creating. Frustration was starting to build as Oaks couldn't find the killer phase, but the continuous waves of Oaks possession were starting to frustrate Teddington just as much. 

This manifested itself in a red card for Teddington after a nasty looking high shot went in on winger Oli Ebsworth as he broke down the right hand side late in the half. It should be said that this was clearly more out of desperation than malice! 

Oaks went in at half time 7-0 down but the mood was one of determination rather than panic. 

The turning point came early in the 2nd half. A centre field scrum provided No.8 Elliot Wright with the perfect platform to break right before dummying and powering his way through two attempted tackles to score under the posts. Fly half Louis Bouverie added the conversion to bring Sevenoaks level.

Immediately from the kick-off, Oaks ran from deep and with a far more accurate and aggressive clearout were able to generate several phases of rapid ruck ball. This led to Bouverie having the time and space to execute a textbook chip and chase, gathering his own kick and stepping inside the opposition fullback for Oaks' 2nd try. Bouverie then converted his own score. 7-14. 

Very much against the run of play, the impressive Teddington 12 made a superb line break off a counter attack leading to Oaks conceding a penalty just inside their own 22. Oaks defended the quick tap exceptionally, but were undone as an attempted grubber kick from Teddington deflected off of players from both teams before fortuitously bouncing up into the arms of the Teddington 13 who gleefully dotted down. No conversion and the score sat at 12-14 with 15 minutes to go. 

The visitors responded quickly with more quick phase ball down the left hand. Man of the Match Bouverie then found 2nd row Zach Johnson cutting a superb line to split the Teddington midfield. Johnson then demonstrated his athleticism as he beat the fullback to score Oaks' 3rd try. Bouverie converted again and Oaks were beginning to pull away at 12-21. 

Both teams created opportunities for further scores in the final 10 minutes, with neither being able to quite find the last pass. Eventually, Oaks managed to string together several sets of possession inside the Teddington 22. Replacement wing Jake Tucker went close off a midfield scrum before centre Fin Stables finally sealed the result, powering over from a well worked scrum strike on the final play. Bouverie made it 4 from 4 as Oaks won 12-28. 

This was a fantastic test for the young Oaks. The usual disruption to the squad between the team announcement on a Friday and kick off on the Sunday was dealt with exceptionally well. New players were blooded against a very well organised and lively Teddington side who contested every possession with a real enthusiasm. Such was their energy, it was easy to forget that they played the best part of 50 minutes with only 14 players on the field.

Oaks defended well throughout and they will be pleased at their ability to adapt and overcome when their traditional strengths were nullified. However, they will need to work hard on the contact area if they are to be successful in their next outing - a double header away at powerhouses Old Albanians on November 13th.  

Squad list : Jack Wilson, Andrich Skein, Drew Mercer, James Kerton (C), Zach Johnson, Raphi Simmonds-Dance, Tom Hewitt, Elliot Wright, Isaac Canham, Louis Bouverie, Juan Barnard, Fin Stables, Ruben Le Roux, Oli Ebsworth, Ollie May

Subs : Peter LaTrobe, Rui Beaufoy, Ryan Dixon, Jake Tucker

Sevenoaks RFC Academy 2nd XV 7-5 Westcliff RFC U17

Tom Hewitt - man of the match!

The Sevenoaks Academy 2nd XV edged a fraught match against Westcliff Academy 2nd XV at home on Sunday 10th October in the autumn sunshine. Despite dominating possession and territory in the first half, and playing through a second half strewn with errors and penalties from both sides, Sevenoaks won 7-5.

Sevenoaks started positively from the kick off with great focus and determination to create opportunities for gain line success, improve ball retention and continuity in attack, which were points of improvement from the previous game against Bishop Stortford. The team’s willingness to recycle the ball quickly and maintain focus on their shape almost led to a try in the corner and were unfortunately penalised just short of the line.

Sevenoaks limited Westcliff’s territorial and possessional attacking opportunities for most of the first half with dogged and organised defending. They were also fairly well disciplined and organised in attack in the first half, with the forwards offering good carrying options to play off. This pressure finally told in the 26th minute when Andrich Skein scored from the back of a driving maul off a lineout. This no doubt brought a smile to the head of the Sevenoaks academy as the players executed the move perfectly. Juan Barnard converted a difficult kick, and added what would be the decisive two points come the end of the game. The remainder of the first half saw Sevenoaks not being able to build upon the pressure they had brought to bear upon the opposition, and when half time came, the players could not help feeling they had missed a number of try scoring opportunities.

Despite starting the second half with renewed focus to improve their accuracy in attack Sevenoaks were unable to add to the scoreboard. Both sides struggled for any meaningful continuity and fluidity in attack, and indeed both struggled with accuracy and ball retention at the lineout. The half was littered with penalties which limited scoring opportunities and prevented free flowing rugby from being played.

Westcliff were determined to equalise despite the stop/start nature of the second half and scored in the corner during the dying seconds of the game. Fortunately for Sevenoaks the conversion was missed and they edged the game by two points.

Tom Hewitt was awarded man of the match for his ball carrying in attack, and tireless work in defence! 

Bishop's Stortford RFC vs Academy 1s and 2s

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

Tonbridge Juddians RFC U18Bs 29 - 42 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 2nd XV

Sevenoaks Rugby Academy 2s enjoyed a lively 13-a-side tussle with TJs at Vizards on Sunday 21 March. This was a great example of the friendly rivalry between the two Clubs enabling a game under RFU ‘game on’ principles and both sides clearly enjoyed the run out in the sunshine.

Having led all match Oaks found themselves 22-21 behind with less than 10 minutes to go, the final winning score line showing Oaks’ fighting spirit.

Oaks started well and were abrasive from the start, challenging TJs at every breakdown. Having weathered some early pressure Mac Leason showed a lot of tenacity to break through for the first of Oaks’ seven tries. Billy Boyd was incredible from the kicking tee and secured the extra two points every time Sevenoaks crossed the whitewash.

Next up Jon Odeyemi found space in the outside channel and a try by TJs just before the half time whistle meant the lads entered the break 14-7 ahead.

This was an intense match being played at full bore. In the Oaks pack everyone was getting properly stuck in with Luke Walter and Harry Corsini putting in enormous shifts and big hits. Rhys Owen and Sam Keenan ably supported by Harry Fulcher and Daniel Craig were energetic and kept the set piece platform steady under constant TJs pressure.

Sevenoaks began the second half well and after Adam Davies at 9 punched forward from a set piece Billy Boyd set up Man of the Match Alby Butt to cut through from inside centre and go in under the TJs posts. Alby was everywhere all match.

Stung into action TJs sprang to life and punched some direct lines around the breakdown to get in behind the Oaks with two unanswered tries.

Following the second of these and under the posts at 22-21 down the chat was positive and the response immediate with Oaks romping twice down the left hand flank first for Mac Leason and then for Odeyemi to secure their second tries. The final plays of the match included a late try for TJs and a smart combination between Henry Lynch and Jake Seaman on the right that came up just short of the TJs try line. Final score Oaks 42 TJs 29.

Credit to all involved in a great day’s rugby and thanks to our hosts TJs.

Tonbridge Juddians RFC U18s 5-28 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV

The Sevenoaks Academy 1s took a big step towards a top 3 finish in the Kent League by upsetting local rivals TJs on Sunday, producing their best performance of the season in the process.

It is no secret that TJs have had a stellar season to date, beating Oaks in all 3 previous encounters including a 13-0 win at TJs in the 3rd round of the National Cup back in November. TJs have since progressed all the way to the final of that competition, which will be played on May 1st.

Needless to say, Sevenoaks were not favourites to win this game.

Oaks started exceptionally, contesting and winning possession straight from their own kick-off. The ball was worked infield and TJs, ever keen to bring their physical defence to the fore, crept offside in midfield. Zac Shirtcliff slotted the ensuing penalty and Oaks found themselves with an early 0-3 lead.

The next meaningful act of the game was another penalty awarded to the visitors inside the TJs half, this time after some strong defence. The angle for a kick at goal was not favourable and so the ball went into the corner. Oaks' driving lineout - led by the likes of James Kerton and captain Will Murphy - has been a strength all season and so it proved again. One drive led to a penalty, which led to another drive and a prop Gregor Pauling was the beneficiary. Oaks were 0-8 up and hadn't been in their own half yet.

TJs got their inevitable period of possession after they broke down the left wing from a poor Sevenoaks exit. The home side showed their class as they played on top of the stretched Oaks defence for several quick phases. In the end, Sevenoaks ran out of metres and TJs crashed over just to the left of the posts. Fortunately, they missed the conversion which kept the score at 5-8.

Oaks' next score was a carbon-copy of the opening salvo as a turnover straight from the restart led to another kickable penalty for Shirtcliff. He needed no second invitation as he took Oaks into a 5-11 lead with roughly 20 minutes gone.

Oaks were competing well, but TJs threat was increasing as the game began to break up. One team would make a half break before the other would win a turnover on the floor and run it right back at them. Fantastic entertainment for the supporters, not so much for the coaches! Eventually, Oaks broke through the middle from deep and scythed their way up to inside the TJs 22 out on the left. Flanker Henry Thompson carried hard off 9, before fly half Louis Bouverie found Shircliff out the back of another forward pod. Shirty stepped and cut through the middle of the TJs midfield before floating an inch perfect pass of his left to winger Juan Barnard, who gleefully scampered over in the corner. 5-16.

TJs redoubled their physicality in attack and threatened on more than one occasion to breach the Oaks line a 2nd time. The visitors' defence held firm and key turnovers on the floor from Murphy and Stangroome meant that the score didn't change before half-time.

The first 10-15 minutes of the 2nd half was very much tit-for-tat as both teams showed ambition to play but were let down by a lack of accuracy.

TJs suddenly unlocked the Oaks defence through the middle and looked certain to score. However, the returning Tyler Weekes managed to track back and intercept what would have been the killer pass to their left winger. Weekes then turned, bumped off the winger and set off down the right-hand touchline. He kicked through as the cover came across and as the ball trickled into the dead ball area, a TJs back rower was adjudged to have taken him out off the ball to prevent a score. Yellow card for TJs and a penalty try to Oaks, who were now in dreamland with a 5-23 lead.

TJs dominated possession and territory for the remainder of the game but were continually undermined by poor execution at lineout time. From one overthrow, scrum half Harvey Galloway found back row Barnaby Thomas who bounced out of a tackle and set off up the centre of the field. Indeed, he set off so quickly that his support was quite a long way away when the TJs fullback moved across to shut him down. He launched a pass to his right, which bounced and was picked up on the run by Bouverie who then fed winger Joe Ryder for the final score of the game.

Despite more heavy-duty TJs carrying, Sevenoaks' defence held firm for the remainder of the game. Final score, 5-28.

This was an important win for Sevenoaks. So many times this season, they have lost winnable games through simply not believing that they could compete with their opposition. Couple this with TJs' status as National Cup finalists and Oaks could so easily have talked themselves out of this one before the game had even begun. It is to their huge credit that they did the opposite. For their part, TJs were resting several first choice players after a brutal cup semi-final last weekend and clearly they will have had one eye on their upcoming final. That being said, on paper this was still a quality outfit and Oaks were the better team on the day in every facet of play.

Sevenoaks now look forward to their final league game on April 3rd at home vs Medway. With any luck, Oaks can continue this form and give the outgoing U18s a fitting send off from age group rugby!

Squad list: Gregor Pauling, Dom Stangroome, Oli Langley, James Kerton, Ben McClinton, Henry Thompson, Barnaby Thomas, Will Murphy (c), Harvey Galloway, Louis Bouverie, Oli May, Zac Shirtcliff, Tyler Weekes, Juan Barnard, Luca Crowcroft

Subs: Drew Mercer, Henry Hartley, Jack Ludden, Elliot Peters, Ruben Le Roux, Joe Ryder

Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV 19-7 Cranbrook RFC U18s

Sevenoaks Academy welcomed Cranbrook to the Paddock for the 4th of their 6 Kent League fixtures. Having won comfortably at Thanet before losses to very strong Canterbury and Blackheath sides, Oaks were looking to bounce back with a win this time out.

At the behest of Cranbrook, Oaks rested the majority of their U18s (and several U17s) to keep a supposed 'mismatch' from getting out of hand. Indeed, only two U18s were in the squad at all, with the entire starting XV being comprised of U17s.

It became apparent within 5 minutes of play that Cranbrook were considerably stronger than had been communicated. They were physical in the carry and an absolute nuisance at the breakdown. Playing into the wind and on the smaller 2nd XV pitch, Oaks struggled to get beyond their own 10m line for much of the 1st half. Cranbrook, clearly enthused by their edging of the physical battle, went over from close range after a 5m lineout roughly 10 minutes before half time. Their fly half slotted the extras and despite some promising attack just before the whistle which nearly resulted in a try, Oaks went in at half time 0-7 down.

Strong words were said in the half time team talk and U18s Barnaby Thomas and Zac Shirtcliff were let off their leashes. This clearly had the desired impact, as the young Oaks started the 2nd half like a runaway train. Number 8 Henry Thompson went over twice in quick succession - his first try coming after he hit a beautiful line to split the Cranbrook defence just inside the 22. Shirtcliff converted one of the two tries to give Oaks a 12-7 lead.

If these two tries were the result of Oaks making better use of their kicking game, their 3rd was an advert for having the courage to run from deep. Two quick rucks after a kick-off receipt led to the ball finding Barnaby Thomas in the midfield. He smashed through the visiting defence before arcing left and threatening to burn off the opposition fullback. Just before he was about to be tackled into touch, he executed a superb grubber kick which bounced over the try line and held up in the dead ball area. Thomas won the race to his own kick and dotted down out wide to a hysterical reaction from the Oaks supporters. Shirtcliff made the wide conversion look easy and Oaks led 19-7.

To their credit, Cranbrook fought hard to regain some territory and spent the last 10 minutes of the game firmly camped inside the Oaks 22. Time and time again they battered away at the Oaks line. Time and time again, a massive Oaks shot or jackal would kill the attack at the crucial moment. The game ended ultimately ended 19-7.

This was far from a vintage performance from Oaks. Yet the manner of their victory left a lot to be positive about. The coaching staff had taken the decision in good faith to 'even up the contest' by resting multiple players at the request of the opposition. This decision could very easily have cost the players a result in a game they would otherwise expect to win. The resilience of the playing group to literally dig themselves out of a hole at half time was potentially a turning point for the group's self-belief.

Ben McClinton stood out in a fine performance in the row. Oli Langley put in tackles beyond count. Henry Hartley was massive in defence when he came on and captain for the day James Kerton led by example with relentless tackling and carrying on top of his usual stellar lineout work.

Oaks have next weekend off before travelling to TJs for what will surely be a massive test in their penultimate league game on March 20th.

Squad: Drew Mercer, Dom Stangroome, Oli Langley, Ben McClinton, Tom Moseley, James Kerton (C), Alby Butt, Henry Thompson, Harvey Galloway, Louis Bouverie, Juan Barnard, Ruben Le Roux, Jon Odeyimi, Oli May, Finn Good

Subs: Henry Hartley, Barnaby Thomas, Tom Hunt, Adam Davies, Zac Shirtcliff

Hertford RFC U18As 0-27 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV

After what has sometimes felt like a relentless grind of league and cup matches, Sevenoaks Academy enjoyed a day in the sun as they travelled to Hertford for a friendly double-header.

The 53-seater was booked for 8am - the first challenge of the day! The boys passed with flying colours and that set the tone really.

Full of buzz and energy from the moment they got off the coach at Hertford, the young Oaks ripped into the early stages of the game in much the same way as they had attacked the warm-up.

Improved defence has been a real area of work for Oaks since the defeats to Canterbury and Blackheath. The Oaks spacings were spot on, their speed to fold and reload exceptional. Hertford carried hard and with purpose in the early going but the visitors' defence quickly got on top in the collisions, forcing a penalty.

Oaks went straight to their lineout drive and to his credit, the Hertford referee allowed Oaks to use this weapon much more than recent men-in-the-middle have done. Hertford infringed and Oaks drove the ball even deeper into the home 22 and had a 2nd crack of the whip. This time they were too close to repel, with hooker Dom Stangroome dotting down after the pack had driven Hertford over the line. 0-5.

After a reasonable exit from the kickoff, Oaks defended powerfully once again to win another turnover. They made ground up the left-hand side, before prop Gregor Pauling found fly half Louis Bouverie with a beautiful zip pass out the back off 9. Bouverie did the rest, stepping inside and then out again to split the Hertford defence and go in under the posts. Zac Shirtcliff added the extras and Oaks found themselves two scores up.

Hertford had the better of the rest of the 1st half, as Oaks errors in the carry coughed up field position. Fortunately, the Oaks defence was once again steadfast and their try line was not breached. 0-12 at half time.

Oaks scored so early in the 2nd half that poor Harvey Galloway - now filming after an excellent 1st half at 9 - hadn't even turned the camera on yet! Captain Will Murphy went in from close range after Oaks broke through straight from the kick-off to make it 0-17. Very shortly after this, Oaks scored again as centre Raphi Simmonds-Dance got on the end of a lovely grubber kick from Shirtcliff after the latter scythed through the home defence off a scrum strike.

The visitors spent the remainder of the game defending as their discipline deserted them, with dominant tackles repeatedly being undermined by cheap penalties for offside and not rolling away. Oaks would have the final say, however. Yet another solid defensive set yielded a turnover in midfield as flanker Frank Kitchen ripped the ball from Hertford before setting off down field. The ruck ball was rapid and was worked wide to fullback Luca Crowcroft who stepped inside to break the line and go 40m up into Hertford territory. Two phases later, flanker Elliot Peters went over on the left to finish off Oak's best move of the day.

Final score 0-27.

This was an impressive display from Sevenoaks. Incremental improvement in performance has been the message since Christmas and on this day, it certainly felt like progress had been made in all areas! More importantly, there was a genuine sense of enjoyment in everything the players did, from getting onto the coach at the Paddock to climbing off of it again at the end of the day.

Next weekend sees the Academy 1s in Kent League action at home vs Cranbrook.

Squad list: Gregor Pauling, Dom Stangroome, Oli Langley, Tom Moseley, James Kerton, Barnaby Thomas, Elliot Peters, Will Murphy (C), Harvey Galloway, Louis Bouverie, Oli May, Ruben Le Roux, Zac Shirtcliff, Juan Barnard, Luca Crowcroft

Subs: Drew Mercer, Henry Thompson, Frank Kitchen, Mac Leason, Raphi Simmonds-Dance, Ollie Ebsworth

Blackheath RFC U18 31-0 Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV

Boy was this a hard one to take.

Sevenoaks travelled to Blackheath on Sunday to play a team that has made it to the quarter finals of this year's National Cup - they play Tonbridge Juddians next weekend.

Oaks have played Blackheath twice already this season. In the first encounter, between two close to full strength sides, Oaks found themselves 2 points up with 10 minutes to go before silly mistakes cost them the match and gave Blackheath a somewhat flattering 24-36 scoreline. In the second encounter, between two very mixed teams, Oaks dominated for 50 minutes before the game was called early due to a nasty looking injury to a Blackheath player.

The young Oaks' perceived improvement over the course of the season, combined with Blackheath potentially having one eye on their cup quarter final led to a cautious optimism amongst the coaching staff that an upset could be on the cards.

This did not transpire.

Sevenoaks started the game with the wind behind them and they took full advantage. Blackheath were caught cold and pinned deep within their own territory. Indeed, such was Oaks' early dominance that with a touch more composure near the Blackheath line (and it must be said, with better officiating of the lineout maul defence and offside lines) the visitors could very easily have found themselves a couple of scores up. Unfortunately, this wasn't to be the case. Multiple line breaks by the likes of fullback Luca Crowcroft and Zac Shirtcliff went unconverted and despite dominating the first 25 minutes of the game, Sevenoaks were kept scoreless.

Slowly but surely, the individual power and athleticism of Blackheath became more and more of a factor. The home side threatened to strike a couple of times before eventually breaking out and scoring a wonderful team try from inside their own half. 5-0 to 'the club'.

The score clearly knocked the wind out of Oaks' sails. They did manage another line break as captain Will Murphy ran a fantastic line through the middle, but once again Blackheath were able to snuff out the attack and win the turnover. They went quickly and managed to work a clever, low kick up into Sevenoaks territory. Oaks made a rare mistake at the lineout and Blackheath pounced, scoring their 2nd try after 3 rapid phases of turnover possession. Oaks somehow found themselves 10-0 down going into half time.

Oaks left the changing room to start the 2nd half visibly deflated. The two try deficit combined with the knowledge that they would be playing into a 15 point wind was clearly weighing heavily on them.

Blackheath, by contrast, had survived their early wobble and now had the look of a team that can claim to be one of the top 8 sides in the country. They demonstrated their credentials with a blistering counterattack from turned over Oaks ball almost as soon as the half had started. They duly converted and at 17-0 down, the belief that they could win all but left the visiting side.

To their credit, Sevenoaks stuck to task and although they conceded two more tries - each more painful to endure than the previous - they avoided the kind of 50 point drubbing that one can imagine a team of Blackheath's calibre putting on many a side in this situation. The game ended, almost mercifully, at 31-0.

In the immediate aftermath of this game, it would have been easy to spiral. To go from losing late in the game to back in October to losing by this margin and failing to score felt like going backwards........and yet, Sevenoaks fired more shots in 25 minutes of this game than they had in the previous 5 or 6 games combined against Kent's big three teams at this age group. Their lineout was once again completely dominant - against a pack with multiple Saracens Academy and Kent PDG forwards in it. Unfortunately, a common theme of this season has been a very poor standard of refereeing with regards to maul defence. Line breaks were created on more than one occasion from first phase scrum strike moves and perhaps more importantly for the future, many current U17s (and one U16) have developed into real leaders within the group.

James Kerton was absolutely outstanding at the lineout and in the loose. Luca Crowcroft was high class from start to finish and Elliot Wright was powerful and dynamic before a hamstring niggle forced him off frustratingly early on. Frank Kitchen, playing up again as the U16s had the day off, came off the bench and took on U18 forwards as if they were several years younger and about 15kg lighter.

This game could (and arguably should) have been very different. At some point, things are going to click for this group and when they do, they are going to deliver a huge performance.

Squad list: Alby Butt (U17), Elliot Peters (U18), Henry Hartley (U17), Tom Moseley (U17), Henry Thompson (U17), James Kerton (U17), Elliot Wright (U17), Will Murphy (U18), Adam Davies (U17), Billy Boyd (U18), James Akeman (U17), Ruben Le Roux (U17), Zac Shirtcliff (U18), Oli May (U17), Luca Crowcroft (U17)

Subs: Oli Langley (U17), Sam Keenan (U17), Frank Kitchen (U16), Harvey Galloway (U17), Louis Bouverie (U17), Patrick Spice (U18)

Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV 14-19 Canterbury RFC U18s

Sevenoaks Academy welcomed Canterbury U18s to the Paddock for the 2nd time in 3 months this Sunday. In the previous fixture, a noticeably weakened Canterbury side were pushed hard by 14-man Oaks, before ultimately winning comfortably.

With Canterbury clearly at full strength this time around, the young Oaks were fully aware of the task at hand.

The task was made even more difficult when Oaks infringed in the early exchanges. Canterbury drilled the penalty deep into the Oaks 22 and utilised their impressive lineout drive to catch Oaks cold, scoring the game's 1st try. They converted for a 0-7 lead.

Oaks were already on the verge of breaking as a couple of poor kick chases gifted Canterbury's incredibly dangerous backline with opportunities to counter. Oaks were almost immediately 5m out from their own try line again as Canterbury went for the early kill. This time around, Oaks held out and won the turnover. This seemed to spark something in the home side and after a very shaky start, bit by bit, they began to get some wins of their own. A knock-on here, a turnover on the floor there and suddenly the Oaks support had more and more things to get noisy about.

The only issue was that despite the improved defensive effort, Sevenoaks were still struggling to get their attack going. Their retention rate in phase play was poor and one occasion, the conceded penalty at the breakdown was once again drilled deep by Canterbury (indeed the home support felt that the kick had gone dead). Oaks repelled the initial drive, but the visiting hooker broke off the back of the maul to burrow over for Canterbury's 2nd try. The score at half time was 0-12 to the visitors.

This was a real make-or-break moment for Oaks. A huge amount of effort had been expended and yet they remained pointless. The half time replacements were urged to bring all their muscle and energy to bare to score next and keep the game alive.

Things got worse before they got better.

Canterbury had been pushing the boundaries of legality with their counter-rucking from minute one. One such counter-ruck, which it must be said was nowhere near being 'through the gate' led to a turnover after Oaks had managed to string together their best attacking phases of the match. Canterbury got away with one and the ball spilled loose from the ruck. Canterbury reacted first and from the line break, the home side felt no choice but to infringe again. Once again, the penalty was drilled deep and once again, Canterbury broke off from the failed maul to score again. The try was converted. 0-19. A hammer-blow for the home side.

Things looked bleak for Oaks, but the Canterbury score had been against the run of play. Oaks were forcing errors from the Canterbury attack and were finally starting to string some phases of their own together. Sevenoaks were now able to give Canterbury a taste of their own medicine as they put together repeated lineout drives of their own. The visitors were visibly rattled and infringed once too often for the referee's liking. A Canterbury player was sent to the bin and Oaks sensed their chance. The penalty got Oaks to within 10m of the Canterbury line. The pack did the rest. Elliot Wright was the beneficiary of a superb driving maul and Zac Shirtcliff added the extras. 7-19.

Oaks used their man advantage to dominate possession and territory for the remainder of the game, so much so that Canterbury lost another player to the bin. However, Canterbury's dogged defensive work at the breakdown was preventing Sevenoaks from playing their way to another score in phase play. Oaks went back to their driving game. Drive after drive was held up over the line or spoilt for a scrum turnover before Oaks finally got their reward with a couple of minutes left on the clock. This time, hooker Dom Stangroome was the man dotting the ball down. Shircliff added the extras to bring Oaks within 5 points at 14-19.

Sadly, Oaks' inaccuracy in phase play was their downfall as two promising attacks ultimately came to nothing. The final whistle sounded, with Canterbury players visibly relieved and Sevenoaks players floored by grief.

This was a heartbreaker for Sevenoaks. Despite a very poor 1st half in terms of attack, the reality is that this is a game they could have won. At full strength, Canterbury are arguably the strongest team in Kent at this age group, which demonstrates the improvement of this Oaks group since the 53-3 thumping away in east Kent back in November. What really stood out in this performance were the leaders in group. Captain Will Murphy was huge and his lineout deputy James Kerton aided in a fantastic effort at the set piece. Zac Shirtcliff emptied the tank on both sides of the ball and his goal kicking ensured that Oaks went into the final minutes with everything to play for. The returning Henry Thompson and Ruben Le Roux provided much needed physicality and new boy Henry Hartley brought massive energy off the bench with him.

Sevenoaks play National Cup 5th rounders Blackheath next Sunday at Well Hall, 11am ko. If they produce a performance anything like their 2nd half today, a big scalp might well be theirs for the taking!

Squad list: Alby Butt, Dom Stangroome, Drew Mercer, Henry Thompson, James Kerton, Elliot Wright, Elliot Peters, Will Murphy (C), Sam Hopkins, Billy Boyd, Joe Ryder, Pat Spice, Zac Shirtcliff, OIlie May, Luca Crowcroft

Subs: Gregor Pauling, Henry Hartley, Luke Walter, Adam Davies, Ruben Le Roux

Thanet Wanderers RFC U18 vs. Sevenoaks RFC Academy 1st XV

Sevenoaks Academy 1st kicked off their official Kent League campaign with a trip down to Thanet on Sunday.

In the Academy's previous visit to Broadstairs back in May 2021 for a scrumless and maulless friendly, the story of the day was Thanet's overwhelming physicality eventually triumphing over Oaks' fast and wide attacking play.

The young Oaks were challenged to make winning the physical battle their number one priority and they delivered in spades.

Huge defensive sets compared with rapier-sharp handling on the counter gave Sevenoaks tries through Pat Spice and Oli May, taking them into an early 0-10 lead. Some ill-discipline from an Oaks exit gave Thanet their first meaningful field position shortly after. Thanet constructed a useful driving maul but were stopped just short of the Oaks line. When Thanet attempted to carry over from close range, repeatedly dominant tackles by the likes of Elliot Peters and Drew Mercer led to a turnover penalty for the visiting side.

Oaks finished the half strongly and after repeated attempts from close range, hooker Dom Stangroome was the beneficiary of a powerful driven lineout. Fly half Billy Boyd stepped up to add the extras and Oaks went in at half-time 0-17 up.

The 2nd half was a slightly more frustrating affair. Despite a constant supply of clean lineout ball provided by captain Will Murphy, Jack Ludden and James Kerton, Oaks struggled to get over the line as Thanet dug in.

The penalty count had started to turn against Oaks and this allowed Thanet a rare visit to the Oaks 22. Despite more brutally physical defence, Thanet kept their patience and after many phases, barged their way over from close range to give themselves a foothold in the game at 5-17.

Sevenoaks to their credit, responded immediately. A clever lineout 'special' gave allowed Oaks to carry well over the gainline inside the Thanet 22. Two quickly executed phases later and Oli May was able to step his way to his 2nd and Oaks' 4th try of the game. This was then followed by a well-executed strike move from a scrum just outside the Thanet 22 which saw the returning Luka Crowcroft denied only by an outstanding cover tackle from the Thanet centre. The damage had been done however and Zac Shirtcliff capped off a fine display by working around the corner and powering over from 10m out.

Final score, 5-27 to Oaks.

This was an energetic and at times clinical performance from Sevenoaks. A shift in attacking structures combined with a slightly more forward-orientated game plan has given the lads the foundations from which to launch more 'put-together' attacks. This clarity appears to have energised the group and with more players returning to the fold, the final whistle was greeted by cautious optimism by players and coaches about just what might be next.

Squad list: Alby Butt, Dom Stangroome, Drew Mercer, Jack Ludden, Luke Walter, James Kerton, Elliot Peters, Will Murphy (c), Mac Leason, Billy Boyd, Juan Barnard, Pat Spice, Zac Shirtcliff, Oli May, Finn Good.

Subs: Gregor Pauling, Harry Corsini, Charlie Day, Sam Hopkins, Luka Crowcroft