Reports 13
Sevenoaks U13A 22 Tunbridge Wells 5; Oaks U13B 5 Edenbridge A 38
10 Mar 2009
Returning to full strength after a disappointing loss the previous week at against a very good Hove side, Sevenoaks u13’s took on fierce rivals Tunbridge Wells in a rearranged match and emerged victorious from a bruising and highly skilful encounter. Both sides were up for this game and the intensity of the start was maintained all the way through. Playing with the wind Oaks took the attack to the visitors and moved the ball swiftly through the hands of the backs before centre Holland threw a superb dummy and powered past the defenders for the opening score.
Whether Oaks subconsciously relaxed is unsure but almost immediately Wells hit back after some fierce counter rucking by their pack. Wells have very talented backs and the dangerous fly half/centre combination worked well as their powerful 12 broke through the Oaks midfield and outpaced the defence to level the scores. At 5-5 the game was wonderfully balanced although Wells were starting to edge it through the work of their back row, which repeatedly turned over Oaks ball at the break down. The hosts had to withstand several penetrating attacks, with some desperate defence from centres Fearn and Holland , before they started to gain some form of parity. Oaks were repeatedly guilty of failing to use the conditions by running the ball when a diagonal kick would have been a better option, but eventually the pack took control and mounted a series of physical charges at the visitors. From a maul near the touchline, lock Wheadon broke clear and powered past two defenders to put the home side into a lead which they maybe just about deserved.
Turning round after half time only 5 points in the lead was a concern for the coaches and a wake up call to what had been a very sleepy Oaks pack. From the kick off number 8 Jeffries and flanker Sinclair drove hard and aggressively at their visitors and cracks began to appear in the Wells defence. With Sinclair offloading to skipper Vizard further ground was made and then the backs moved the ball wide and winger Parker, finally getting some room, took on his opposite number successfully before feeding man of the match Holland . The centre still had lots of work to do but he managed to evade three defenders for a vital try which McKerlie converted. With the game under control, and both sides having made changes, Oaks’ pack began to dominate.
The clear out at the ruck improved and the backs had more time and space to test their opponents. From one such situation, after at least 6 phases of attack, the pack took the ball on through a series of tough pick and drives, which culminated in Vizard crashing over to seal a very hard won victory against a side that have been Oaks toughest opponents this season.
The B team then took on a resurgent Edenbridge side but immediately struggled to match the visitors’ physicality. Edenbridge look a useful side and it is good news for West Kent rugby that this small, friendly club has managed to rebuild its under 13 side. Oaks were fielding a combination of experienced old heads and boys who are still new to the game and although they went down 38-5 the game was not as one sided as it seemed.
T he visitors had two big and fast centres who, despite the superb defence of Gray at 10 and centres Burleigh and Sheen, managed to break the gain line and out pace the cover to secure 5 tries before half time. However, this side has real spirit and is well led by Roberts and Hewitt and this attitude was perfectly encapsulated by a fantastic double covering tackle by wingers Angus and McKay on the visitor’s 13, who looked certain to score once again. With Oaks playing into the wind in the second half prospects looked bleak and Edenbridge began where they left off by launching multiple attacks on the home side. However, the pack didn’t yield and hooker Paget-Brown took several against the head whilst number 8 Murphy had an outstanding game with the ball in hand. Oaks managed to construct a few well worked moves themselves and came close to scoring on at least two occasions, but more importantly the defence held until a blatant knock on was missed and Edenbridge scored their only try of the second half. A late consolation try from flanker Durrant saw the second half finish even and the boys can be extremely proud of themselves for this.