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