Saturday saw the Stags return to Horn Park full of hope with a lovely blend of youth and experience. Conditions weren’t conducive with running rugby, but a well-drilled Oaks XV showed great execution in showing running rugby can be played in rain as well as sunshine.
Sevenoaks ran in 5x first half tries against OCs one (penalty try). The forward packs were relatively evenly matched, but having lost Ross after 15mins and 3x backrowers in our backline, it was tough to compete against Oaks’ sharp backline.
Still, with the scoreline at 7-33 at HT, the talk was positive and constructive and we focused on two or three areas to improve.
Despite Oaks running in 4 more second half tries (one the last play of the match), we did amazingly well for large parts of the half denying them scoring opportunities. And if we could’ve eradicated some small errors in the final third of the pitch, I’m sure we would’ve improved our score.
The final score of 7-57 is a tough pill to swallow. But the boys never gave up. Everyone contributed. And most importantly, there were smiles and beers in the changing room and bar afterwards which is what it’s ultimately all about.
Onwards and upwards. Well done lads.
