Henley Hawks U16s Comprehensive Victory Over Quins

Henley Hawks – 46  Oxford Harlequins – 5

On Sunday the U16s staged an impressive eight try victory over Oxford Harlequins in the Oxfordshire league on Sunday.

Two tries each from James Tanner and Charlie Jeffs, along with scores from Callum Cooke, Will Janes, Milo Taylor and Harry Sawbridge were the results of a strong team effort.

Henley started strong with winger Cooke sprinting down the touchline and finished by Tanner. The Hawks never looked back and continued to apply pressure. Sawbridge’s effort also came from quick ball running through the back line, as was Jane’s try to end the first half with a 19-0 lead.

Unlike the match two weeks ago where Henley went to sleep after attaining the same halftime lead, the home side continued where they left off. Winger Jeffs sliced through the Oxford defence to score the first of his brace. While all of the scores so far came from very coordinated back play, strong set rucks led to Taylor’s crossing of the line, his fourth try of the season. A finely tuned cross kick from fly half Ruairi Van Raalte connected perfectly with Jeff’s run to put the match out of reach. Cooke’s try was also another impressive display of athleticism as he sliced through the visitor’s defence.

Quins got one back with a well deserved try, their pack was impressive and dominant at times, however Henley had the final say with a quick snipe from Tanner to make the final score 46-5.

Overall, this was by far the strongest performance of the year by Henley, and the first where they played as a team. The pack was far better getting to the breakdown, which allowed the backs to do what they do best – score tries.

Some notable mentions:

– Benedict Evans – strong season debut at full-back

– Jake Leach – demon tackling

– Charlie Sichel – superb work rate – he was always first to the breakdown

– Dan Critland & Ollie Capstick – dominated the lineouts