Henley Hawks did enough with a
dominant performance in the first half to see in 2017 with a 17-12 victory over
Redingensians. The Hawks three tries within the first 30 minutes proved too
much of an advantage for the Ram’s to overcome in a second half comeback at a
packed out Dry Leas.
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| Henley putting Redingensians under pressure in front of a large crowd at Dry Leas |
There
was a bumper crowd for this local derby as Henley looked for a repeat of the
26-22 victory over Redingensians early in the season. With both the Hawks &
Rams sat in mid-table in National 2 South it was sure to be a hard fought
contest as both sides looked to kick start the new year with a win.
Henley
took the most of their opportunities early on as a lineout inside the Ram’s 22
was converted into a try as a strong driving maul with Henley centre Liam O’Neill
lurking at the back went over in the
corner. A missed conversion from the touchline gave Henley a 5-0 lead within 5
minutes. Redingensians had an immediate opportunity to respond with a penalty
from 45m out in front of the posts but was just pulled to the right. Henley
continued to apply early pressure as quick ball created an overlap which fly-half
Butler exploited to put O’Neill through for a simple finish and his
second try. The conversion put wide by Henley doubled their lead to 10-0.
Despite
the difficult conditions underfoot, Henley continued to press and provide quick
ball for the backs. Redingensians failed to make the most of the early ball
they had with several handling errors handing Henley back possession in
dangerous positions. The Henley forwards provided a very strong platform to
play from, and the pressure told 25 minutes in when a powerful maul starting on
the 22m was careening toward the Ram’s try line before being sacked just short.
The referee producing the yellow card for Rams hooker, Ben Henderson and Henley decide to keep on the
pressure opting for a 5m scrum. After several resets the forwards get the scrum
moving towards the Rams try line as it is collapsed just short, leaving the
referee with no option but to give the penalty try. A simple conversion a
Henley extend their lead to 17-0.
Despite
their dominance for the majority of the first half it was Redingesians who
finished the half on top. However, despite several opportunities inside the
Hawks 22m, it was the Henley defence that held firm and managed to drive a
pressing Ram’s maul into touch. This brought a confident first half performance
from Henley to a close with them leading on the scoreboard 17-0.
It was
Redingesians who came out the dressing room the brighter for the second half.
With plenty of possession in the early stages of the half, the Rams made
several ventures into the Hawks 22, only to squander several opportunities with
handling errors. The game began to break down as replacements took place and
the quick pace of the game took its toll. With the game beginning to open up
with several turnovers in the midfield there were opportunities for both teams
to take the game by the scruff of the neck. 20 minutes in the Ram’s took the
initiative as a breakdown in midfield was quickly turned over and a kick in
behind the Henley defence took a favourable bounce for Jack Rossiter who had a walk in from 5m out. The
conversion missed brought the score to 17-5.
Redingesians
continued to take advantage of the open nature of the second half and
maintained the pressure on Henley. Indiscipline also let Henley down with a
clear high tackle just inside their half, giving the referee an easy decision
to reach for the yellow card for Hayhow.
The Ram’s opted to kick for touch and it proved the right option as the flanker
Thomson exploited the gaps left from
the yellow card and dashed over unopposed from 15m out. With a simple
conversion the score was 17-12 with the Rams now in control.
Then
followed a sustained period of pressure from Redingesians who were unable to
convert pressure into points. While the Rams looked threatening with ball in
hand, they lacked a killer instinct to finish off those chances. Knock ons in
vital positions and missed lineouts gave Henley opportunities to clear their
lines. As time began to run down Henley closed the game down well and kept
possession in the tight five and wound down the clock. And as time ran out it
was Henley that held on to see out a 17-12 victory.
With
Henley the more clinical side when there were in the ascendancy in the first
half, it was a deserved home win to start off the new year. But huge credit to
Redingesians who really took hold of the game in the second half and put Henley
under huge pressure, just missing that composure to finish off chances late in
the game. The win means that Henley close in on their local rivals in the
league and have the chance now, as the year moves forward, to look at pushing
on into the top half with possible wins against Exmouth & Barnes up next. The
loss means Redingesians miss out on a chance the close the gap on those ahead,
but with some big games against Redruth & Chinnor to come there will be
more chances the improve their position in the table.
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