Won 33 – 19

Without a doubt this was the biggest game so far this season for the Under-16s and they rose to the challenge as they inflicted the first league defeat on Twickenham since the leagues started and were the first team to take a bonus point off of them this year.

Harps knocked on from the kick off and from the resulting scrum the Twickenham outside half ran into Owen Farrell who stripped the ball and kicked deep into the Twickenham half. A good chase meant that the Twickenham wing had no option but to hold on and concede a penalty. A quick tap lead to a further penalty for not retreating and from another quick tap Toby Turk barrelled over the line to give Harpenden their first try which Owen Farrell converted for a 7-0 lead after 3 minutes.

Twickenham gave away good field position by kicking the ball dead. From the scrum that followed Owen Farrell kicked through and another Twickenham mistake lead to another penalty, which meant that the ball was drilled to the Twickenham 22 metre line. Zac Kent secured clean ball at the line out, Tom Rhodes made a good break at inside centre, the forwards recycled the ball, the ball was spun out wide but the ball was spilled with the Twickenham try line beckoning. Twickenham were unable to break out of their half but a period of sustained Harps pressure did not lead to any further scores. Highlights were an excellent break from John Collins from ruck ball, the overall dominance of the Harps pack and the continued threats posed by the backs against a very strong Twickenham backline.

After 22 minutes it appeared that Harps had added to their score when Jim Speirs drove over the line from a 5-metre scrum, but was ruled to have been held up. However, the crowd didn’t have long to wait as Tris Francis ran back a kick from his own half and linked up with Gij Barnes and Toby Turk. The forwards kept the ball alive and drove the ball up to the Twickenham 10 metre line before being forced into touch. An infringement at the line gave Harps a free kick which Jim Speirs took quickly and ran into the opposition 22 before finding Toby Turk in support who was able to run over for his second try of the game. Owen Farrell added the conversion to give Harps a 14-0 lead.

A great catch and drive by George Barnes from the restart allowed Harpenden to put the ball back into the Twickenham 22-metre line. The Harps scrum put the opposition under pressure at the set-pieces which meant that their scrum half was never comfortable. They managed to clear the ball to half way and from the line out Jimmy Speirs found Owen Farrell with an excellent long pass, Owen put Louis Gabriel away who broke away and just forced himself over for a try converted by Owen Farrell. The score remained at 21-0 at half time, which more than reflected the balance of play and saw the end of the best half of rugby played by the lads for some time.

Twickenham came out fired up for the second half and straight from the kick-off took advantage of two missed tackles to set up a good attacking position inside the Harps 22. However, they visibly wilted when Louis Gabriel intercepted and ran the length of the pitch to score under the posts for Owen Farrell to convert. 28-0 after 36 minutes and Harps had secured the bonus point.

5 minutes later Zac Kent won clean ball at the front of the lineout and Owen Farrell kicked to within 15 metres of the Twickenham line. Twickenham infringed at the lineout and were pushed back another 10 metres for not retreating. From a quick tap Owen Farrell produced a superb grubber kick to give Louis Gabriel the simplest of tries for his hat-trick and a 33-0 lead.

From this point in the match a slight relaxation by the lads and a stream of substitutions allowed Twickenham to bring a measure of respectability to the score that, in all honesty, flattered them. After 49 minutes a well-executed move in the centres lead to an unconverted try.

Jimmy Speirs claimed the kick off and fed Dougie Norris on the right wing who, after a deft kick, chase and catch was only stopped 10 metres short by a desperate tackle by the Twickenham full back. The lineout was won again by Zac Kent at the front and Toby Turk drove on to within 5 metres and when the ball was released Tris Francis drove over but was held up. Jim Speirs picked up at the base of the scrum but knocked on carrying the ball over the line. This allowed Twickenham to clear their lines and spend the next 10 minutes camped between halfway and the Harpenden 22 but without ever looking like scoring. However, a crashing tackle by Phil Blasquez on the Twickenham inside centre secured turnover ball which Tom Baker was unlucky to be adjudged to knock on. From the scrum Twickenham broke on the blindside and a combination of poor defence and tired legs allowed the winger to run the ball in for a converted try to bring the score back to 33-12.

The final score of the match came with 3 minutes to go from a Twickenham lineout which they won clearly, spun out wide and ran in at the corner.

Final Score 33-19.

This was an excellent win against a very good side that Harps blew away in the first half. Both scrum and backs dominated their counterparts and Twickenham were never in it. Hopefully they will now move on to consolidate their position and push for honours at the end of the season.

Team:

Jim Speirs (capt), Michael Singleton, Richard Armour, Sean Longden, Toby Turk, George Barnes, Zac Kent, Ali Mills, Phil Blasquez, Andrew Brown, Tristan Francis, Angus Williams, Tom Rhodes, Alex Ford, John Collins, Tom Baker, Dougie Norris, Owen Farrell, Louis Gabriel, Luke Johnson, David Arbuthnott and Michael Halliwell.