Hackney 1st XV 52 - 0 Saracens Amateurs 1st XV
Hackney returned to Springhill following the Winter break to face a much improved Saracens side who were largely unrecognisable from the side that had been drubbed 64-0 earlier in the season.
Hackney wasted no time getting out of the blocks, striking deep into the Saracens defence from the kick-off. Early Saracens indiscipline provided Hackney with more than enough opportunities to push for the line and it was Charlie Williams who crossed first following a sustained period of pressure. Williams, clearly buoyed to have returned to the score sheet was hungry for more and his second would follow soon. After excellent work from Charlie Davis and the virtually un-tackleable Jack Silverthorn, Williams emulated an in form Chris Ashton popping up on the opposite wing to wrong foot the defence for his second.
The crowd’s favourite, Silverthorn, was next to dot down. A sevens specialist , who is unstoppable in broken play, picked up the ball in the 22 only to find himself, five prostrate defenders and under 10 seconds later crossing the try line for his second 80 metre score in consecutive matches.
This may have been too much too soon for Hackney. Perhaps it was Silverthorn’s influence, or perhaps just the hubris of coming off a 64-0, but Hackney switched into 7s mode. Offload followed offload, turnover followed turnover. The game was swinging in the favour of the quicker and more agile Saracens backs who to their credit and despite an excellent kicking 10 ,were committed to running the ball from all areas of the pitch. Hackney’s scramble defence held strong, but the second half of the first half indisputably belonged to Saracens.
Director of rugby Ben Scanlan produced a hair dryer half time talk reticent of Sir Alex Ferguson. Knowing what had to be done Hackney rolled up their sleeves and prepared to get their hands dirty.
The change in tactics paid off almost immediately. O’Hara and Davis combined to put the ball within the Saracens half and Ant Duttine’s directness repeatedly put the Hackney pack beyond the gain line. Having done so many hard yards, it was apt that Ant confirmed the bonus point for Hackney, finding a gab before showing a great turn of pace to leave the cover defenders without a hope.
Johnny Crockett grabbed a try in a sight which is becoming a common occurrence – rounding off an excellent individual performance he dotted down having driven over from 3 yards out, although by the end of the night’s celebrations, it was more like a 40metre gallop. The forwards continued to reap success as flanker Ben Chamberlain added to his tally for the season after some excellent hands from Silverthorn, Duttine and James Davis.
Skipper Alex O’Hara grabbed an opportunistic try after Chamberlain took a worthwhile gamble coming in to tackle the Saracens prop who ignored the 3 man overlap on his left hand side. Sadly for O’Hara, who’s keen to add the top scorer award to his burgeoning portfolio at the club, Ben added his second try of the game, being fed by Duttine just outside the Sarries 22m and leaving the covering fullback grasping at air as he nonchalantly skipped round him.
Saracens fought well despite their relative youth and will undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with in coming years but the day belong to Hackney. Next week Verulamians travel to Springhill looking to repeat their victory from last season, while Hackney know they must continue to match pacesetters Wasps who also recorded a good first victory of 2012.
Man of the Match: Uzo Uyanwune who has managed to make the 8 shirt his own and continued with a couple of runs that scared the life out of the opposition. Honourable mentions to Fernando Pineda-Garcia who played superbly on his Griffins debut and Agboola Silverthorn for his dancing feet.