Taunton 20 - Henley Hawks 16 (Match Report)

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There is a phrase by Mark Twain that spring to mind when describing spirit, pride, and passion in the face of adversity; “It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.”

Many had written off the notion of a Taunton win against Henley Hawks, but a dogged performance saw Taunton tear up the script with a 20-16 victory and, in the process, reaffirm Hyde Park as a tough place for visiting sides.

Both sides started the match in composed fashion but it is fair to say that the opening fifteen minutes belonged to Henley. From the off they looked to put their hosts under extreme pressure with wave after wave of early attacks. Taunton’s composure came from a solid and effective defence marshalled well at Fullback by Gary Kingdom.

Despite Taunton’s herioc resistance, their defence would eventually be stretched to breaking point and after nearly ten minutes camped on the home line Henley eventually made the breakthrough. Following a number of drives around the fringes the ball was spread wide to Christophe Bart and the Henley wing cut a lovely line inside to deservedly open the scoring for the visitors. Fly half James Comben missed the conversion but Henley held a 0-5 lead with 11 minutes played.

Taunton then had their first real period of possession, and set about creating an opportunity. Their first foray into the Henley half saw the mercurial Tony Yapp pull three points back when Henley were penalised for hands in the ruck. He was successful with the kick at goal and it was 3-5 after 13 minutes.

After being on the back foot for much of the opening exchanges the penalty kick seemed to settle the Taunton side as they began to compete with parity against their high-flying opponents. They started to work their territory and it was not long before they would be camped on the Henley line. Patience was rewarded when second row Dave Bates crashed over the line to score. Yapp stepped up, adding the extras to give Taunton a 10-5 lead after 21 minutes.

It was to be a lead that Taunton would not relinquish for the rest of the match. With their tails up it looked like they had extended it further when Kingdom went over along with the attentions of the Henley defence. The cheers from the large crowd subsided in dissapointment with the referee adjudging that the ball was lost forward as the full back stretched out to ground the ball.

Henley pulled three points back under the most bizarre of circumstances to those in attendance. Having laid siege to the Taunton line once more they forced their hosts to defend for their lives and the vocal Jason Luff did well to organise those around him. For reasons unbeknown to most his organisational technique was not to the referees liking as Luff subsequently received a talking to and a penalty in front of the posts was awarded. Comben was successful with the kick and it was 10-8 after 31 minutes.

A response from Taunton was not long in coming when again they worked their way into the Henley half to create a platform for attack. Kingdom went close for a second time and the ball was quickly recycled with play brought back infield as they tested the Henley defence. The forwards took over and this time Greg Charlton pumped his legs to drive himself over the line and score. Yapp converted from wide out to give Taunton a 17-8 lead after 34 minutes.

The game was turning into an entertaining encounter, with the action flowing from end to end. Taunton used their midfield pairing of Luff and Christian Gervais to make ground, and Tom Popham showed how he has come of age this season with a fantastic performance in both attack and defence. Alex Hemsley stepped in to fill the void left by the absence of skipper Sean Fox and Dean Taylor-Menzies with aplomb, putting in a workmanlike performance, whilst Liam Wilkinson continues to mature into a one-man wrecking ball.

After weathering another Henley storm, Taunton turned over possession and looked to get as deep as possible into their opponent’s half. The forwards piled everything into the breakdown to ensure that the ball was retained, but the visitors could not resist putting their hands into the ruck, killing the ball again. A penalty was awarded and Yapp slotted it over on the stroke of half time to give Taunton a 20-8 lead going in at the break.

The second half was played in much the same vein as the first; with both sides being relatively equally matched as both sides worked hard to create their chances. The first opportunity for a second half score went to Henley following an offside in midfield. Comben slotted the kick at goal making the score 20-11 after 54 minutes.

The next, and final, score of the afternoon also fell to Henley after another fifteen minutes of end-to-end rugby. Henley winger Bart was again on hand to finish of a well-worked move to outstrip the flailing Taunton defence and cross wide on the right. The conversion fell just short but it would now be anyone’s game with the score 20-16 after 70 minutes.

This lead to a tense closing chapter with both sides looking to secure the points on offer. Each side had opportunities go begging either through errors or the efforts of the two sides’ defences under pressure. It was now a battle of will and Taunton showed they had it in spades to hold out for a fully deserved victory as the final whistle sounded amidst the elation of the players, coaches and supporters. The final score 20-16.

The match was at times a battle of attrition, and frequently very entertaining stuff for the vocal Taunton fans. Ultimately it came down to who wanted, or maybe even needed it, the most. After the heat of competition it was clear that the result was hard earned making it even more special. Hopefully this can be built on further, but for now the Taunton side could enjoy the spoils of victory as the visitors had to settle for travelling home with a losing bonus point for their efforts.

The Taunton young guns continue to mature together and build a close unit that can, on their day, compete with and beat the best in National 2 South. This weekend sees them travel to Lydney, a single point and place above them in the table, for their next league encounter before the winter break.

The County Stores sponsored man of the match for Taunton was awarded to Dave Bates.