Haringey Rhinos Under-15s start the season strongly with two successive victories
Haringey Rhinos' Under-15 squad - Credit: Archant
Haringey Rhinos’ Under-15s have enjoyed a strong start to the season, winning both of their opening fixtures in Division Five of the Saracens Herts/Middlesex Junior League.
Having been crowned the Under-14 champions of Division Seven at the end of the last campaign, and then been involved in a restructuring of the leagues during the summer, the young Rhinos beat Ealing 52-10 in their first game after a hat-trick from centre Alex Velasquez before overcoming Old Grammarians 19-0 on Sunday, with debutant Jordan Peterson scoring two of their three first-half tries.
Haringey conceded two tries in the first half against Ealing but responded each time. Fly-half George Brett orchestrated a move that sent centre Andreas Sotiri between the posts before flanker Denzel Sargeant-Gammon powered through four tackles to cross the whitewash - and Brett kicked two conversions to give the Rhinos a 14-10 lead.
Haringey then had to defend their line for more than 12 phases, but they forced a knock-on and captain Stanley Bonham-Carter and Brett bravely decided to run the ball from deep, with Velasquez duly roaring through a gap and sprinting the full length of the pitch. Brett added the extras to put his side 21-10 up at the break.
After the interval, Rhinos full-back Stuart Patterson ripped the ball out of a maul and freed Velasquez, who touched down again before going on to complete his hat-trick, and Brett slotted over both conversions as Haringey began to run away with the game.
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Patterson, Onur Tokdas and debutant Dylan Bennett increased Haringey’s lead to 52-10 before the final whistle as the victors added bonus point to their win.
The Rhinos took their confidence and momentum into Sunday’s clash against Old Grammarians at New River and scored all of their 19 points in the first half.
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New boy Peterson showed great pace and strength to break through tackles and score two tries - both converted by Brett – and captain Sotiri also found a gap to touch down.
The second half was a stop-start affair littered with handling errors and a host of scrums, but the two sides also earned credit for their defensive efforts and Haringey ended up with a clean sheet.
Haringey Rhinos’ youngsters train on Sundays at the New River sports centre and new players are always welcome. Anyone interested should email haringeyyouthrugby@gmail.com
