Hawks out for revenge in crunch derby relegation showdown

FOLLOWING a rest weekend, Henley Hawks are back in action tomorrow (Saturday) when they face off against local rivals Oxford Harlequins at Dry Leas, kick-off is 3pm.

Following a stretch of fixtures which saw them take on the top six sides in the league over the last couple of months, the Hawks now switch their focus to the clubs around them in the league standings.

Currently lying second from bottom in National Division 2 East with Quins propping up the league, this fixture has become a huge one for both clubs as they look to reverse a poor run of results.

There is still a lot of rugby to be played this season, but Luke Allen’s men will be well aware of the challenge that faces them to retain their league status, and will undoubtedly need the support of the Henley faithful to help them overcome what has been a poor campaign by their standards.

The two sides met at the Horspath Sports Ground back in October, and it was Quins who were victorious that day with a thoroughly deserved 33-17 triumph.

In terms of team news, in the pack Luke Shpylka starts at tight-head prop in place of the injured Edem Adablah, whilst Liam Goodison returns to the second row after missing the trip to Oundle a fortnight ago.

There is also a first start for Max Brown at openside flanker who is on loan from Rams. Brown also featured on loan at Oxford Quins earlier in the season, so it will be interesting to see how he fares against his former club.

In the backs, there are no changes to the side that faced Oundle, so Leo Webb and Max Titchener continue to pull the strings at halfback.

The provisional Henley Hawks side to face Oxford Quins is as follows: 1 Moses Fakatou, 2 Spencer Hayhow, 3 Luke Shpylka, 4 Ben Elsey, 5 Liam Goodison, 6 Fin Basil, 7 Max Brown, 8 Will Benning, 9 Leo Webb, 10 Max Titchener, 11 Lailand Gordon, 12 Jimmy Leach, 13 Callum Jones, 14 Oscar Busby, 15 George Wood. Replacements: 16 Beau Delaney, 17 Louis Bailey, 18 Scott White, 19 Toby Howe, 20 Oscar White.

Elsewhere tomorrow, Henley 2nds travel to Wallingford while Henley 3rds make the trip to Risborough, both matches kicking-off at 2pm.

On Sunday, Henley Hawks Women travel to bottom side Sutton and Epsom, kick-off 2pm.