Hove U15 Reds Keep the Streak Alive with Gritty 34–12 Win at Farnham

Hove’s U15 Reds, were on the road last Sunday, this time heading deep into Surrey to face a determined Farnham side. With few home fixtures to their name in recent seasons, the Reds once more packed their bags and brought their trademark resilience and flair to unfamiliar turf, running out eventual 34–12 winners to extend their three-year unbeaten streak.

Early Promise and Forwards’ Firepower

In ideal playing conditions, Farnham kicked off with real intent, forcing Hove onto the back foot and earning an early penalty. But any hint of home advantage was quickly erased. The Hove forwards, hungry and physical from the outset, turned over possession from the resulting lineout, signalling that they meant business.

A newly formed halfback pairing of Harry S. at scrum-half and Callum at fly-half began to click early, finding rhythm and space. On eight minutes, Luca’s clean lineout take set the platform for Harry to dart through the defence with a sharp sniping run, finishing under the posts. Callum slotted the conversion, and Hove were off to a flying 7–0 start.

Errors and Equalisers

If the visitors expected a comfortable afternoon, Farnham had other ideas. Despite strong carries from Gabe, Mattanios, and Luca, Hove’s attack became bogged down. Too often the ball was kept tight within forward pods, starving the backs of service and leading to tired legs and handling errors. Isolated runners and a spate of penalties for holding on invited Farnham back into the game.

The home side capitalised, breaking through a series of missed tackles to level the scores at 7–7 on 18 minutes. Hove’s discipline wavered, but on the stroke of half-time, fortune smiled their way. A mis-kicked penalty found touch deep in Farnham territory; from the ensuing lineout, Gabriel broke free and offloaded to Matthew C., who powered over the line to restore the lead. Hove headed into the break ahead 12–7, a narrow but deserved advantage.

Second-Half Surge

Whatever was said in the dressing room clearly worked. With fresh legs from the bench and a visible lift in intensity, Hove took control from the restart. Relentless forward pressure and clever interplay saw Jefferson crash over shortly after coming on, pushing the lead to 17–7.

Moments later, an overthrown lineout was salvaged brilliantly, allowing Gabriel to rumble over after a superb pack effort. 22–7, and Hove were finally asserting dominance.

But with control came complacency. Twice the team were marched back ten metres for backchat to the referee, a lapse in discipline that proved costly. Farnham capitalised on a quick tap penalty to claw back a try, narrowing the gap to 22–12.

Mattanios Magic and a Flourish to Finish

Enter Mattanios, fresh off a Player of the Match display the previous week. Picking up from midfield, he bulldozed through defenders with trademark power to extend the lead once more. Then, as the forwards began to tire, the backs finally had their moment. Some flowing, expansive rugby swept the ball wide, and James dotted down for the final try of the match. Callum’s cool conversion sealed the victory at 34–12.

Still Unbeaten, but Hungry for More

It says much about this talented Hove side that scoring 34 points away from home and maintaining an unbeaten record could still feel a touch underwhelming. The Reds’ ambitions, and standards, have grown higher with every season. The forwards were immense, the bench made a real impact, and flashes of running rugby hinted at the team’s true potential.

Next up: a rare match under the lights at Cobham, where the coaches will be hoping to see a bit more of that trademark Hove sparkle to match the grit that keeps their unbeaten run alive.