It is not often Canterbury have been outclassed this season but there was no mistaking the evidence at Merton Lane on Saturday.

Henley, looking every inch promotion candidates, took control with four first half tries and although the city side tightened their game after the break they offered little in attack and were easily contained.

The Hawks were on top in all the important areas and the pressure their physically impressive team brought to bear allowed them to dominate possession and force a string of errors.

Add to that, unforced mistakes made by a lack lustre city outfit and there was only going to be one winner as the visitor sprinted away with a bonus point by half time.

Both defences were tested early in the match and proved up to the task, but once Henley were handed the lead through an ineffective tackle they started to go up through the gears.

Wing Johan Holmes was the beneficiary as he wriggled out of Aiden Moss’s clutches and waltzed away for the first try, converted by Will Robinson.

Five minutes later it was the Hawks combative forwards who did the damage from an attacking lineout. The support, organisation and off loading that was a mark of their quality brought a try for Number Eight Robbie Stapley. Scrummaging power set up a third.

A drive on the Canterbury put in saw the ball fly out uncontrolled and livewire scrum half Luke Carter was on it in a flash before Robinson kicked his second conversion.

It was all going wrong for the home side with the line outs hit and miss – and mostly miss – and Henley’s work at the breakdown and deft handling always posing a threat. The woes were compounded by the loss of both skipper Peter Kelly and centre Alex Veal to injury.

Henley’s bonus point duly arrived with a fourth try shortly before half time as their pack drove a lineout fully 20 metres and lock Dave Clements completed the job.

At the interval Canterbury reshuffled their line-up and introduced Fiji international Nicky Little from the replacements bench but he lasted only seven minutes before going to the sin bin for a high tackle.

A more determined city side almost battled through that handicap but a minute before Little’s scheduled return the extra man paid off for Henley as they created an overlap on the right for Holmes’s second, converted try.

Canterbury have staged some meaningful second half fight backs this season but for that you need possession and the Hawks made sure they kept most of it to themselves. When the city men did get a glimpse of the ball they were painfully short of ideas and the one success came from a turned over ball in mid-field.

Wim Baars made the break to combine with Moss in a right wing attack which ended in a try for Scott Browne.

By that time the visitors were cruising and ready to savour news of fellow title challengers Redruth’s home defeat which made their day even sweeter.

Canterbury: M.Beaumont (repl N.Little), A.Moss, J.Del Val, A.Veale (repl D.Devlin-Jones), M.Melford, S.Browne, D.Marshall, R.McLeod, N.Wakefield (repl S.Rogers), S.Goode (repl J.Green), B.Massey, C.Hinkins, G.Micans, P.Kelly (repl W.Baars), J.Liston.