News & EventsLatest NewsCalendar
MATCH REPORT - U17

MATCH REPORT - U17

Waheed Aslam22 Jan 2018 - 08:10
Share via
FacebookTwitter
https://www.waspsfc.co.uk/news

A hattrick from the hooker leads the way as U17 go top of the league

On so many levels this was a match that provided so many lessons for the squad, lessons that will benefit the boys for years to come. Playing in atrocious condiction, history of the fixture, top of the table clash, changing strategy during the match, playing for each other everyone took away something. Hats off to both sets of players with the driving snow and rain there were surprisingly very few handling errors, with both teams being briefed it was a"tuck it under your jumper" type day.

The match started evenly with Dunstablians scoring the first try a simple set scrum No 8 pick up onto scrum half and onto their big centre who fended off high tackles to score under the posts. Herein as lesson for our boys who heeded that warning, throuhgout the rest of the match they doubled (and tripled) up on that centre and got in tackles early, he only had two other significant runs in the match both times tackled to the ground. Wasps first try came from a lineout just inside the 10, whereas the previous two mauls had been driven by the Wasps pack (the oppo subsequently filled the maul with players), hooker Ossama looked up and took the ball down the blindside of the rolling maul and using Theo and winger Ollie as the support runners dumied and handed off defenders as he went into the corner. Most pleasing about this move that it was straight off the training ground and one of the boys own plans. I have never seen a team celebrate so much (that was a lesson from last year!) which provided the level of motivation and ambition to do what they did for the rest of the match.

The second soon followed with a series of penalties on the Dunstablians 5 it was Theo who picked out Ossama running flat who proceeded to take himself, the ball and the defence over the line. We were then subject to a phase of sustained pressure in our own half with the oppo never really looking like they would get into our 5, twice trying cross field kicks to counter our blanket defence. It was from one of the Dunstablians attacks that Ossama turned over the ball, picked up by Theo and with quick hands released the backs who raced up the paddock and score in the corner with Jamal offloading to the winger Ollie just before the line. 15-7 at half time.

Just as in the first half the oppo caught us cold (no pun intended) with a well worked short range opportunist try we were late retreating our 10 from the penalty. Wasps bonus point try came from scrum half theo who picked the ball up on the oppo 22 from a scrum and proceed to run into the corner and dive over the line. A raft of substitutions allowed some fresh legs and centre - Nate, props - Corey and Sam, centre Nathan and second row - Matthieu all making a diference. The fifth try came from winger Jamal who latched onto a sweeping move by the backs from a breakdown ruck.

For sheer teamwork the final try took the prize. Another lineout for us on the oppo 22, caught by Antonio and controlled by initially Florian, moved to Eden, by this time 3 more players had joined making it a 11 man maul. The driving maul first moving right and then as the maul moved left Ossama broke through the middle from the back on the 5 yard line and forced his way through the defence to cross over to complete his hattrick.

Hats off to both clubs for agreeing to go ahead with the fixture and especially the players who braved up to the stormy conditions. The team are now 4 from 4 with full bonus points sitting happily at the top of the league.

The most important lesson of all was the channelling on anger, frustration, injustice and adversity to deliver a TEAM performance

Final score
Wasps U17 - 30-12 Dunstablians U18

Further reading