Wasps FC. Rugby in West london.

OLD VERULAMIANS 16 WASPS 28.

Match report by Dave Farmer

For the first time this season a Saturday afternoon showed some resemblance of winter, with a really raw brisk afternoon greeting the players as they trotted out on to the field. Old V’s players were obviously taking the game seriously as a crowd of over a hundred stepped out from a mid-day Luncheon to watch the proceedings giving them there full support.

Wasps started playing up the slight slope and were slow out of the blocks. Old V’s kicked and drove for the bottom corner at every opportunity, but were never quite accurate enough in what they were doing to reap the benefits of a solid start. In the end after ten minutes of control of the ball but no real try scoring chances they settled for an angled penalty 3 – 0 to Old V’s.

This score seemed to wake the Wasps team up and almost immediately a sixty metre expansive play involving forwards and backs and at least five separate phases of play ended up with Flynn crossing fairly wide out for an excellent try. Hodgie narrowly missed a difficult conversion across the breeze taking Wasps into a 3 - 5 lead.

This was quickly followed by another excellent phase of forwards and backs moving the ball through numerous sets of hands, before setting Flynn free, he was tackled ten metres short of the line, but had the sense and the skill to lay the ball back away from the tackle which allowed the supporting Hodgie to pick up and strolled over, before running round under the posts. He added the conversion points to take Wasps into a 3 – 12 lead.

Old V’s responded well and pressed hard from the restart, getting themselves back into a one score game when they were awarded a penalty wide out, which was excellently converted, by a kicker who did not miss a shot at goal all day. Old V’s 6 Wasps 12

The next ten minutes saw both sides becoming somewhat confused by a number of decisions by an official who refereed from a distance, and a stalemate of exchanged penalties and kicks for touch seemed to be the order of the day.

This stagnant phase of the game suddenly jumped into life with Wasps winning a lineout against the throw and scoring one of their best tries of the season. With forwards and backs interlinking over seventy metres or more, the move ended up with George, who had a lively game throughout, appearing on the opposite wing before off-loading a short pass to Dan who scored an excellent team try. Hodgie for the first time of the season totally shanked a conversion. This took the score to OldV’s 6 Wasps 17 and it remained that way until half time.

The second half was in truth difficult for both sides with no real flow to the game. Every attacking opportunity from either side seemed to end in an unusual penalty decision against the attacking team. Consequently both sides became rather tetchy.

To their credit both teams still attempted to play but both perhaps felt they were getting the rough end of some important decisions. However, after ten minutes of toing and froing, Old V’s converted anther penalty, which reduced their deficit to 9 - 17.

This score again seemed to stir the Wasps team into action and after a period of pressure they were awarded a penalty, that Hodgie, struck perfectly through the middle of the posts. Old V’s 9 Wasps 20.

Wasps then scored a really good counter-attacking score, with the ball passing through at least ten pairs of hands, only to have the referee disallow the try, but award a penalty five metres from the line for a high tackle. This confused both sets of players and all of the spectators. Having been denied the Wasps team took a tap penalty and after two or three drives Tom, who had only replaced Rory two minutes earlier, drove over for the bonus [point try. Hodgie narrowly missed a wide conversion. This took Wasps into a 9 – 25 lead.

Wasps completed their substitutions by putting Alex and Craig on for the last fifteen minutes, both played well, with the high-light being a fifty metre kick and chase, parallel to the touchline, by Craig.

Wasps final score of the game occurred just after the restart, when they were awarded yet another penalty for the opposition killing the ball. On this occasion Marc decided to take the points and a beautifully struck penalty from thirty five meters out by Hodgie obliged taking the score to 9 – 28.

In the final minutes of the game the Wasps players were disappointed to let the Old V’s score a tap and go drive and recycle type of try. This was well converted to make the final score Old V’s 16 Wasps 28.

This was a pleasing performance, with the front five, where Kieran was excellent in all aspects of his game, provided a regular supply of ball, the back row of Sam, Dan and Liam were outstanding whether with or without the ball and your correspondent felt that Dan edged the man of the match award, a pint awaits him. The half backs and backs tackled very well throughout the game, made good use of the ball they were given being inventive throughout. Without one or two sub-standard passes they would have scored at least three other tries.

This was in essence a focused performance, against a fully motivated side, it could well have been an excellent performance, with more consistent officiating and management of the breakdown, where too many of the decisions made were totally confusing and inconsistent to players from both sides.

Things that went well were counter-rucking and tackling supported by rapid engagement of the ball carrier on the floor, numerous penalties were awarded to Wasps in this area alone.

Things to work on are;

· again the basics, as they govern all other things we are trying to do and we should not forget that accurate passing both creates and finishes off opportunities.

We still have more to offer and to challenge ourselves with at line-out time.