Wasps returned to the overcast grey skies, chilly windy weather of Twyford Avenue from last week’s exploits in the tropical heat of Hackney and the players in particular were pleased to be performing in much more seasonal climatic conditions.

Belisize Park had turned up early, were well focussed and warmed up, being one of only a few sides to take a bonus point from Wasps this season they had every right to be expectant of again performing well. Wasps were also aware, that Belsize if given the opportunity to play their driving, close support off-loading game were capable of doing damage. So both sides were taking the match seriously, it was not going to be an end of season happy go lucky affair.

Belsize won the toss and elected to play with the stiff breeze at their backs, thus encouraging Wasps to keep the ball in hand. The kick off led to a defensive scrum and the Belsize scrumhalf cleared with a positive touch finder. Wasps took the line-out just inside their half and moved the ball across the pitch with accuracy, finding both space and support. The pattern of the first twenty minutes had been set.
Wasps moving the ball at every opportunity and Belsize Park clearing the ball into touch as soon as they could. Fortunately for Wasps their line-out functioned well for the first quarter of the game and gave them a sound platform to play from. This, however, was insignificant when compared to the dominance that the Wasps front five gained from the first scrummage of the match. This facet of the game never changed, Wasps getting ball on the front foot whilst the Belsize scrumhalf was going backwards and sideways trying to get scrappy ball away, a task he managed well but his backs were invariably on the back foot.

It was from one such scrummage, on the Belsize Park twenty two in mid-field that the first score duly arrived. Wasps forwards drove the scrummage forward allowing Tim to release BJ towards a set of backs on the retreat, with his recent loss of kilos, he sprinted into a small gap and crossed wide out. Hodgie struck an excellent conversion that stalled in the wind and dropped just short of the crossbar. So after five minutes of accuracy Wasps had taken a deserved 5 – 0 lead.

From the kick off Wasps returned to within a few metres of the Besize Park try line but were turned around by a safe touch finder. From the ensuing line out untidy ball was driven behind the Wasps forwards, where Justinas rescued a retreating situation with a forthright charge into three or four advancing Belsize forwards, setting up, a go forward situation from nothing. Four passes later, Flynn was faced with a one against one situation, on the other side of the pitch which he took with gusto and scored half way out. Hodgies conversion was again looking good until the wind intervened. Wasps 10 Belsize Park 0 after ten minutes showed that Wasps had started at full gallop.

The next five or six minutes saw Belsizes first real sets of possession in the game, they did, however, not make too much progress due to aggressive Wasps defence, which was moving forward and cutting down any space. This led to Belsize trying to run ball from behind the gain line and often having to retreat to try to go forward. Wasps waited their turn and from a turn-over moved the ball quickly up the field, into the right hand corner where they were awarded an attacking scrummage. Once again a go forward scrum gave the Wasps backs a platform to choose an option that suited them and Marc cut back against the grain, of a somewhat static defence and scored wide out. Taking the score to Wasps 15 Belsize Park 0, as Hodgies conversion followed the trend of being online but stalling in the stiff breeze.

Minutes later, another scrummage inside the Belsize Park twenty two saw a cut out move by the backs release Dami into space and he cruised in for the fourth try of the first half. With a bonus point secured Hodgies luck changed and a superb conversion followed with the ball stalling but on this occasion dropping the right side of the crossbar. Wasps 22 Belsize park 0.

With twenty minutes played Wasps had been in complete control of their own game and defending well when asked to. However, it was at about this time that their line out started to misfire and consequently this inaccuracy led to Belsize starting to get some go forward ball, which they used positively and made a number of organised attacks. These tested the Wasps defence to the full and during this spell, the back-row, showed that forward play is not just about scrummages, lineouts and grunt, but also requires bravery and tackling. Skills and attitudes, that, they were not found to be lacking in and Sam, Dan and Justinas earnt their corn. The second part of the first half was less dynamic with both sides to an extent excepting the status quo and Wasps scored only one more try to take a half time lead of 27 points to 0.

Half time gave Belsize Park a chance to regroup and it was obvious from the restart that they had decided to keep the ball in hand rather than kick it away. This led to their most constructive period of the game and after a number of phases of play, involving pick and go along with short drives they were able to set up an accurate off load, that saw them, score a well-constructed try near to the posts, this was converted to make the score Wasps 27 Belsize Park 7.
Wasps responded by upping their efforts, after a somewhat lack lustre start to the half and created two or three half chances but did not quite manage the accuracy that they had shown in the first twenty minutes, which led to some self-imposed frustration. Whether Wasps felt that now they were playing with the wind life would be easier, or they were happy in the knowledge that Hodgie of Wolfie could kick the back into the oppositions half at any time, your correspondent does not know, but there followed ten minutes of mediocre rugby by both sides. Belsize appeared happy to be competitive, keep the ball and make short gains and Wasps appeared to be a little too casual.

Wasps eventually woke up and started to press forward aggressively in defence and this led to a charge-down inside the Belsize twenty two, that was overrun by the first Wasps player on the scene but eagerly snaffled by BJ who scored his second try of the game. This time, with only touching down required, he did not need to use his new found burst of acceleration. Hodgie converted to take Wasps back into a four score lead and stop the Belsize recovery. Wasps 34 Belsize park 7.

Wasps were now playing positively again and continued to drive the Belsize forwards backwards at every scrummage, this single factor ensured that Wasps played the rest of the half on the front foot.
A certain try was missed when Griff cut back inside and passed to a player who received man and ball, when Dami was cruising outside him in acres of space with no one between him and the line. Belsize also defended manfully and forced Wasps players into touch within a metre of the line on three or four occasions.

It was at this stage that Dan received a bang to the head and had to leave the field. He was not happy to go but on Shelley’s insistence, that he required to have a breather he departed. Wasps had already used all three of their substitutes, in George, Rory and Conor who once again showed that it is now an eighteen man game, with all making positive contributions. This was at about the same time as a Belsize Park player was Yellow carded so both sides played the last section of the match with fourteen men.

The final score of the match came with ten minutes to go when an excellently executed move saw Wolfie literally walk in to score a try that the Belsize Park players were within centimetre of intercepting. This try capped a superb performance from Wolfie, whose nonstop chattering and organising of the defensive line in front of him was a high point of the match. Hodgie missed the conversion in a manner that did not bring the wind into the equation, Wasps 39 Belsize Park 7 being the final score.

This was again a game in which a man of the match choice was incredibly difficult, with the forwards playing well, Tim passing like a man possessed and tackling like a back row on occasions, the backs looking sharp and inventive and Wolfie organising what was in front whilst dealing with everything that occurred behind. Marc went for BJ whose two tries and defensive tackling duties were major contributory factors to a good solid winning performance.

There were things that we need to work on or fine tune. These being:
The line-out which lost its full effectiveness after twenty minutes and that wise old head, Greenie, summed it up well after the game when he suggested that it would help if all of the forwards could attend the same training evening.

Restarts varied from excellent to lets practice dropping the ball. These again need a full complement to be effectively organised.
However, the overall performance was very pleasing and the players are to be congratulated on their positive attitude and the qualities shown for large parts of the match.

The Presidents positive words to the boys in the changing room after the game were warmly received, as was his generous contribution to the beer kitty.