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LOCAL KNOWLEDGE ESSENTIAL.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE ESSENTIAL.

Richard Green1 Oct 2013 - 16:19
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FINCHLEY 29 WASPS 10 Match report by Dave Farmer

Wasps travelled to Finchley in good spirits, after last week’s doughty win against Welwyn to meet a side with a very similar performance level so far this year, and a close encounter was expected by both teams. They were not to be disappointed on this fact.
Wasps started as the better of the sides and were quickly attacking through wide channels, creating two clear-cut overlaps and walk in situations, before the Finchley defence had woken up. Unfortunately for Wasps they dropped the ball on both occasions,letting their opponents off the hook, which proved to be a dangerous thing to do, against what turned out to be a well organised, committed team.
After these initial sorties Finchley started to get their game plan together, sending their midfield and wide backs through central channels where Sam, BJ and the Wasps Back-row repelled every attack. However, not rolling away from a tackle led to Finchley being awarded a straight forward kick at goal, which they took to lead 3 - 0 after 12 minutes.
From the restart Wasps attacked and were awarded a penalty halfway out on the Finchley twenty-two. Blayne narrowly missed with his attempt. Wasps were now trying to attack by moving the ball wide, perhaps too early, but as they were being penalised at every other breakdown, with or without the ball, it seemed sensible to move the ball away from any form of contact. The game degenerated into a succession of penalties and free-kicks. The Finchley touch kicker took full yardage on each and every kick he was given, constantly kicking Wasps back into their own half. Wasps were moving the ball forward by trying to play rugby by attacking ball in hand. They were making regular inroads only to be penalised and sent back into their own half from the resulting touch finder. Thus Finchley were able to exert pressure through an excellently drilled line-out. Once again Wasps were comfortable in their defensive structure but a held-in-the-tackle decision gave the Finchley wing another chance to kick for goal, his successful kick made it Finchley 6 Wasps 0.
Soon after the restart BJ was adjudged to have made a spear tackle and was Yellow Carded. Players from both sides and spectators considered this to be an inaccurate decision. Finchley, now a man up, applied more concerted pressure, which Wasps generally controlled, akeeping the hosts at bay. From their own line-out on their ten-metre line, Wasps went for a long line-out, the ball bounced loose on the Finchley side and they used it very well. Three or four mini-rucks, direct running and mixing Forwards and Backs together, drove successive phases at the Wasps line, eventually scoring, an excellent team try wide out on the left. The kick was narrowly missed but the Try had given them an 11 point lead. Wasps responded well and were on the attack for the remaining minutes of the half. Half-time Finchley 11 Wasps 0.
It had been a frustrating half for both sides with a constant stop-start nature and few plays being allowed to generate without an offence perceived or adjudged. However, Finchley kept their mouths shut and played the environment more wisely than their Wasps counterparts.
The second half started with Wasps kicking too centrally where the Finchley Number 7 caught the ball and made maximum use of the space in front of him; beating two defenders, he ran clear and into the Wasps half before he was tackled. Finchley moved the ball one phase before Wasps were penalised at the next ruck. Once again the Finchley winger obliged and took his side into a 14 point to 0 lead.
This had not been an ideal start to the second half but it seemed to galvanise the Wasps team into upping the pace of the game, by moving the ball even quicker, and trying to take it away from the static set piece environment that was stifling them, and for a while it worked. From a line-out just inside the Finchley half Wasps moved the ball into the centre, two mini-rucks later a wide pass released Ryan who scored wide out with Nick still available outside him. Blayne missed the difficult conversion but Wasps were at least on the score card and at Finchley 14 Wasps 5 were back in the game.
The next few minutes were all Wasps, with them taking quick tap penalties and recycling from successive rucks. Finchley were defending well in an organised manner and repelled several attempts by Wasps to force their way over. Something had to give and after a number of near misses BJ, was over in the corner after a number of blindside drives. Once again the touchline conversion was close but missed. Now with only eight minutes of the half played Wasps felt they were really back in with a chance having closed the score to 14 – 10.
Finchley responded well and from the kick-off regained the ball and attacked the Wasps twenty-two. Wasps were adjudged to have offended again and for once the Finchley kicker missed his target. From the twenty-two drop out restart, Wasps rashly took a pick and go tap drop-kick, were tackled immediately, regained the ball, but were very much going backwards and quite rightly penalised at the second ruck. The kick being directly in front of the posts and inside the twenty-two was never going to be missed and Wasps, after an encouraging spell found themselves further behind, at Finchley 17 Wasps 10.
Wasps were back on the attack from the kick-off and after two or three organised phases and drives BJ was held up just short. Wasps were awarded a penalty which hit the post and bounced out. A misfortune, but at least Wasps were attacking and asking questions and there was still twenty minutes to go.
The game at this stage was being played mainly in the middle of the field with both sides searching for what could have been a decisive opening. Unfortunately for Wasps it was when Luke twisted his ankle and had to leave the fray. With the introduction of Darren at Prop there should have been no issues, but with the Props changing sides, Wasps managed to lose two balls against the head whilst things were bedding down, thus handing the initiative back to Finchley. Wasps were now finding it difficult to get out of their own half. Darren was quite rightly Yellow Carded for a shoulder charge tackle, which meant they were going to have to play the rest of the game with fourteen men. That in itself was significant but (for some unknown reason) Wasps elected to continue to play contested scrums, although a man down and playing a Second-row at Prop.
Finchley were naturally awarded a penalty for a binding infringement and kicked for the corner. The ball was knocked back untidily by Finchley and bounced loose. Their Number 7 was first to react tidied up the ball and scuttled round the front of the line-out to score wide out. An excellent individual effort from a player, who had been outstanding throughout. The kick was missed but the game was gone with the score 22 – 10 in Finchley’s favour with four minutes to go. Wasps only hope was to score and gain a bonus point.
This meant that every ball was kept in hand and Wasps were valiantly trying to run the ball the length of the field, in a somewhat uncontrolled direct manner. Having worked their way out to the halfway line another ruck infringement led to Finchley kicking for an attacking line-out position. From this lineout they ran a straightforward Backs move bringing the blind side Winger in behind the Centres, he made a half break and fed the ball wide where the other winger just squeezed in at the corner to score a well worked and executed Try. To add the icing to the cake the conversion hit the post and bounced back over the bar to make the final score Finchley 29 Wasps 10.
This put a slightly distorted division between the two sides but on the day the better side won. Wasps, however, will be wondering what might have happened if they had caught some early passes when running in clear air.
For Wasps in a stop-start game halfbacks Cam and Blayne played very well and created a number of chances and half chances from what little ball they were allowed to have.

SQUAD:
Ryan. Nick. BJ, Sam, George, Blayne, Cam, Juan, Rory, Luke, Nick, Ticks, Alex, Ryan, Tysen, Darren, Parker, Ryan.

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