News & EventsLatest NewsCalendar
WASPS 10 GRASSHOPPERS 38.

WASPS 10 GRASSHOPPERS 38.

Richard Green24 Nov 2013 - 17:08
Share via
FacebookTwitter
https://www.waspsfc.co.uk/news

Match report by Dave Farmer

Wasps played League leaders Grasshoppers on Saturday and found them to be a young, fit, disciplined and well organised side, who showed why they stand at the top of the table.
Wasps received the kick off and started quite positively with close driving play, moving the ball well and showing some degree of structure, making small gains and appearing to be in control, but they eventually penalised for holding on at a breakdown. Grasshoppers kicked for touch, won the lineout and were awarded a second penalty at the first breakdown for a Wasps side entry. The long range penalty was narrowly missed but was close enough to warn Wasps to be wary of any further discretions.
The next few minutes saw Wasps territorially in charge but not making any significant gains. The Grasshoppers defensive structure was well organised, making serious use of a strong back-row, which was competent at both tackling and getting hands in on the ball, both disrupting Wasps attacks and gaining a number of correct decisions from the Exchange Official, who was to have a very competent match himself.
This to and fro, small gain, game continued until Wasps were again penalised for being off their feet in a ruck. Grasshoppers kicked for position, won the resulting lineout and crashed the ball up the middle. Wasps killed the ball and gave the Grasshopper's kicker a far easier chance, which he duly took to take them into a lead of Wasps 0 Grasshoppers 3.
From the restart Wasps attacked again through short yardage driving play and began to get more decisions in their favour, which allowed them a short period of both positive field position and ball control. Douggie, Rory and Freddie were to the fore and were ably supported by their forward colleagues. Grasshoppers during this spell were to show that their organisation and positive attitude towards each other was a real strength in their team, repeatedly quelling Wasps at the gain line or very close to it, and filling in well and supporting one-another whenever Wasps did make ground.
After twenty minutes Wasps carelessly dropped a pass and Grasshoppers recovered the loose ball to make serious inroads into the Wasps twenty-two. This resulted in a five yard attacking scrummage. Grasshoppers won the ball put in a second shove, to anchor the Wasps back-row, which enabled their Number Eight to pick up and crash over. The successful conversion took them into a ten point lead. Wasps 0 Grasshoppers 10.
Wasps responded well and were immediately on the attack. Having a spell where they looked after the ball well and drove forward with relish. They were held up short of the line on two or three occasions before Luke was held up over the line, with what was Wasps best period of play so far. A poor pass again allowed Grasshoppers to kick a loose ball away to relieve the Wasps pressure. From the ensuing line-out Wasps moved the ball infield and won a number of mini-rucks before fatally trying to force the issue and pass the ball wide to a set of backs who were very flat. A Grasshoppers back took his opportunity to catch the ball and outpaced the Wasps defenders for eighty metres, just out pacing Ben to score an interception try. This was converted to take the score to a slightly flattering, in terms of what had gone on to date, Wasps 0 Grasshoppers 17.
Soon after the restart Wasps lost James with a badly twisted ankle which brought Liam onto the pitch in the backrow and moved Parker up into the second-row.
Wasps again tried valiantly to attack through driving play but kept coming up against a resolute Grasshoppers defence. Grasshoppers eventually returned to the Wasps end where they were thwarted by sound tackling from BJ, Sam and Alex, but were then awarded a penalty for an off-side offence which was struck through the uprights to take them into a twenty point lead. Wasps again regrouped and attacked and from a line-out where the ball was crashed up by Freddie. Wasps were awarded a penalty for a dangerous tackle and BJ put them on the board with a well struck kick. This made the score Wasps 3 Grasshoppers 20, which is where it remained until halftime.
Wasps turned around to have the advantage of the slight wind and were immediately on the attack, but a familiar scenario of an offence at the breakdown when in possession led to Grasshoppers clearing the ball to the halfway line. From the resulting line-out they took the ball off the top and passed it out into the backs, where their number thirteen, on an inward crash line, from wide and deep ran back through the entire Wasps pack, who seemed to be waiting for one-another to make the tackle, along the five mete line to score in the corner. An excellent individual effort which deserves much credit but Wasps forwards may still be asking themselves questions. The conversion was missed but at Wasps 3 Grasshoppers 25, Wasps had daunting task when the previous forty-four minutes were taken into account.
However, they responded very positively and were once again on the attack and had their best spell of the entire game, controlling the ball and field position and showing a greater degree of patience. This led to a stream of penalties being given against Grasshoppers and one of their backrow, having dived in from the side of an attacking Wasps ruck was Yellow Carded for repeated team offences. Further driving efforts by Wasps forwards saw them held up on the line twice, drive the ball over the line and score by Liam, only for the unsighted Referee to go back to a previous penalty. Wasps took the positive approach and kicked for the corner for an attacking line-out. From this a catch and drive saw Parker break off and dive over in the corner, for the first try he has ever scored on a rugby pitch. A memory he says he will treasure and will give him a positive talking point when he returns back to America in the New Year.
BJ stepped forward and kicked a stunning conversion from a foot inside the touch line to give Wasps the merest glimmer of hope at Wasps 10 Grasshoppers 25. It was a glimmer that did not last long.
From the kick-off Grasshoppers drove the ball forward into the Wasps twenty-two where Wasps committed a high tackle. The kick was unerringly placed between the posts to take the lead to Wasps 10 Grasshoppers 28.
The next ten minutes saw both sides playing a stalemate game with neither doing much of a creative nature. But did see Wasps Captain Rory retire from the fray with a twisted knee, which from initial reports could be fairly serious.
Soon after from a line-out on the Wasps ten-metre line Grasshoppers scored the try of the match. Winning the line-out, the ball was taken into mid-field and reversed back down the blind side where a number their forwards inter-passed and off-loaded, in contact, to score in the corner. This was a special score which had the Grasshoppers players quite rightly hooting and hollowing in appreciation. The difficult conversion against the breeze was missed. Wasps 10 Grasshoppers 33.
The final play of the game saw the Grasshoppers number thirteen again create a Try out of not much, when he made a mazy run from near the halfway line, through a static defence and outpace the cover to score in the right-hand corner. The conversion was missed to take the closing score to Wasps 10 Grasshoppers 38.
Wasps were clearly beaten by a better side on the day, who played well both with and without the ball, their defence, repeatedly denying Wasps opportunities.
With an interception Try and two long distance solo efforts they were obviously part and parcel of their own demise. Hopefully Wasps will have learnt that organisation and structure are tested in games against the better team in the League and these will only come through organised structured practice.

Further reading