It was two weeks since the last outing and the Weather Gods once again decreed that it should be dry and breezy, it was another standard Saturday from the 2011-2012 season. Or was it? The top two sides of the division were meeting, Wasps had already won the League and Priorians had comfortably been runners-up and were also moving up to the next level. Both sides’ results had followed very similar patterns, with Priorians scoring more points than Wasps against others in the league. Priorians had also only lost to Wasps in the first game of the season with the final play of the game, a game that, in honesty, they should have won, so a real contest was to be expected. We were not to be disappointed; this turned out to be one of the best games of junior rugby seen at Twyford Avenue for many a year.

Priorians elected to play with the stiff breeze in the first half and were quickly into their game, putting lots of bodies into the contact areas and keeping the majority of possession. They used what good ball they won, and played a positive direct style. However, having created some miss-matches and possible overlaps they had a tendency to step back in towards the waiting Wasps defence. They controlled the initial exchanges on their terms and fully deserved to take the lead with a well struck penalty by their full-back after eight minutes.

This was followed five minutes later by a second somewhat easier penalty given against Tom for putting his hands back in after the tackle. Prioriaans were deservedly leading Wasps by 6 points and applying pressure.

It was at about this stage that the Wasps made a judgement call and started to put bigger numbers into the breakdowns and had some success, driving larger opponents off the ball and starting to disrupt the opposition’s structure.

The next fifteen minutes saw Wasps in the ascendency, through having the majority of possession and giving the Priorians defence an opportunity to show why they have the best defensive record in the league. Tackles were not being missed. Flynn was tackled under the posts by the last defender when clean through, smothered by several defenders, who were quickly into the breakdown and penalised for not releasing, George was tackled into touch, by two totally committed defenders, a yard from the line after an adventurous move by the Wasps backs. These were situations that on any other Saturday would surely have been scores, but not today, it meant too much to both sides.

Wasps pressure was mounting and at this stage most of the game was being played in the Priorians twenty two. Wasps huffed and puffed but were meeting a brick wall, they drove the ball over the line and were held up, but Wasps got up from the pile with a spring in their step, they obviously felt their moment had come and from the ensuing five metre scrummage, a slight wheel that took the back-row away from the ball, Sam picked up the ball and drove over, as only he can at fifty millimetres from the ground, to score a fully deserved try. BJ in charge of kicking duties with Hodgie touring the USA kicked a far from easy conversion into the breeze from halfway out, Wasps were now leading 7 points to 6 points.

If what had gone before was any indication, this score was bound to produce a reaction and it did. The last eight minutes of the half saw Priorians throw the kitchen sink at Wasps and spend most of the time in the Wasps twenty two. They spurned an easy penalty and kicked to the corner where they clearly hoped to use their superiority in the line-out to their advantage, won the line-out and drove for the line, repeated thrusts and counterthrusts saw Wasps turn the ball over and escape by kicking to touch a whole fifteen metres from their line. Priorins won the line-out again and attacked through organised quick ball drills, that saw their fly half and centres try to crash through. There was no route through as Wasps showed why they also have an excellent defensive record with Marc and Jack outstanding with their tackling during this spell. This was high intensity rugby from both sides and something had to give. From the next series of Priorians attacks Wasps thought that they had survived but Justinas was judged to have made a tackle without using his arms and received a yellow card. Whether the referee told Priorians that it was the last play of the half or not I don’t know, but on this occasion they elected to take the easy three points, which their full back did to make the half time score Wasps 7 Old Priorians 9.

It had been a half that had been and gone in an instant for the spectators but had probably been the most intense combative half of the season for both sets of players.

The second half was a carbon copy of the first with Priorians out the blocks and pressing hard from the off after Wasps had kicked the ball off the end of the pitch and been brought back to inside their own twenty two. Wasps endured ten minutes of controlled organised rugby from Priorians and appeared to have survived. However, it was not to be and Priorians scored a well-deserved and well worked try by their left winger, who squeezed in at the corner and cut in to score ten yards in from touch. The difficult into the breeze conversion was narrowly missed but Priorians were beginning to open a gap with the score 7 points to 14 points in their favour.

The next score was likely to be telling but Priorians who were in control at this moment probably over complicated things, with their full back throwing dummies and running across the field with faster men outside him in better positions. A more direct approach at this stage might well have been a better option. Wasps were surviving on their defence.

It was at this stage that Wasps decided to go back to basics and Coops, Griff and the six dwarfs set about pick and drive drills, counter-rucking in numbers and generally, and somewhat surprisingly starting to out muscle larger opponents at the break down. This helped them to turn the situation around and spend a ten minute spell in the Priorians half. It was not threatening but it was informative and Wasps stuck to their guns, Tom, Sam Dan and Justinas along with Greenie and Hugo began to turn ball over at the breakdown by sheer bloody mindedness and hard graft. Coops stated to run off the side of rucks and Griff added his skills to a massive effort by the pack. The backs at this stage stood back, watched and tackled anything that moved, applied pressure and never took a backward step. GAME ON!!

It was at this stage with twenty minutes to go and Wasps winning at the breakdown that Priorians took off their second row, who had been winning all, of their quality ball from this phase of the game. He was replaced by a more dynamic combative and powerful player, probably to try and stop Wasps dominance at the breakdown. In the short term this worked but in the broader nature of the game Wasps suddenly had dominance of the line-outs with two jumpers against one Priorian jumper who was struggling, at the front, to secure any really usable ball. Wasps were now to an extent happy to kick for touch if necessary.

With the scrums having been even all game, the line-outs now in their favour and the go forward from Wasps at the break down Wasps were now in the ascendency but 7 points down.

Continual pressure led to a break from BJ but as he passed the ball to Jack to score under the posts the Priorians centre got back, knocked the ball to ground over his own try line picked it up and rescued a certain score for Wasps. Well done young man! This was going to be a game of inches now and both sides gave it their all with and without the ball.

After ten minutes of Wasps pressure Priorians ran the ball out from near their own line, went the length of the field winning two or three quick rucks spun the ball into wider channels and all but scored in the left hand corner. Being held up over the line, somehow Wasps had get seven players back to rescue an almost certain score, for those of you who have watched the team this year I have no need to say that Dan was one of them. How does he always appear to be where the ball is?

From the ensuing scrummage Priorians gave away a penalty and Wasps kicked to touch clearing the situation, won the line-out and were soon back in the Priorians half grinding away. Wasps were now very much in control of the ball but Priorians were in control of their defensive organisation and the scoreboard.

With just three minutes to go after a series of pick and go drives, through the middle and off the side of rucks Wasps finally released the ball to the backs and BJ, who had been getting a bit of stick from the side lines crashed over for a try by the posts. Is there a more combative fly-half at this level? He took the conversion himself after a delay for an injury to the Priorians skipper and the scores were even at 14 points each.

Both sides could have settled for this situation but needless to say that they did not. Priorians kicked off deep, attacked the receiver, Dan, who somehow caught the ball rolled out of the first two tacklers, drove forward ten metres before presenting perfect ball at the breakdown to Tim, whose passing as usual had been immaculate, his accurate delivery to BJ allowed him to set up a ruck from which Wolfie made a massive touch finder just inside the Priorains twenty two.

In this one set of plays Wasps had gone from defending a less than favourable situation to an attacking one by again using the basic concepts of the game.

Wasps again won a Priorians line-out and spread the ball wide, a Priorian hand knocked on a flat pass and as the ball bounced backwards behind the Priorians backs, towards and into the hands of an unmarked George, who had overrun the ball, the referee blew for the offence just a second too early. With a fifteen metre jog to line and no-one to beat this was a harsh call and many sides would have been rather upset.

Wasps, however took the decision well, set themselves for the scrummage which they duly won. BJ again attacked the gain line drawing in two or three defenders, the back row arrived on cue cleaned out the ruck and the ball was quickly reused arriving in Dami’s hands, he still had a lot to do but a quick burst of the after burners and a side step or two and he scored half way out. This try encapsulated to attitude and spirit of the team throughout what has been an outstanding season. A desire to play for the whole game if necessary, to try to play and support one-another in and around the ball, wherever it might be and whoever might have hold of it, in truth a cussedness in the nicest sense of the word.

BJ had finally succumbed to cramp and Tom stepped forward and offered his services to take on the role of goal kicker, much to everyone’s surprise he succeeded in kicking the conversion to make the final score Wasps 21 Old Priorians 14.

It had in truth been an immense game and both sides deserve massive credit for their performance on the day and if you look at the League Tables they have clearly been the two outstanding sides in the League this season. So full marks, to both clubs, for achieving the success they have and their goals for the season.

Paul Astbury the President of Middlesex RFU was present at the game and awarded the Championship Shield to Marc at the end of the match. He also had very encouraging words for both sides in relation to the quality of the game and the attitude and commitment shown by both teams.

The first team would like to thank all concerned for their efforts both on and off the pitch, particularly to ‘The Riddler’ for the unseen and normally unappreciated amount of organisation he does behind the scenes from many different parts of Europe and the UK. All in all a great season with a super bunch of lads who came together as real team under Marc’s quiet but firm leadership. From the outside it looked like the team really were just that a team, the way they played for each other and the shirt whenever and where-ever they were, showed why sport is such a great part of any sensible Youngman’s life.

CONGRATULATIONS.

It’s now time for some sevens and cricket, summer trips and preseason will be here before you know it.

WELL DONE TO ALL YOU WASPS.

Photos by Dick Curtis:
Album 1
Album 2
Album 3
Album 4