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Welwyn 19 Wasps 13
Richard Green22 Jan 2014 - 15:56
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SLOW STARTERS. Match report by Dave Farmer
Wasps travelled to Welwyn on Saturday finding a greasy pitch with a stiff breeze blowing up the slope; not ideal conditions, but no excuse for their first half performance.
Wasps kicked off down the slope and Welwyn caught, drove and played the short side, exactly as earlier in the season. Wasps tackled and held firm, giving away short yardages but keeping things under control. A game of bash it up close and wait for a penalty was the name of the game for the first fifteen minutes.
With an Official who was keener to see where the ball was than where the bodies were in rucks and mauls, it was clearly an advantage to keep possession. Welwyn did this effectively and kicked for position from every infringement and immediately produced more of the same, it became a one way attritional, narrow channelled game, with lots of whistle. This was clearly to the liking of the larger Welwyn forwards and they took advantage of their situation to put the Wasps defence under pressure.
After one penalty kicked close to the Wasps line, Welwyn won the ball, drove into the inside centre channel and moved the ball back to the blind-side. No surprises here, but a missed/half-hearted tackle by stationary Wasps defenders allowed a Welwyn player to dive over, wide out on the left of the pitch. The difficult conversion from the underfoot conditions was missed, but Welwyn had taken a fully deserved lead for their direct structured approach to the conditions. Welwyn 5 Wasps 0 after fifteen minutes was a fair evaluation of what had preceded the score.
Welwyn continued to use the wind to kick for possession and were keen to keep the game as close to any set-piece as they could manage. Wasps continued to be on the wrong side of the whistle and consequently found themselves doing lots tackling and defending, as they were seeing very little of the ball. Thus a stagnant frustrating set of line-outs, mauls, collapsed mauls and scrums followed along with the odd reset the game meandered on in its previously set pattern.
From a scrummage towards the right of the pitch on the Wasps ten metre line Welwyn executed a well worked number eight, nine pick up and created an overlap which resulted in a very good score close to the posts. The successful conversion took the score to Welwyn 12 Wasps 0 with fifteen minutes to go to half-time.
The rest of the half became a bit of a lottery. Welwyn returned to inside the Wasps twenty-two and tried to attack through a series of scrummages. Not appearing to be sure whether to try for a push-over try or a number eight pick up they missed or allowed Wasps defenders to stop at least two golden opportunities to score. Wasps were now tackling manfully, as if the practise of the first twenty-five minutes had woken them up and U S Alex was to the fore along with Sam and BJ.
Paynee, Douggie and Darren where beginning to come to terms with their larger opposition and Wasps were winning their own scrummage, ball but only clearing a few yards when gaining possession, and Welwyn invariably returned to pressurise again.
Wasps managed to wheel one attacking five metre scrummage by Welwyn effectively well beyond 180 degrees, the ball shot out the side and struck Liam on the foot. The referees interpretation of kicking the ball out of the scrum was disappointing, as a turn over and reset to Wasps was expected. The fact that Liam was issued with a yellow card was a bitter pill to swallow.
Welwyn opted for a further scrummage and again tried to go for a push-over, as the scrummage was wheeled a pick up and drive followed, Wasps counter-rucked and were beyond the ball with a Welwyn player laying on the Wasps side, preventing the ball coming back. There being no whistle, Nick rucked the player away from the ball. This was also deemed a yellow card offence, and Nick was also sent to the bin for ten minutes.
Wasps had lost two players in about a minute, to two situations that could easily have been awarded as a turn-over ball and a penalty in their favour.
Welwyn continued to crash and bash away at the Wasps thirteen man defensive line and it was no surprise when they scored near the posts. The conversion took them into a lead of Welwyn 19 Wasps 0, which remained the score until half-time.
This was a score that reflected Welwyn’s overall control of the ball and hence the game in the first-half, but Wasps felt somewhat aggrieved at having had two players sin-binned over interpretation of events rather than any serious wrong doing.
For Wasps the volume of tackles made by the team, but particularly back-rowers Liam, Aussie Alex and U S Alex had certainly kept them in the game, and they turned around with some degree of hope.
The second half saw Wasps immediately on the attack, using the wind to kick for position and chasing up well. Welwyn now discovered, as Wasps had in the first-half, that kicking against the wind was a very difficult task, so Wasps now had the territorial advantage and were able to apply some pressure of their own.
Whether it had been Nick’s rucking or a clearer view at rucks the players lying around on the floor on the wrong side of the ball were being penalised, and more usable quicker ball was becoming available, this obviously suited the more agile Wasps team and they began to control field position. Blayne repeatedly turned the Welwyn forwards around, by kicking in behind them, without the ball being in close quarter mauls or in front of them they became a less dominant force and Wasps were dictating where the game was to be played, a complete reverse of the first-half.
Five minutes into the second-half second-row Ryan was replaced by backs sub Ben, who proceeded to use his speed and athleticism to get around the park and be a real nuisance, as well as filling in effectively at Scrum-half when Ryan had been tied in.
After eight minutes of the half Welwyn tried to kick back deep into the Wasps half of the field. Fullback Ryan ran it back, fed winger Nick who made ground before the ball was chipped over the Welwyn defence. Their fullback was tackled in possession and Wasps turned the ball over, scrum half Ryan, who had been having a most effective game on minimal ball, released a quick ball up the short side, where Daniel was given a chance to run. A chance he took with aplomb, he beat two Welwyn defenders with quick feet and then handed off and rounded the last defender before running in behind to score under the posts. Blayne successfully converted to take the score to Welwyn 19 Wasps 7.
Wasps were now genuinely competitive in the game, as Welwyn were unlikely to run the ball the length of the pitch and were having difficulty kicking for ground in the stiff breeze, and Wasps quicker forwards were beginning to get some go forward ball.
On one occasion after a kick ahead by Welwyn, Wasps attempted to move the ball wide, Sam was just rounding a wide defender when A Welwyn winger covering across produced what can only be described as a clothes line tackle and was sin-binned.
As Wasps continued to try and move the ball into wider area, one backs move saw Sam and BJ release Ryan who fed the ball back inside to BJ, who was tackled on the Welwyn twenty-two when almost through, Welwyn infringed at the breakdown and Blayne placed the penalty cleanly through the posts to bring the teams closer together. Welwyn 19 Wasps 10 with twenty minutes to play.
Wasps were now beginning to make significant yardage with ball in-hand. A three-quarters handling move saw BJ running free, with Blayne on his inside and Daniel running outside him with a man in-between them, whilst he was making up his mind which way to go, the Welwyn fullback stepped forward and made what was a Try saving tackle. From the ruck after this tackle a Welwyn player was penalised for not rolling away, a decision that now appeared to be more prevalent, Blayne was again successful with his kick and the match was now a one score game at Welwyn 19 Wasps 13.
Wasps were now possibly being too expansive and running some ball from inside their own half that might well have been better used if kicked for field position on a really slippery pitch with tacky patches, a tactic that had served both sides well.
The final play of the game saw Daniel trying to turn right as his feet slipped from beneath him near to the halfway line. Both teams had tried valiantly to play their different styles of game and a whole hearted game that had been significantly affected by the underfoot and above ground conditions had taken place.
On the balance of play over eighty minutes Welwyn deserved to win a tight game but Wasps will be ruing their unusually slow start, a missed tackle and one or two aspects of play that they feel went against them.
Wasps kicked off down the slope and Welwyn caught, drove and played the short side, exactly as earlier in the season. Wasps tackled and held firm, giving away short yardages but keeping things under control. A game of bash it up close and wait for a penalty was the name of the game for the first fifteen minutes.
With an Official who was keener to see where the ball was than where the bodies were in rucks and mauls, it was clearly an advantage to keep possession. Welwyn did this effectively and kicked for position from every infringement and immediately produced more of the same, it became a one way attritional, narrow channelled game, with lots of whistle. This was clearly to the liking of the larger Welwyn forwards and they took advantage of their situation to put the Wasps defence under pressure.
After one penalty kicked close to the Wasps line, Welwyn won the ball, drove into the inside centre channel and moved the ball back to the blind-side. No surprises here, but a missed/half-hearted tackle by stationary Wasps defenders allowed a Welwyn player to dive over, wide out on the left of the pitch. The difficult conversion from the underfoot conditions was missed, but Welwyn had taken a fully deserved lead for their direct structured approach to the conditions. Welwyn 5 Wasps 0 after fifteen minutes was a fair evaluation of what had preceded the score.
Welwyn continued to use the wind to kick for possession and were keen to keep the game as close to any set-piece as they could manage. Wasps continued to be on the wrong side of the whistle and consequently found themselves doing lots tackling and defending, as they were seeing very little of the ball. Thus a stagnant frustrating set of line-outs, mauls, collapsed mauls and scrums followed along with the odd reset the game meandered on in its previously set pattern.
From a scrummage towards the right of the pitch on the Wasps ten metre line Welwyn executed a well worked number eight, nine pick up and created an overlap which resulted in a very good score close to the posts. The successful conversion took the score to Welwyn 12 Wasps 0 with fifteen minutes to go to half-time.
The rest of the half became a bit of a lottery. Welwyn returned to inside the Wasps twenty-two and tried to attack through a series of scrummages. Not appearing to be sure whether to try for a push-over try or a number eight pick up they missed or allowed Wasps defenders to stop at least two golden opportunities to score. Wasps were now tackling manfully, as if the practise of the first twenty-five minutes had woken them up and U S Alex was to the fore along with Sam and BJ.
Paynee, Douggie and Darren where beginning to come to terms with their larger opposition and Wasps were winning their own scrummage, ball but only clearing a few yards when gaining possession, and Welwyn invariably returned to pressurise again.
Wasps managed to wheel one attacking five metre scrummage by Welwyn effectively well beyond 180 degrees, the ball shot out the side and struck Liam on the foot. The referees interpretation of kicking the ball out of the scrum was disappointing, as a turn over and reset to Wasps was expected. The fact that Liam was issued with a yellow card was a bitter pill to swallow.
Welwyn opted for a further scrummage and again tried to go for a push-over, as the scrummage was wheeled a pick up and drive followed, Wasps counter-rucked and were beyond the ball with a Welwyn player laying on the Wasps side, preventing the ball coming back. There being no whistle, Nick rucked the player away from the ball. This was also deemed a yellow card offence, and Nick was also sent to the bin for ten minutes.
Wasps had lost two players in about a minute, to two situations that could easily have been awarded as a turn-over ball and a penalty in their favour.
Welwyn continued to crash and bash away at the Wasps thirteen man defensive line and it was no surprise when they scored near the posts. The conversion took them into a lead of Welwyn 19 Wasps 0, which remained the score until half-time.
This was a score that reflected Welwyn’s overall control of the ball and hence the game in the first-half, but Wasps felt somewhat aggrieved at having had two players sin-binned over interpretation of events rather than any serious wrong doing.
For Wasps the volume of tackles made by the team, but particularly back-rowers Liam, Aussie Alex and U S Alex had certainly kept them in the game, and they turned around with some degree of hope.
The second half saw Wasps immediately on the attack, using the wind to kick for position and chasing up well. Welwyn now discovered, as Wasps had in the first-half, that kicking against the wind was a very difficult task, so Wasps now had the territorial advantage and were able to apply some pressure of their own.
Whether it had been Nick’s rucking or a clearer view at rucks the players lying around on the floor on the wrong side of the ball were being penalised, and more usable quicker ball was becoming available, this obviously suited the more agile Wasps team and they began to control field position. Blayne repeatedly turned the Welwyn forwards around, by kicking in behind them, without the ball being in close quarter mauls or in front of them they became a less dominant force and Wasps were dictating where the game was to be played, a complete reverse of the first-half.
Five minutes into the second-half second-row Ryan was replaced by backs sub Ben, who proceeded to use his speed and athleticism to get around the park and be a real nuisance, as well as filling in effectively at Scrum-half when Ryan had been tied in.
After eight minutes of the half Welwyn tried to kick back deep into the Wasps half of the field. Fullback Ryan ran it back, fed winger Nick who made ground before the ball was chipped over the Welwyn defence. Their fullback was tackled in possession and Wasps turned the ball over, scrum half Ryan, who had been having a most effective game on minimal ball, released a quick ball up the short side, where Daniel was given a chance to run. A chance he took with aplomb, he beat two Welwyn defenders with quick feet and then handed off and rounded the last defender before running in behind to score under the posts. Blayne successfully converted to take the score to Welwyn 19 Wasps 7.
Wasps were now genuinely competitive in the game, as Welwyn were unlikely to run the ball the length of the pitch and were having difficulty kicking for ground in the stiff breeze, and Wasps quicker forwards were beginning to get some go forward ball.
On one occasion after a kick ahead by Welwyn, Wasps attempted to move the ball wide, Sam was just rounding a wide defender when A Welwyn winger covering across produced what can only be described as a clothes line tackle and was sin-binned.
As Wasps continued to try and move the ball into wider area, one backs move saw Sam and BJ release Ryan who fed the ball back inside to BJ, who was tackled on the Welwyn twenty-two when almost through, Welwyn infringed at the breakdown and Blayne placed the penalty cleanly through the posts to bring the teams closer together. Welwyn 19 Wasps 10 with twenty minutes to play.
Wasps were now beginning to make significant yardage with ball in-hand. A three-quarters handling move saw BJ running free, with Blayne on his inside and Daniel running outside him with a man in-between them, whilst he was making up his mind which way to go, the Welwyn fullback stepped forward and made what was a Try saving tackle. From the ruck after this tackle a Welwyn player was penalised for not rolling away, a decision that now appeared to be more prevalent, Blayne was again successful with his kick and the match was now a one score game at Welwyn 19 Wasps 13.
Wasps were now possibly being too expansive and running some ball from inside their own half that might well have been better used if kicked for field position on a really slippery pitch with tacky patches, a tactic that had served both sides well.
The final play of the game saw Daniel trying to turn right as his feet slipped from beneath him near to the halfway line. Both teams had tried valiantly to play their different styles of game and a whole hearted game that had been significantly affected by the underfoot and above ground conditions had taken place.
On the balance of play over eighty minutes Welwyn deserved to win a tight game but Wasps will be ruing their unusually slow start, a missed tackle and one or two aspects of play that they feel went against them.
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