So the under 17s began their first match of the season having trained the previous three weeks. Unfortunately, a decision had to be taken with respect to their place in the Herts/Middlesex Junior league Division 1. With so many of last season’s 1st XV missing, it was decided that ‘discretion being the better part of valour’ in this instance, the age group should drop down to league 2. Our first league game will be away at Finchley on Sunday, 21 October 2012.

Rosslyn Park kicked off uphill but the ball was deftly caught by the reliable Alexander Turton. Rosslyn Park continued to press hard in the early stages and Wasps had a fight on their hands but eventually cleared their lines. Unfortunately, Beren found himself at the bottom of a pile up from a line out that resulted in his exit with a cracked rib; we wish him a speedy recovery.

Wasps looked dangerous with the ball particularly when it reached the outside centre channel. Sure enough after a bone-shuddering tackle by John Sperling on his opposite number, the ball was gathered and fed to Robert Kirwan to outrun the cover defence for the first score.

Rosslyn Park continued to try and create some momentum but Wasps stubbornly resisted, with the scrum being the only success for Rosslyn Park. Rosslyn Park’s verbal discipline came into question when the referee moved a penalty to Wasps within the Rosslyn Park’s
22 metre line, 10 metres further, thus giving a Wasps a real chance close to Rosslyn’s line. William Morgan took this chance with alacrity to squeeze over for a try, which John Duneen duly converted and Wasps began to believe.

The rest of the half see-sawed but Wasps scrum solidified after a couple positional changes. Just before half time, Rosslyn got a break and managed to score in the corner, thus the half ended 12 – 7.

So Wasps commenced with an uphill battle but any thoughts of merely ‘hanging in’ were quickly cast aside by a team performance, which if repeated, would be deserving of honours at the end of the season. Rosslyn had most of the possession but could not break through, Wasps iron-clad tackling. In attack, Wasps speed of hand caused all sorts of problems for Rosslyn Park. Unfortunately JB had to leave the field with mild concussion but Wasps continued to steal ball at the break-down and tackle the fringes.

Ralf Montyrossian gave an assured performance at fly half. Raphael Jean-Perrin at full back made a superb try-saving tackle to deny Rosslyn a confidence booster; Robert Kirwan and Xavier added real pace and guile in attack; at one point Xavier chased a kick ahead, tackled the Rosslyn player and managed to strip the ball from his grasp in text book fashion. Xavier was rewarded with a try a few minutes later, when he outstripped the defence on a thirty metre run for the line.

Rosslyn had run out of ideas. They continued to look dangerous with the ball in hand but could not gained territory, despite playing downhill. After a scrum near Rosslyn’s line, John Duneen put so much pressure on his opposite man that clean ball was lost, kicked on by John and Ben Udwin, playing in the unfamiliar role for him of flanker gathered to dive over by the posts.

Another score by Wasps suggested a romp but far from it – Rosslyn Park were forever in the game but Wasps never gave them a chance of a try in the second half.

TT