Brettel To The 'Four' In VP Day Win

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Monday, 26 March 2012

Wallingford 29 Alchester 14

On a beautiful day for rugby, Wallingford ended their home campaign with a strong 29-14 victory over Alchester on Saturday. The Wallingford squad welcomed back Kris Blaszko, Tom Hill, Ian Jeffreys, Derek Viljoen, Ralph Smith, Angus Brettell and Captain Pete Holton, all of whom were missing on a stag do the week before.

In front of a large crowd due to the VP lunch Wallingford kicked off hoping for a bright start. Indeed they got that, soon finding themselves in the Alchester half only for Holton’s pass to be intercepted by an Alchester back who galloped in from 60 meters. Within minutes Wallingford were 14-0 down when a lively break from a visiting back rower exposed some flat footed defence at a ruck. Despite their lead Alchester’s discipline was letting them down. It allowed Wallingford to dominate territory and the deficit was reduced when Brettell spotted a gap in the visiting twenty-two. Ben Selwood converted. With fire in their bellies Wallingford were straight back on the attack. A chip over the defence by Hill was not cleared up and let to a scrum 5 meters from the line. A solid foundation was pounced upon by Johnny Collett who cut a fine line back towards the forwards for an impressive try. 12-14. Alchester’s discipline continued to let them down and they were soon reduced to 14 men for persistent offences. Wallingford took advantage by scoring the try of the day. Hill broke from a rolling maul and made 30 meters, just into the Alchester half, before offloading to supporting flanker James Norris. He fed fellow back rower Luke Best who chipped through the scrambling defence where Brettell was first to claim the ball, blasting over the Alchester full back and the line at the same time. 17-15 at half time.

Alchester started the second half much livelier and it was now Wallingford conceding the penalties. Norris was sin binned after a couple in short succession and Wallingford endured a period of persistent pressure on their line. Resolute defence seemed to be the turning point of the game and back to a full compliment of players Wallingford soon started to dominate proceedings. A score finally came as Brettell grabbed his hat-trick after some nifty hands by Tom Rowberry. An Alchester flanker hit Brettell late when he scored, resulting in a yellow card and a penalty restart. It was not going to be Alchester’s day. Full of confidence and with the fresh legs of Viljoen, Blaszko and Rich Bowers, Wallingford continued to pressure the visitors with Holton and Jeffreys making some telling inroads in the Alchester defence. Frazer Hunt came close after Wallingford’s pack turned over a scrum and Brettell was held up over the line after a big Blaszko run. However, there was time for the fly-half to get his forth try after Collett switched play and linked with Viljoen to put him in space out wide. With minutes to go there was still time for Alchester to have one last attack, their no.8 finding space and sprinting two thirds of the pitch only for Jeffreys to make up the ground and stop the move. The final action of the day came via a yellow card for Holton after a Tuilagi-esque hit on their centre.

After a tough and frustrating season it was a well earned victory for the boys. There were strong performances all over the park, particularly from Brettell and his four try haul, but it was a solid team performance and a pleasant way to end their home campaign.

Wallingford: Smith; Selwood, Collett, Holton, Hunt; Dawes (Viljoen), Brettell; Marris (Blaszko), Hill, Welch; Gillies, Rowberry; Norris, Best (Bowers), Jeffreys

Firsts Lose At Windsor

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Monday, 12 March 2012

Windsor 36 Wallingford 5

Wallingford travelled to Windsor on a warm Saturday afternoon, to play high-flying Windsor. In selection, with no hookers available, Martyn Few manfully stepped into the void, whilst Luke Best returned to the flank in place of the injured James Norris, and in the backs, Glenn Dearlove came in for Ben Selwood.

In front of a VP crowd, the game commenced at a frenetic pace, with possession exchanged several times. Windsor played at a high tempo which Wallingford just about kept in check for the opening ten minutes, as they got up to speed. Windsor took an early lead from a well struck penalty.

Wallingford looked to bounce back, but just as Wallingford looked to break, with numbers out wide, the alert Windsor winger picked off a blind pass, that if successful, would have probably put Wallingford in for the score, but, alas, the Windsor winger sprinted in under the posts from the half way line.

Straight from the kick off, the Windsor flanker caught the ball and inexplicably avoided all attempted tackles from the Wallingford pack. He sprinted up field before drawing the last man and popping to his support, who was tackled by the back-tracking Jeffreys, but he could not avert the off-load as Windsor scored back to back tries under the posts.

This double strike hit Wallingford for six, as they struggled to recover for the rest of the half. Windsor soon scored their third try, as a well-worked backs move resulted in an overlap which their winger finished easily.

Windsor were playing with pace and intensity, but Wallingford were terrible, missing tackles, making poor decisions, and generally lacking energy. Windsor scored a fourth before the end of the half, as Windsor dominated.

Wallingford needed to up their game immeasurably if they were to avoid a cricket score, especially considering their second half capitulation against 14 man Milton Keynes the week before.

   The first 15 minutes of the second half resulted in stalemate, as Wallingford’s defence stood up to the Windsor ball-carriers, and the breakdown was much more keenly contested. The first real chance of the half went to Wallingford, as good hands on the gain line from Viljoen put Brettell in space on the half way line. His marauding run has halted 20 meters short, but Wallingford kept the pressure up in the hosts twenty-two, and eventually resulted in a try for Viljoen, sniping well from a ruck, just meters out.

With Windsor already down to 14 men after their centre was sin-binned for a cynical late hit, Wallingford soon matched them when Ian Jeffreys was sin-binned as Windsor attacked the Wallingford line. With just over ten minutes left, Wallingford’s much-improved defence was finally breached again, as their Number 8 finished well, touching down over his head, as the hosts battered Wallingford’s line.

The last ten minutes was a frantic affair, as Wallingford pushed for another score, and Windsor were content pinning Wallingford back with the boot. The hosts lost another man to the bin, but that was the last notable action of the game as the referee called an end to proceedings.

Yet again, this was a game of two halves for Wallingford, though in complete contrast to the week before. In nearly all our away games this season, we have had disastrous first halves, with the intensity and energy lacking, which has given us too much to do in the second half. It’s a mystery as to why this happens, as it is why we fall away so badly in our home fixtures. One day, we can hopefully amalgamate the two and have a good 80 minutes!!

1.Welch 2.Few 3.Blaszko 4.Bailey (Rowberry) 5.Gillies 6.Best 7.Bower 8.Jeffreys 9.Viljoen 10.Brettell 11.Dearlove 12.Collett 13.Holton 14.Wemyss 15.Smith

Wasteful Firsts Lose At Slough

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Monday, 27 February 2012

Slough 15 Wallingford 12

Wallingford travelled to Slough on a fine Winter’s day for their first game in a month. In selection, key forwards Ian Jeffreys, Tom Hill and Kris Blaszko were all unavailable, so Ryan Hodnett, Albie Welch and Rich Bower came into the pack, whilst in the backs, Johnny Collett and Henry Venners returned.

Straight from the start, the pattern of the match was clear, Slough’s heavy pack versus Wallingford’s mobile backs. Wallingford had the better of the opening exchanges, as they broke through on numerous occasions, but every time, inexplicably poor hands curtailed the opportunities.

   Slough slowly got back into the game, mainly through the set piece, as Wallingford, missing a genuine hooker, struggled in the line-out, whilst scrums were just about even. With limited ball, Wallingford began to infringe, and Slough soon took advantage, as a catch-and-drive from a line-out finally resulted in a try, with the conversion lamely missed by the winger.

Wallingford came back again, and again made several dangerous breaks, with the best seeing quick hands putting Dearlove in space down the right. But his attempted pass inside five yards from the line was intercepted and cleared by the alert Slough scrum-half.

With Wallingford wasting their chances, Slough were proving clinical, relatively speaking, as they soon scored again from a rolling maul, as the hosts took a 10-nil lead.

The visitors finally struck back just before the break. With Slough passing the ball wide, the alert Venners read the pass and intercepted on the half-way line, before weaving his way into the Slough twenty-two. He found the supporting Hodnett, who showed great strength in barging his way over the line, with some help from his team-mates.

This score ended the half with Wallingford 10-7 down.

The second half saw a similar pattern to the first, with Wallingford looking dangerous in the backs, but struggling in the set-piece. After a relatively even first 20 minutes, Slough scored a soft try, as their flanker broke down the blind-side from outside the twenty-two. He was hauled down by Best but he was able to off-load to the supporting winger who scored.

   Despite the set-piece struggling, the backs were beginning to see more of the ball, and played some scintillating broken play rugby, with Venners and Holton to the fore. But as with the first half, the final pass failed, and on some occasions, the official made some unfathomable decisions.

With official beginning to blow consistently against the visitors, Slough had several good opportunities with scrums on the Wallingford five meter line, but excellent scrummaging and defence repelled the host’s pressure.

The last five minutes saw wave after wave of Wallingford attack, with Slough’s defence just about holding tight, until the last minute, after Smith fed replacement Pooler who finished expertly in the corner. But this was the last act of the game, as Wallingford lost 15-12.

This was always going to be a tough game against a heavy Slough pack, especially missing the talismanic Jeffreys and the pivotal Hill, but regardless Wallingford should have won this match. Slough defended resolutely, and played to their strengths, but Wallingford had at least ten basic try-scoring opportunities that they butchered one way or another.

1.Marris (Prior) 2.Hodnett (Ward) 3.Welch 4.Bailey 5.Gillies 6.Norris 7.Best 8.Bower 9.P.Dawes 10.Brettel 11.Venners (Pooler) 12.Collett 13.Holton 14. Dearlove 15.Smith

Firsts Win At Home

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Monday, 30 January 2012

Wallingford 36 Marlborough 19

Wallingford welcomed basement boys Marlborough on a fine day for rugby, looking to put an end to their losing streak. In selection, Matt Ebbs came in to the back row, with Luke Best moving to the wing to cover the shortage of genuine wingers, whilst Ralph Smith replaced Dan Sadler at full-back. Otherwise the side was unchanged from the previous week.

Despite the importance of the game, Wallingford started sloppily, being dispossessed on several occasions in the early exchanges, which eventually culminated in a penalty to the visitors 40 meters out. The Marlborough kicker hooked his kick, but Smith’s attempted clearance kick was partially charged down. Despite Holton tidying up, the ball went loose from the ensuing ruck, and the ball was spun out to the big Fijian flanker who jogged in untouched under posts, partially helped by the refs positioning, as Wallingford made a nightmare start.

   The hosts were belatedly shocked into action, and began to slowly find their feet in the game. A string of penalties conceded by the visitors gave Wallingford the field position to launch a powerful driving maul that drove over the visitor’s line, with Monk emerging from the floor as the try-scorer.

    With the Wallingford set-piece proving completely dominant, Wallingford continued to push, with the forwards leading the way. Ian Jeffreys made one of many powerful breaks through the Marlborough defence, before off-loading to the supporting (and sober!) James Norris, who bundled his way over for his first try of the season.

   Though not completely clicking, Wallingford went on to score a third try in the half, as a series of good off-loads ended with fly-half Angus Brettell blasting over the line from close range.

 There was still time for Wallingford to gift the opposition another soft try. After a loose pass from a ruck was hurled into no-man’s land, the Marlborough centre reacted quickest to the loose ball, and charged upfield, fending off several weak tackles in the process. By the time he was eventually hauled down, just inside the Wallingford twenty-two, the home side’s defence was all over the place, and Marlborough easily touched down, as Marlborough ended the half only 17-12 down.

  Rightly disappointed with their first half showing, Wallingford looked to kill the game off early in the second half. Despite dominating possession and territory, a mixture of good Marborough defence and profligate finishing meant that the score remained 17-12 approaching the hour mark.

  After an hour, Wallingford finally added the all-important bonus-point try. After a succession of penalties, Ian Jeffreys received the ball from a penalty five meters out and crashed over the line for a converted try.

   Shortly afterwards, Wallingford scored the try of the game, as Smith fielded a clearance kick on the half way line, before weaving his way through the Marlborough defence, and passing wide to Brettell to touch down in the corner.

  With Marlborough down to 14 men after the scrum-half was shown a straight red for blatant haymaker on Shaun Bailey, Luke Best, moved to the flank, added a sixth following an off-load from Blaszko, to finish the home sides scoring. There was still time for Jeffreys to receive a yellow and for Marlborough to score another soft try as the number eight powered over from a close-range penalty.

The game ended 36-19.

1.Marris 2.T.Hill 3.Welch 4.Gillies 5.Bailey (Blaszko) 6.Ebbs (M.Dawes) 7.Norris 8.Jeffreys 9.P.Dawes 10.Brettell 11. Wemyss 12.F.Hunt (Pooler) 13.Holton 14.Best 15.Smith