1st XV Match Reports 2011/2012

Firsts Win At Home

Details

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