 |
Writtle Wanderers RUFC |
|
|
Writtle Wanderers RUFC |
January 2006 Match Reports
----------
7th January 2006
The first game of the New Year saw Writtle Wanderers field arguably the strongest 1st XV they have ever put out. With the introduction of Dave "Wobble" Hyett from Southend, the return of vice captain Tommy Young and a back line oozing with pace and class, there was a lot of confidence in the changing room. However, although Stanford-le-Hope had conceded 53 points against us back in November, we were aware that they had turned over the previously undefeated league leaders - Dagenham - in their last league fixture and therefore we could not afford to be complacent.
Stanford kicked the game off, putting the ball down the middle where open side flanker, Colin Jones, took the ball. A messy ruck ensued, but just as it looked as if the referee was about to blow for a scrum, captain Tim Janes - growing in stature as a scrum half - saw the faintest glimmer of a gap through the ruck and took off. The stunned Stanford backline could not compete with his pace and he was able to make the 60 yards to touch down under the posts and give Steve Clark an easy kick to take the Wanderers into a 7 point lead after less than a minute.
The Stanford restart fell short of the ten metre line, but lock Matt Morris chose to take the ball on. Excellent handling by the forwards saw the move work upfield and Writtle had a second try within 3 minutes. The visitors were clearly stunned by these opening bursts, but could find no way to stop the quick recycling of the ball - the Writtle back row of Jones, Young and Andy Ross were just too fast to the breakdown - and the Wanderers continued to run at them from all areas of the field. Without the ball, there was little Stanford could do but watch the score board tick over and within 15 minutes the home side had built up a 30 point lead.
However, with some strong words from their understandably perturbed captain, the visitors seemed to steel themselves for the second quarter of the game and succeeded in retaining the ball. This enabled them to work their way into the Wanderers' 22 for the first time in the game and they were finally rewarded when Writtle infringements gave them a quick tap penalty and they were able to outflank the defence to score. Unfortunately for them, this was to be their one and only sight of the try line in the game - Writtle resolved not to let them come close again and managed to run in a couple more tries of their own as the first half ended 43 - 5.
The second half was very much a one sided affair, with the Wanderers scoring another 62 unanswered points. It is hard to single out any individuals as the levels of handling, support work and angles of running were superb throughout the team. However, the "Try Twins", Clark and Janes, ran in a hat-trick apiece to keep themselves inseparable as the club's top try-scorers and wingers Adam Jones and Simon Love both showed awesome pace as they each grabbed a brace, along with fly-half, John Nicolle. The pack also scored their share of tries, with Young enjoying his return by taking two and Ross scoring another long range effort. Man of the Match goes to the cornerstone that is Dominic Pearce, who took charge of destroying the Stanford scrum.
Overall, this impressive victory really came about because 16 out of a match squad of 18 players attended training last Thursday. If this level of commitment can be matched for the rest of the season, then it is hard to see how anyone will be able to compete with us!
Two match reports for you this week...
----------
Report submitted by John Stimpson
What a performance against higher opposition! Everyone gave
100%, although I am sure we will all admit that we made plenty of mistakes!
But the important part is that we never gave in. Our scrummage was superb
and our backs tackled magnificently
with notable performances from our two jumpers, Glen Richards and Matt Wilkins,
and some strong running from
Neil "Lego" Theobald, Ben Messo and Martin Fetherstone.
We have proved that with the core of players that we have we
can beat almost anyone on our day so let's get to training
so we can beat everybody! Bring on Ilford!
----------
Report submitted by Mike Williams
This weekend saw the romance of the cup with Football's FA Cup
3rd Round and Rugby's quarter final stage of the Essex 2nd XV Junior Cup.
Writtle faced a tough prospect playing against an East London 2nd XV side that
currently play their rugby four leagues above the Wanderers. The Wanderers
players looked suitably rested after the Christmas break and with the team
beginning to field a consistent line-up over the past few games, they began this
match with confidence high, despite the tough nature of the task facing them.
Writtle started the match well and put in some hefty tackles both in the
forwards and the backs, stamping their authority on the match from an early
stage, something they had identified as being a key having played catch up in
the first 5 minutes of each of their last 3 games. However a series of handling
errors saw Writtle pushed back into their own 22 and when the defence strayed
offside the East London fullback duly kicked the first points of the day to give
the away side a 3-0 lead.
An early injury to flanker Gareth Frensham saw the introduction of Marc Congdon
and he immediately made an impact bursting through the East London defence. The
ball was quickly recycled into the backs who duly pushed the defence further
back. The Wanderers were awarded the penalty and Number 8 Martin Fetherstone
duly charged over the line leaving a number of defenders in his wake; Dan
Haylett converted the try to give Writtle a deserved lead.
This lead was nearly increased only moments later. Writtle were able to turn
over the East London ball thanks to some excellent work from the dominant pack
and the backs ran the ball upfield thanks to some good running from Dave Rowan
and Ben Messo. Excellent support was provided by flanker, Bernard Denenga, who
charged toward the try line only to be held up over the line thanks to a great
last ditch tackle from the East London defence. The East London side replied to
this with their own passage of play, helped by the Writtle side conceding a
series of unnecessary penalties, and forced their way to the Wanderers try line.
With defenders sucked into a series of rucks and mauls the overlap was created
and, despite the last ditch tackle from centre, Mike Williams, the try was
scored to make the score 7-8.
However the final moment of the half saw Writtle run in a second try of the day
to deservedly take the lead at half time. A good break by Williams took the ball
over the halfway line, support was provided by the marauding prop, Neil "Lego"
Theobald sprinting down the wing. The ball was initially lost by Writtle but
after excellent work by the forwards the ball was reclaimed and Congdon was able
to burst through the defence to score under the posts and give Writtle a 12-8
half time lead.
The second half saw a lot of frustration for the Writtle players and watching
supporters. A series of handling errors and penalties conceded saw good field
position lost and provided East London with some momentum. This momentum was
converted into points with a near identical try to the East London first half
score. With the defence stretched East London were able to create the overlap
and despite a valiant last ditch tackle from Lloyd Hariram the try was scored.
This was followed by more Writtle indiscretions and a further 3 points were
gleefully accepted by the East London 15 to push the score out to 12-18.
At this point the Writtle side stood up to be counted and enjoyed their best
period of play to dominate the final 20 minutes of the game. Some excellent
running from Rowan, Fetherstone and Ian Douglas saw the East London defence
pushed backwards. Strong leadership was provided in the form of John Stimpson
who continued his excellent all round performance with some thundering forward
surges seeing his scrum cap sent cartwheeling backwards! The forwards pushed the
ball forwards towards the line with a series of rucks, mauls and penetrating
runs. The ball was rolled towards the line and with the watching crowds cheering
the side on, prop Phil Underhill bundled his way towards the line and with 3
defenders holding on to him he was able to excellently ground the ball under
immense pressure. The Wanderers players watched nervously as Haylett stepped up
to take the crucial conversion, which he duly slotted away to give the side a
19-18 lead with 10 minutes to go.
The final 10 minutes saw Writtle play with great control and a series of
crunching tackles kept the East London attack away from the danger area, most
notably a crunching tackle from Fetherstone leaving the East London centre in a
heap on the floor, Fetherstone also managed to find a new burst of energy to fly
down the blind side wing ably supported by Hariram to push the ball into the
opposing 22. The final whistle was blown courtesy of excellent Writtle tackling
forcing East London into touch and the celebrations began. This was a most
deserved victory even though the side made it very hard for themselves. Everyone
in the team can be proud of their performance but special mention must go to
Fetherstone, Theobald, Rowan and the exceptional Stimpson. With players
beginning to gel and a consistent side being fielded week in week out the future
is bright, the future is orange!
----------
14th January 2006
Following the late cry off of our intended President's Shield Quarter Final opponents - Ravens - Writtle Wanderers progressed through to the semi-final of this year's Essex President's Shield by default. The opponents and date for the next round are to be confirmed, but in the mix are Dagenham, Burnham and Thames.
In place of the cup game, we were very fortunate to be able to pick up strong opponents from the Fixtures Exchange, in the form of Bancroft who are playing in Essex Division 1 after promotion last season. So, although a few subs were given to the 2nd XV on the day, a strong Writtle team travelled down to Buckhurst Hill on a rather grey and overcast afternoon.
From the off it was clear that this was a much younger Bancroft side than the one who we took on in similar circumstances last season. However, if the home side were lacking any experience, they made up for it with plenty of pace. The Writtle back three of Adam Jones, Lloyd Hariram and Steve Clark were certainly not lacking in pace themselves and can have rarely come up against a speedster like the Bancroft left wing, so it would be very harsh to criticise them for being caught out by his first run which saw Bancroft open the scoring in the left corner after 5 minutes.
However, once the initial shock had been overcome, the Writtle side got down to their usual business of taking the ball up in the forwards and then distributing it for their own pacey backs to use. The Bancroft loose forwards, however, were not going to make this easy and proved very adept at stealing the ball in the ruck. Once again we were shown that the whole game is just that little bit quicker one league above and we were just a fraction too slow in support of the ball carrier. The turnovers gave Bancroft lots of opportunities to look to attack out wide - their carrot-topped fly-half mixing passes with dangerous chips across the pitch for their wing men to chase. But the Wanderers defence stood firm with the like of Jon Nicolle, Mike Brown and Paul Read putting in the hits in the midfield, well supported by the back row of Andy Ross, Jeremy Court and Ben Campion.
It was the back row that finally found the breakthrough for the visitors with a strong drive from Campion making space for Ross to defy his years of experience with an electric burst through the centre. Good hands saw the ball find its way to captain Tim Janes who touched down out to the right. Clark was unable to convert.
Having been unable to find a way through the Writtle defence in midfield, Bancroft continued to look to attack out wide and a clever play saw their left wing switch over to the right to latch onto a cross-field kick from their stand off. He beat Hariram to the ball and then wrong footed Clark to squeeze in at the corner for a very well worked try.
The Writtle side responded superbly to the pressure and upped their work rate to starve the home side of ball. As a result, they were able to get more fluency into their own attacks, with Dave Hyett, Matt Morris and Campion using their bulk to punch holes in the defence and then releasing the back line. Eventually this resulted in a gap opening up for fly half, Nicolle, who broke through and beat the last man to go under the posts. Clark converted to give the Wanderers a narrow 10-12 lead.
With half time approaching, Writtle continued to put good plays together and were rewarded when Clark was able to touch down another good move along the back line. His try keeps him level pegging with Janes as the club's leading try scorer this season with 13 apiece, whilst Nicolle and Jones are chasing with 8 tries each. Clark converted his own try to give the visitors a 10-19 advantage at half time.
The second half began with both sides throwing themselves at one another in an attempt to break down the defences. Brown in particular put in some massive tackles - many on players much bigger than himself - and deservedly took the Man of the Match honours. Eventually, Bancroft were awarded a penalty in a kickable position and opted to take the three points to bring them back within a converted try of the lead.
With two of the front row carrying injuries, coach Mark Rawlinson held off introducing Martyn Howarth into the fray until the last 15 minutes. Writtle immediately took a scrum against the head and broke down field, with Clark almost making the line only to be penalised for failing to release the ball. In a high pressure final few minutes, Bancroft were awarded a series of penalties that saw them threaten the Wanderers line - but solid tackling held them out and Writtle clung on to a 13-19 victory.
The excellent defence and determination shown in this game will undoubtedly stand the side in good stead as they anticipate their top of the table clash with Dagenham next Saturday. There is a real buzz about the side now and the competition for places is becoming very intense. As with last year, there is a real opportunity for a league and cup double - but it will require a lot of hard work on and off the field! However, that is something that I don't think anyone involved with the club will shy away from!
The 2nd XV made the journey down to Westcliff hoping to build upon their excellent team performance from the previous week. The opening minutes saw scrappy unstructured rugby from both teams that looked well matched in appearance. All shapes, sizes and ages on both teams. The match came to an end in the next four or five scrums which saw the Writtle pack destroy their opposition providing the platform for Writtle's No. 8, Martin Fetherstone, to make the first break deep into the hosts half. Fetherstone linked with Simon Cook who was dragged down just short of the Westcliff line.
Scrummage after scrummage with or without the feed caused problems for the Westcliff pack and for the Writtle scrum half Chris Pharris, as scrappy ball often flew out the back unexpectedly. Pharris reacted very well on numerous occasions and made a few half breaks. Indiscipline then took over, minor indiscretions were penalised time and time again resulting in four consecutive penalties against the Writtle team. Camped in their guests twenty-two, Westcliff managed three or four phases that resulted in the Westcliff centre darting in under the sticks. Somehow the conversion was missed.
Paul Arnold tidied up at full back numerous times to keep the Westcliff half chances under control. Then came four penalties against Westcliff creating the chance for Writtle to cobble together some momentum with "Big" John Stimpson and Neil "Lego" Theobald making the yards and the clearing out skills of Glen Richards and Colm Coyle coming to the fore. The Westcliff team were being stretched and it was only a matter of time before they would be pierced or penalised. A penalty was awarded and a well drilled move resulted in a try for Fetherstone. Coyle's attempt at the conversion didn't make the touch judges work too hard!!!
At 5 points each and with the Writtle pack taking the game by the scruff of the neck, Westcliff played their joker. A neck injury and no front row replacement meant the points were awarded to Writtle and the last 50 minutes of the game were played with uncontested scrums, taking away the platform that the Writtle team had finally worked out how to utilise. The second half was all about Westcliff scoring 21 unanswered points, Writtle having two tries disallowed, a penalty try miraculously not given and Fetherstone retiring hurt. The first score came after two minutes with the Westcliff flanker picking up at a ruck and racing thirty yards to score a converted try under the sticks. 12-5.
Writtle rallied with good clean line out ball from Matt Wilkins providing neat passing for Coyle, lurking in the centres, to show what the Writtle centres had failed to do in the first half - make yards. Richards and Stimpson, feeding of Chris at scrum half, made half breaks creating the first disallowed try. The Writtle pack, mauling with conviction for the first time since the scrums went uncontested, provided the opportunity for Coyle to go over for a five pointer only for the referee to judge that he was short of the line. Video evidence provided by Seth Dempsey in his pram was a long time coming but highlighted the referee's error.
The centre partnership finally cottoned on to Coyle's midfield running and followed suit with good yards made by Mike Williams and Steve Nagle. Then Cook, now playing at full back, darted within inches of the line and Nagle picked up at the ruck and plonked the ball over for the line. The touch judge interfered, which resulted in the referee disallowing another perfectly good try. Westcliff hit back with a clever chip and chase into open space from the Westcliff centre, a fortunate bounce or two later and another converted try was being scribbled down by the referee to make it 19-5.
Good team play from the Writtle pack made easy yards down the middle of the pitch and the chance for Cook to show his pace, hacking the ball through providing a foot race with the Westcliff full back. Cook couldn't quite shake off the full back who was pushing, pulling and tugging at him in an effort to stop the Writtle flyer from scoring. He did stop Cook from scoring and the referee also spotted the Westcliff full backs misdemeanour and awarded a penalty under the Westcliff sticks - the Writtle President was flummoxed and bamboozled why a penalty try wasn't awarded and the culprit would certainly have received a yellow card had Dave Rowan been officiating.
Westcliff finished off the scoring with the try of game, a sixty yarder, started by the Westcliff full back incidentally. The last ten minutes saw Scott Taylor sneaking into the back line on a couple of occasions to make good use of his ever diminishing weight. Just what the doctor ordered, albeit a tad too late. The lack of a front row replacement for Westcliff certainly took away a good opportunity for Writtle to earn a good win. "Uncontested scrums" means exactly that - it does not mean uncontested everything! Quite a few Writtle players came off the field with fuel in the tank and with an appearance in a Cup Final only a game away, subs in abundance and the Writtle machine gathering cogs and wheels all the time, some of the players won't be resting easy!
----------
21st January 2006
This was the big one - the top of the table clash against the league leaders, Dagenham - and coming away without a W was simply not an option! These were the sentiments in the changing room prior to the game and the Writtle Wanderers squad took to the field in determined fashion!
Training has been exceptionally well supported over the last few weeks and the visitors were further bolstered by the return of hooker, Sean Culleton, from an enforced absence and the introduction of Ben Campion at No. 8, making his first league start since transferring to the club. Writtle were also delighted to be able to welcome back scum half, Ben Szyczak, which enabled Tim Janes to move out to fly-half in place of the injured John Nicolle.
Dagenham always attract a large home support, so it was very nice to see a good number of Wanderers followers on the touchline to cheer the side on. It was the travelling supporters who had the most to shout about in the early stages as the Writtle men took the game to Dagenham. The pace of Simon Love, Adam Jones and Steve Clark was looking threatening, although Dagenham themselves had plenty of pace and were able to cover their flanks. The opening was finally made when blindside, Andy Ross, always there in support of his wingers, was able to complete a lovely move down the right and go in under the posts. Clark converted to give the visitors a seven point advantage.
A couple of times this season the Wanderers have got the first score and then sat back thinking the job was done. Despite being aware of this and having a team talk to that effect whilst the conversion attempt was being made, the hosts were once again given the opportunity to get back into the game as the visitors failed to keep the pressure up. This Dagenham side are very well drilled and it is very dangerous to give them the space to put together a series of moves. Unfortunately, a poor defensive lineout after a number of silly penalties had let Dagenham into their half gave them the opportunity to work a back move that split the defence and took them in under the posts for a converted try to level the scores.
Things were looking a bit rocky for the Wanderers as they were unable to exert the control they desired and shape the game. Despite excellent lineout work by Campion and Wayne Symons, and the tireless support of openside, Colin Jones, too much ball was being spilt in the tackle and Dagenham were taking the chance to punish indiscretions by putting the ball into the corners. Eventually the home side's forwards managed to set up a rolling maul from a lineout and the Wanderers were unable to prevent them getting over for the touchdown. The conversion attempt hit the upright and fell back short, but Dagenham had the lead by 12 points to 7 as half time came.
The half time team talk focussed on establishing more of a pattern to the game and cutting out the errors and penalties. As the second half got underway the side appeared to have listened and were able to make yards with carries by Campion, Ross, second row Matt Morris and props Martyn Howarth and Dominic Pearce. This then allowed the ball to be moved further out for centres, Mike Brown and Paul Read, who were able to make powerful runs to tie up the Dagenham back line.
The vital second try came after good work in the middle of the field enabled Man of the Match, Love, to make an outside break down the right flank. His perfectly weighted inside ball to Ross, tireless in his support, saw the blindside go through for his second of the game. Clark was spot on with the conversion and Writtle had a narrow two point lead.
With Howarth being replaced at prop by Tommy Young, the Wanderers went about trying to extend their lead. However, Dagenham were by no means out of the game yet and made some excellent breaks down the right. Fullback Clark stood up well in a one on one with their speedy wing and Adam Jones also took his man into touch on a couple of occasions. With Dagenham having to force the game to try and break down the defence, they eventually gave away a penalty inside their own half and Clark was given the opportunity to stretch the lead. He did just that with a sweetly struck kick to give Writtle a little breathing space.
The final minutes of the game saw Writtle in the ascendancy as they mounted several attacks on the Dagenham line. Love was just unable to gather a chip ahead which might have taken him in for a score, and Culleton decided he too would have a go - although the execution of the veteran hooker's chip and chase did not perhaps match the idea in his head!
With Dagenham pinned in their own half for the final seconds of the game, they were forced to throw the ball wide in a last desperate attempt to steal the game. However, when the ball was turned over in the tackle and put out of the field of play by Writtle, the referee's whistle sounded the end of the match and a cheer went up from all the Writtle players and supporters. This had been very gutsy effort from the Writtle team and the victory was well deserved.
The two points took Writtle Wanderers level with Dagenham in Essex 2, but an advantage in points difference sees the young Writtle club on the top of the pile! They must now look to keep the points flowing in their remaining six league games to ensure that Dagenham to not have the chance to catch them!
Following the disappointment of last weekend's trip to
Westcliff and with a big semi-final match looming on the 11th February, Writtle
arrived at the home of rugby suitably motivated for this BL Merit Table game
against Rayleigh. The opposition arrived at the fixture a few players short, and
the recent surge of players at the club allowed Writtle the luxury of handing
the opposition some players whilst retaining players on the substitutes' bench.
Rayleigh started the game by booting the kick off straight into touch and
Writtle took advantage of the scrum to push their opponents deep into their own
22. However following a few handling errors Rayleigh were able to clear their
line and gain a breather. It wasn't long before Writtle notched up the first of
7 tries for the day. The forwards provided an excellent platform, as has become
a feature of their play in recent weeks, and some excellent slick handling and
running from the Wanderers' backs saw Simon Cook finish off an excellent team
try.
Writtle thought they had scored their second try only moments later with Number
7, Colm Coyle, barbarically barging his way towards the line, however the try
was not given and Coyle saw his second try in a fortnight snatched away from
him! It was not long before Writtle did extend their lead in this game though.
Matt Wilkins secured good line out ball, and the ball was quickly fed into the
backs. Powerful running from inside centre, Mike Williams, saw him get within
sniffing distance of his first try for the club, the support came in the from of
Gary Hall and Scott Taylor and the ball was quickly recycled with Neil Theobald
crashing over leaving a number of defenders in his wake.
The athletic half back partnership of Dave Rowan and Conrad Flynn was beginning
to gel and El Presidente ran over for a well earned try just before the half
time interval to leave Writtle in charge at the break. A first half injury to
Coyle saw him leave the field at half time having been his usual combative self,
giving the opposition a tough time throughout the first 40 minutes. This was an
obvious blow to the Wanderers side, however his back row replacement, John
Smillie, is not exactly a bad player to come off the bench!
The second half saw continued pressure from Writtle with No.8 Taylor beginning
to impose himself more and more on the game with some excellent running from the
back of the scrum throughout the second half. Smillie was also proving to be a
handful crashing through the defence on a number of occasions from the back of
rucks, and was rewarded with a try bursting through a number of tackles before
touching down under the posts.
Writtle had exerted their physical presence during this game but there was also
pace in abundance provided by the livewire Lloyd Hariram at 13 and Cook on the
wing. Hariram was also proving to be a nuisance in the rucks displaying all the
tricks of a back row forward at times! He gained his well deserved try sprinting
away from the defence before rounding the full back to score his first try for
the second XV.
Taylor made another surging run into the Rayleigh 22 and with only the full back
to beat rather reluctantly handed Captain Hall with the try scoring opportunity
which the skipper accepted, gleefully darting under the posts to the delight of
the partisan crowd watching the game.
The final try of the game was scored by replacement in the centres Ant Rantell,
who's slick footwork saw him polish off another nice Writtle move to notch up
the 7th try of the afternoon for the Wanderers' side. The final whistle came
after a nasty injury to Steve Nagle, who we later found out had suffered a break
to his leg after initially thinking it was ligament damage. I think everyone at
the club would wish Steve a quick recovery from this injury. Special thanks must
go to the Wanderers' players who played either the whole or part of the match
for Rayleigh. Namely Dickie Petherick, Phil Underhill, John Stimpson, Donal
Staunton and Bernard Denenga.
An excellent result and performance from the Wanderers sees them warming up for
the big cup game in three weeks. The forwards were again dominant with Dawson
and Taylor the pick of the pack, and the backs showed a nice mix of pace and
power and linked up well throughout the afternoon. Lets hope this good from
continues and that Coyle, Nagle and Fetherstone have a safe and quick recovery
from injury.
----------
28th January 2006
As a little bit of a treat for you, this week we bring you three reports on the game! All the reports submitted are published in their entirety - I have submitted a composite report to the Essex Chronicle and hope that they will publish it! Please note that, despite approaching several language schools, we have, as yet, been unable to find anyone able to translate Mr Wallbank's report and it is therefore printed exactly as submitted!
----------
Report submitted by Matt Morris
A rather parky and windy Saturday afternoon at Fox Burrows Lane saw the Wanderers play host to Old Brentwood, a team against which they had posted a marginal win last year on the away fixture, so it was clear that this was not going to be a pleasant sunny stroll. Despite the strength and depth of the Wanderers 18, various factors such as wind, and a strong Brentwood pack could have easily undone some of the hard work of the past few weeks.
Play opened with Brentwood clearly not intent on rolling over and Essex 2 leaders Writtle showing justified belief in themselves, and an exciting game of rugby in both the defensive and attacking sense soon began to unfold. Writtle took the upper hand in the first half of the first half - so that'll be the first quarter - courtesy of two tries from the Tim Janes and John Nicolle, with Janes spectacularly showing his pace and footballing skills in the break by running most of the length of the park to score, and Nicolle growing in confidence at 10 with the ball in hand. A third try soon came after a phenomenal piece of work by Matt Morris, taking a crash ball from depth off of scrum-half Ben Szyczak and, according to eyewitness accounts, making approximately 450 yards up the pitch with between 30 and 40 of the Brentwood side hanging off him in a vain attempt to try to take him down. Morris eventually selflessly set the ball up on the deck 5 yards out to allow the backs to get some of the play, and they didn't disappoint, with Simon Love crossing for his first score of the match.
Brentwood, however, still had plenty in their armoury. By this stage of the game their 5-man line was functioning well despite the exemplary work of Ben Campion and Wayne Simmons at 2 and 4 in the Writtle line, stealing yards from the text-book catch-and-drive before putting the ball out to the backs and switching direction two men into down line, at times wrong-footing some of the less agile members of the Wanderers side and making plenty of ground. The result; two tries to Brentwood, either side of the break.
Writtle, however, dug deep and fought back. Love took an interception and outran the Brentwood defence, anything Janes could do he could do too. Within minutes of the restart the Wanderers were back up in the Brentwood 22 where Campion took a peachy line-out ball, and the pack drove him over the line allowing cheeky open-side Colin Jones to nick the ball out of his team-mates hands at the last second and claim the 5 points for the home side.
On the hour some personnel changes were made - Paul Reid (who rumour has it brought his own tape this week) came on for Nicolle, who having made a second try was suffering from cramp, and put in another mighty performance, showing speed and strength with his usual stunt of crashing through the middle of the opposition back line. John Smillie and Tommy Young replaced Matt Morris and Robin Wallbank, to substitute lard for stealthy lard, and consequently for the final 20 minutes the Wanderers picked the pace of the game up. The play was thrown wide open and Andy Ross, who in recent weeks has been denying the number on the back of his shirt to try-scrounge out in the backs, had been putting in yet another Reasonable performance, and once again didn't let the side down when he ran in what can only be described as an utterly Acceptable try, which served only to augment the Tolerable impact he has made of late.
Throughout, Steve Clark had been putting the kicks over - 5 in total - to bring the final score up to 45-14 on the whistle. On their retirement to the changing rooms, hooker Sean Culleton, who had seemingly been wearing his daughters ballet top under the number 2 shirt throughout the game nailed the MOTM award with a fine display of shower-room antics in his invention of a hilarious new game, 'Wash The Ref'. The Wanderers then retired to the BAA for a beer alongside their team-mates, the formidable opposition, and courtesy of Culleton, one of the cleanest referees in the land.
----------
Report submitted by Robin Wallbank
Writtle Wanderers were at home to Old Brentwood (OBRFC) on a cold and blustery Saturday afternoon. With the wanderers now being top of Essex Division 2, they knew that they had a tuff match ahead of them as everyone would be trying to knock them off their perch! With this incentive, the team took to the field in determined fashion – cold but determined. It was nice to see a large following on the side lines for the wanderers side who are very grateful for such support and it was hoped that the team wouldn’t let them down. The home side opted for the wind behind their backs. From the Kick off the home side caught the ball and moulded a well drilled ruck from which the ball was passed out. This led to the ball being shipped along the line and with the pace of Simon Love, Adam Jones and Steve Clark, this ball moving at a pace of knots. A well aimed tackle brought the ball down and in the ensuing struggle the wanderers were offered a penalty which was placed over by Steve neoprene Clark. Looking threatening the old Brentwood roared into life, they themselves had plenty of pace and were able to cover their flanks. However the opening finally came when blindside, Andy Ross, who always seems to be there in support of his wingers, was able to complete a lovely move down the right and touch the ball down.
The strength of the Writtle back line goes from strength to strength. The pace and speed of these backs is a joy to behold by the supporters. A number of great tackles were made by the front row to help prevent the onslaught of the visitors attempt at the goal line. Some superb tackles by Wallbank meant that the ball managed to shake free. For his efforts he was awarded another of his prized battle scars from which he manages to attract at regular periods. From the loose ball John was able to bob and weave his way through the line before breaking free to score.
It has been mentioned previously that a couple of times this season the Wanderers have got the first score and then sat back thinking the job was done – this was clearly on their mind when their attack started again. The ball flowed out from a knock on and the ball rushed from the back of the ruck and passed from hand to hand until it reached Nicolle who furthered his scoring tally for this year with a well deserved try. The Brentwood side are very well drilled (and punctual to boot) and it was very dangerous to give them the space to put together a series of moves. Penalty after penalty given away by the wanderers made sure the visiting side practised move after move from the set piece and were awarded a try for their efforts.
Things weren’t looking too rocky, but this had them feeling the energy for retaliation for the score.
The Wanderers able to exert the control they desired and managed to shape the game back to their fashion. Despite excellent lineout work by Campion and Wayne Symons, and the tireless support of openside, Colin Jones, too much ball was being spilt in the tackle and Dagenham were taking the chance to punish indiscretions by putting the ball into the corners. Eventually the home side's forwards managed to set up a rolling maul from a lineout and the Wanderers were unable to prevent them getting over for the touchdown. The conversion attempt hit the upright and fell back short, but Dagenham had the lead by 12 points to 7 as half time came.
The half time team talk focussed on less back chat, verbal
control and retaining the well coached moves that had brought them this far. As
the second half got underway the side appeared to have listened and were able to
make yards with various moves and carries by the pack, Campion, Jones, Ross,
Morris, Culleton, Symonds and props Robin Wallbank and Dominic Pearce. This then
allowed the ball to be moved further out for centres, Mike Brown and John, who
were able to make powerful runs to worry the defending Brentwood side.
From a perfect lift by Robin Wallbank and Dominic Pearce, Wayne Symonds was able
to take the ball cleanly from Culleton and help from a tight assemblage of
forwards to maul and push the hard long ten yards to the try line and with Colin
steering from behind the ball was placed over the line for a well deserved
forward score. Clark was spot on with the conversion and Writtle continued to
place scores on the board.
After the kick off the Writtle side were pinned for what seemed like ant
eternity by the what seemed like a rejuvenated Brentwood side. A brief mistake
by the visiting sides back line allowed Love to swoop on the ball and run nearly
the whole length of the pitch to touch down under the posts. The Writtle lads
are very happy with their new find. A little moment later saw the ever
enthusiastic Szyczak sent to stand at the far side to get cold for ten minutes.
With Wallbank being replaced by Smillie at prop, Tommy Young replaced second row Matt Morris and Nicolle out in the centre by Reid the new blood pumping around the Wanderers side went about trying to extend their lead. However, Brentwood were by no means out of the game yet and made some excellent breaks down the left. Fullback Clark stood up well in a one on one with their speedy wing and made a good tackle taking the player out into touch. His trusty side kick Adam Jones on the wing also took on a many a man and forced his opponents to give the ball away or force into touch. Time and time again the Writtle side gave penalties and penalty for infringements of misinterpreted placements of bodies and hands. The wanderers battled on and were awarded for their endeavours by a try by Ross.
The final minutes of the game saw Writtle in control as they mounted several attacks on the Brentwood line. A couple of chips by Love meant the line got closer and closer to line with every punt. With Brentwood pinned in their own half for the final minutes of the game, they were forced to throw the ball wide in a last desperate attempt to steal the game. However, when the ball was turned over in the tackle the ball was picked up and passed out for a hard fought try. As the referee's whistle sounded the end of the match, cheers went up from all the Writtle players and supporters. This had been very gutsy effort from the Writtle team who have worked hard to reach thus far.
----------
Report submitted by Andy Ross
On the back of a win last week which took the Wanderers to the
top of the Essex 2 league, the team started the game with confidence. It was
apparent from the start that Old Brentwoods weren’t going to let Writtle control
all of the game. The first 20 minutes saw some strong and controlled rugby with
some excellent attacking and defensive play from both teams. Tries from John
Nicolle, Simon Love and Tim Janes gave the Wanderers a good lead in the first
half. A period of play shortly before half time allowed Old Brentwoods to have
the majority of the ball before the whistle sounded for the turn around.
The second half started with the sun behind the home team but with the wind
against. This allowed Old Brentwoods to continue kicking the ball down field
into the Wanderers half. Some continued pressure from the Old Brentwoods
forwards forced a period of penalty’s to be awarded which allowed and overlap
out wide for them to score a try in the corner. A fantastic long range kick gave
them the full 7 points.
A similar period of play allowed last weeks man of the match Simon Love to
intercept a ball on his own try line and run the length of the field and fend of
a tackle to score his second of the match under the posts.
A well rehearsed forwards move – the catch and drive - from a line out allowed
Colin Jones to score at the back of the pack.
Continuing pressure from the Writtle forwards nearly put man of the match Sean
Culleton over the line but was stop short on a number of occasions. His
determined play put Ben Campion into a running position which let Andrew Ross to
finish the play with an easy try under the posts.
5 out of the 7 kicks where converted by the ‘slightly under the weather’ Steve
Clark which left the score after 80 minutes at 45-14.
Writtle Wanderers 2nd XV gave another outstanding performance after they picked
themselves up after going 5 - 0 down against Pegasus Palmerians 2nd XV to win a
convincing margin 5 - 46.
Writtle Wanderers 2nd XV is growing in confidence and ability match by match and the squad travelled down to Corringham in considerable numbers to take on Pegasus Palmerians for the third time this season. The club as a whole is gaining fantastic strength in depth, with at least three of this week's 2nd XV having been in the 1st XV squad for last week's top of the table clash at Dagenham. Also worthy of note is the fact that the 2nd XV squad contained 9 men who can play front row! Your reporter refutes the suggestion made by one of the watching Pegasus fans that "Christ, Writtle must be full of fat b@stards"!
The match got underway with the Writtle side full of confidence, with a strong starting XV and memories of some great training sessions over the last couple of weeks. However, this all seemed to bubble over into a degree of over eagerness, with everyone keen to get involved and not taking the time to assess the options before piling into rucks, taking the ball into contact or trying to offload in the tackle. The result of all of this was repeated turnovers, which eventually led to the hosts' mature winger finding himself with an unopposed thirty metre run to the line for the opening score. The conversion attempt was missed.
The frenetic start had left a number of the Writtle stalwarts gasping for breath, and Captain Gary Hall urged everyone to calm down and remember the game plans that have proved to be effective for both teams in the club this season. With these wise words ringing in their ears, the visitors began to knuckle down to the job at hand. Club Leviathan, Scott Taylor, made some good yards from No.8 and was well supported by his more svelte back row partners, Jeremy Court and Colm Coyle. With Hall and props Martyn Howarth and John Stimpson also taking the ball on in the tight, Writtle were able to work their way up field and into Pegasus' territory.
Several attempts to attack the Pegasus line saw Taylor, Howarth and Matt Wilkins almost make the breakthrough, but eventually veteran fly half, Conrad Flynn, managed to crash through the the line for the opening score. Unfortunately, Flynn injured himself in the process and had to be helped off the field - we wish him all the best for a speedy recovery! Another veteran, Dick Battye, was able to move in from centre to take over the fly half spot, and it was he who converted the try to take the visitors into the lead.
With their nerves well and truly calmed by the score, the Writtle side now settled into some solid rugby with the tight five working in the narrow channels and flankers Coyle and Court linking well with the inside backs to seek out the wider gaps. The forwards also worked a lovely rolling maul, something that came as a bit of a surprise to the skipper, which saw Taylor score his first try of the season.
The game was now well in Writtle's control and it was only the bad habit of chatting back to the referee that looked like giving Pegasus any hope of getting close to the Wanderers' line. This is something that must be addressed as it will end up costing us a tight game!
The second half saw a number of changes in order to give everyone a run. The entire front row were replaced as well as Dickie Petherick being lent to Pegasus when they lost one of their props. However, the change in personnel did not lead to any diminution of the pressure on Pegasus - with Phil Underhill and Neil Theobald enjoying running at the defence. Coyle topped of his Man of the Match performance with a brace of tries and Hariram used his pace to get on his shoulder and collect the score when Coyle was brought down just short of his hat-trick. Court, who had been vying with Coyle for MOTM all game, also earned a try of his own as a result of his tireless support work.
Club President, David Rowan, topped off the game with one of his trademark "weeble" runs, which saw him bounce his way through several would be tacklers to go in under the posts. Battye's excellent right foot converted four of the game's tries and knocked over a penalty to boot, giving the Wanderers an excellent 5 - 46 victory.
Next week sees a tough assignment at home against Upminster 3rd XV in a "friendly" which should provide good preparation for the John Adler 2nd XV Cup semi-final at home to Ilford Wanderers on 11th February. The game will hopefully be an early kick off, allowing players to head to the bar to watch the England v Wales international.
----------