WANDERERS 13

Guinness 'A' League

Sixways

Monday, October 3, 2005

The Wanderers left it late to continue their winning run at Sixways this evening, only clinching a tight match in the 77th minute through Alex Rae's try. It was a far from vintage performance, certainly in the second half, but there was the added bonus of the returns from injury of Ross Beattie and John Rudd.

Wanderers pinned Worcester back in the opening 10 minutes, and it was no surprise when they generated the first opportunity. Charlie Beech ripped through the home defence, and Andy Vilk sliced through a couple of phases later. But with the try-line beckoning Rae knocked the pass on.

Luke Myring's 13th minute penalty was scant reward for the early dominance, but the try that came at the end of the quarter certainly was. A sweeping attack saw Wanderers in Worcester's 22 and awarded a penalty for offside. Myring tapped quickly, and after he was held just short, his half-back partner Ben Jones spied a gap in the fringe defence and dived over.

The rest of the half saw the visitors show the greater attacking initiative, no more so than when Vilk combined well with replacement Adam Barnard just past the half-hour. This was preceded by a Worcester break that evaded the rushing defence and threatened to spark a dangerous attack.

Nevertheless Worcester failed to seriously threaten and were forced to settle for a 38th minute Jamie Lennard penalty and a half-time scoreline of 3-8. It could have been a wider margin but for Mark Easter's slipped pass out of the tackle going forward a couple of metres short.

Worcester opened the second half with a bang, or rather, a series of forward drives too powerful to resist. Prop Mike MacDonald was the beneficiary, finding himself at the bottom of a pile of bodies to score a 45th minute try, and with Lennard's conversion Worcester were ahead by two.

The home defence was also holding out everything the Wanderers could throw at them, although the fluent running seen in the first half had been replaced by a series of individual efforts. A drive held up over the line was as close as the visitors came in the third quarter, during a period of sustained possession inside Worcester's 22.

The game was now a war of attrition, although there was a stunning 30-metre break from Rae to illuminate the action. But neither side could make that decisive breakthrough, and when Worcester replacement Callum Black crossed in the 70th minute, it was ruled out by a penalty for holding back.

Then out of the blue the Wanderers struck. Ashley Maggs drove into Worcester's midfield, the quickly recycled ball went to the blindside, and Rudd passed to the unmarked Rae for the simple clinching score.

Teams:
Worcester United - Lennard (Oduoza 62mins); Booth (Jarvis 40mins), C Robinson, Evans, Higgs; S Robinson, Runciman; Sparks (capt)(Mullan 47mins), Clunis (Keylock 62mins), MacDonald (Black 69mins), O'Donoghue, Bowley (Payne 47mins), Cox, Collins, Everitt.

Wanderers - Patston (Rudd 40mins); Vilk, Mallon (Maggs 40mins), Davies (Barnard 30mins), Diggin; Myring, Jones; Beech (Heliasmenos 62mins), Hartley, Sturgess (Budgen 74mins), Rae, Seely (capt)(Beattie 40mins), Powell, Easter, Hopley (McNamee 40mins).

Scorers:
Worcester United – Try: MacDonald; Con: Lennard; Pen: Lennard.

Wanderers – Try: Jones, Rae; Pen: Myring.

CLOCKWATCH:
13mins Wand: Pen Myring 0-3
22mins Wand: Try Jones 0-8
38mins Worc: Pen Lennard 3-8
45mins Worc: Try MacDonald; Con Lennard 10-8
78mins Wand: Try Rae 10-13