WORCESTER WARRIORS 22
Guinness ‘A’ League Round 4
Franklin’s Gardens
Monday, November 26th, 2007
After collecting the kick-off Worcester set about trying to break the Wanderers line. Myles Benjamin’s chip and chase took play into the home 22 and Joe Carlisle’s break was ended by a superb effort by 17-year-old flanker Rob Milligan.
Carlisle would have been heading to the line and the tackle’s worth was shown in the fifth minute. Worcester had conceded a penalty to allow the Wanderers to clear and they made the most of their first visit to the visitors’ territory in some style.
A lineout on the 22 sparked a well rehearsed backline move. Barry Everitt’s loop around Grant Anderson created an overlap, Will Harries straightened his running and gave a lovely pass to another member of the Junior Saints Academy, Wellingborough School winger Ollie Storey, for the try.
Everitt missed the conversion but the hosts looked to be taking control, especially when Neil Starling made a superb midfield break. However with 10 points in two minutes the visitors grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. The first three of these came in the 14th minute when Carlisle slotted a penalty.
Then the fly-half spotted space behind the rush defence to chip into. The gamble from deep paid off 70 metres later when Alex Grove crossed for a try. Carlisle converted and Worcester had a 10-5 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Wanderers would have been kicking themselves for not turning two fantastic chances into points in the meantime. Ben Lewitt and Starling both made clean breaks to go within a few metres of Worcester’s line. But both times the attacks were ended by needless penalties at the breakdown.
Pressure was turned into points on the half-hour. Repeated decisions to eschew kickable penalties for lineouts and scrums were vindicated when Anderson crossed between the sticks. It was a scrappy try (although every point is the same on the score board!) but it showed the 18-year-old’s ability to finish an opportunity to the full.
Everitt landed the conversion, but the lead lasted a mere five minutes. The Wanderers defence looked to have held when James Collins was held up and Ian Vass snaffled a loose ball superbly. But Worcester still had the position, and with Tim Collier’s try, the points and a 15-12 half-time lead.
Before several of the crowd had returned from the Rodber Suite warmth the Wanderers were further behind. Worcester recovered the kick-off, Collins made too much ground and Grove finished off for his second try. Half-time replacement fly-half Gareth Morgan landed the touchline conversion for a 22-12 lead.
By the hour though the score was tied. End-to-end play had seen both sides have their chances and the Wanderers had done well to repel the Warriors, especially Paula Havea. But the next time the ball crossed the line it was from an Everitt kick that eluded the visiting defenders. Dylan Hartley dived on the loose ball, Everitt converted and added a penalty to even things up at 22-all.
A second penalty four minutes later took the Wanderers ahead once more. They were also edging the play as well, and another JSA debutant Anders Mogensen was determined to make his mark with several good chases.
Vass also made a good break deep into the Worcester 22. But his sliced kick also set pulses racing in both camps. The penalty that followed it set up a superb platform for the visitors. They pushed hard and another penalty was hooked by Morgan.
The tension lasted until the final whistle. The Warriors pressed and had two five-metre lineouts to build from. The clinching moment came when the Wanderers turned the ball over and hacked it well upfield. Worcester tried again but were attacking from deep now and found the try-line just that little too far away.
Teams:
Wanderers – Harries; Storey (Mogensen 58mins), Starling (Howard 48mins), Anderson, D Smith; Everitt, Vass; T Smith, Gray, Budgen, Hoy, Lawes (Ingle 56mins), Milligan, Lewitt, Hopley (capt)(Hartley 33mins).
Worcester Warriors – Wheatcroft; Benjamin (Uduoza 58mins), Grove, Evans, Fellows; Carlisle, Arr; Black, Page, Ruwers, Collier, Bowley (capt), Havea (Molitika 63mins), Collins, Everett.
Scorers:
Wanderers – Tries: Storey, Anderson, Hartley; Cons: Everitt (2); Pens: Everitt (2).
Worcester Warriors – Tries: Grove (2), Collier; Cons: Carlisle, Morgan; Pen: Carlisle.
Attendance:
1,215
TIMELINE:
5mins WAND Try Storey 5-0
14mins WORCS Pen Carlisle 5-3
15mins WORCS Try Grove Con Carlisle 5-10
30mins WAND Try Anderson Con Everitt 12-10
36mins WORCS Try Collier 12-15
HALF-TIME WANDERERS 12 WORCESTER 15
41mins WORCS Try Grove Con Morgan 12-22
57mins WAND Try Hartley Con Everitt 19-22
61mins WAND Pen Everitt 22-22
66mins WAND Pen Everitt 25-22
FULL-TIME WANDERERS 25 WORCESTER 22
