LEICESTER TIGERS 19
Guinness ‘A’ League
Franklin’s Gardens
Monday, December 17th, 2007
For the most part the Wanderers dominated most facets of play in the opening quarter. There was one notable exception, however – the score board! Barry Everitt’s fourth-minute penalty had opened the scoring after the Wanderers set up camp in the Tigers’ half having won the kick-off.
Everitt missed his second shot at goal in the tenth minute, but a five-metre scrum apart, the Wanderers were stopping Leicester get into the game. Indeed, that scrum ended with a free-kick thanks to the Tigers engaging early and it looked as if the luck was with the home side.
But the Wanderers were unable to convert two superb opportunities into further points. Firstly Will Harries ran across virtually the entire width of the field in a vain attempt to find a gap. None was forthcoming however and Harries quickly became isolated and conceded a penalty.
The second chance of a Wanderers try turned into an outstanding piece of opportunistic play by the visitors. A home five-metre scrum was disrupted and number 8 Tom Croft broke away. Vavae Tuilagi took the play on and the unmistakable blonde-haired Croft was in support to score a try that Ian Humphreys converted.
Understandably rocked, the hosts nevertheless scored two good tries of their own in the 10 minutes before half-time. Joe Ansbro had looked lively thus far in his first action of the season, and though he could have made more use of an overlap in his run to the line his incision into the defence created room for Ben Lewitt to score.
The second try was started and finished by Everitt. The Wanderers had built up some good pressure through working phases and the fly-half’s looping run created the overlap for him to score in the left corner. Lewitt’s try was converted, Everitt’s not, and the Wanderers led 15-7 at the break.
Leicester needed a try early in the second half which, needless to say, they got in the 45th minute. Ayoola Erinle’s powerful run was ended close to the line and the Tigers recycled the ball for half-time replacement Rob Bell to dive over. Humphreys added the extras again and the vociferous crowd was now being entertained by a one-point ball game.
One player who had raised the roof on several occasions with some powerful running was Soane Tonga’uiha. And it was to the big Tongan that the third try was owed. Several Tigers were left in his wake with one charge down the blind side, and though he didn’t make the whitewash himself Ansbro was in support to score.
By now the Wanderers were dominant, especially up front where a repeated series of five-metre scrums marched forward and earned a penalty. This happened one too many times for referee Roberts, who awarded a deserved penalty try that David Smith converted.
With the margin now 13 points with considerably less than 10 minutes to play the contest was sealed. But it wouldn’t have been an East Midlands derby without some squaring up and twice the packs faced up. Prop Salesi Ma’afu also received a yellow card, albeit for a dangerous tackle on Grant Anderson.
The Tigers had the final say with an injury-time Matt Smith try. But it was the Wanderers who ended the year with the spoils.
Teams:
Wanderers – Harries; Brake, Ansbro (Rainbow 73mins), Anderson, Smith; Everitt (Hoyles 58mins), Howard (Robinson 40mins); Tonga’uiha (Emms 61mins), Hartley (Gray 61mins), Budgen, Short (Ward 27-36mins), Hoy, Giles (Ward 45mins), Lewitt (Neale 77mins), Easter (capt).
Leicester Tigers – Smith; Tuilagi, Erinle, Vesty, Cobden; Humphreys, Laussucq (Harrison 51mins); Stankovich (Moreno 40mins), Hickie (Sammons 64mins), Young (Ma’afu 51mins), Blaze, Wentzel (capt), Hemmingway, Herring (Young 77mins), Croft (Bell 40mins).
Scorers:
Wanderers – Tries: Lewitt, Everitt, Ansbro, Penalty; Cons: Everitt, Smith; Pen: Everitt.
Leicester Tigers – Tries: Croft, Bell, Smith; Cons: Humphreys (2).
Yellow card:
Ma’afu (77mins)
Attendance:
1,556
TIMELINE:
4mins WAND Pen Everitt 3-0
19mins TIGERS Try Croft Con Humphreys 3-7
31mins WAND Try Lewitt Con Everitt 10-7
37mins WAND Try Everitt 15-7
HALF-TIME WANDERERS 15 LEICESTER 7
45mins TIGERS Try Bell Con Humphreys 15-14
57mins WAND Try Ansbro 20-14
74mins WAND Try Penalty Con Smith 27-14
77mins TIGERS Yellow card Ma’afu
84mins TIGERS Try Smith 27-19
FULL-TIME WANDERERS 27 LEICESTER 19
