The Wanderers produced 11 tries and some superb rugby to open their season with a win at Cambridge University.
A dominant first half, including six tries, set the tone and while Cambridge made a fight of proceedings after the break, they never threatened to make a dent in the dominant scoreline.
It took just two minutes for the game to see it’s first try and it was a fine one at that. Quick hands freed Ahsee Tuala and the Samoan’s dummy sold one man before a clever offload isolated another, JJ Hanrahan coasting under the posts and converting his own score.
Cambridge would miss with their first shot at points - a long range penalty - and when the Wanderers cleared with two kicks of their own, a solid lineout drive allowed Tom Kessell to snipe down the blindside for try number two.
A third almost followed in the same corner, Tuala again producing a sublime touch, this time with the boot, but Howard Packman couldn’t quite gather cleanly. Fortunately, the hosts would make a mess of their clearance and having conceded a scrum, they would leave too much space in midfield, Hanrahan carving through and under the sticks to double up.
The visitors were starting to flow and a rapid counter attack was beautifully executed, Luke Eves on the end of the line to benefit before a powerful move created the fifth for Tuala just four minutes later. By now it was one way traffic and when Tuala slipped a stealth ball to Packman, the young winger took flight, weaving through light blue shirts and over from a full 70 metres for a stunning solo score.
Cambridge would end the half on the front foot and while a promising move would come to nothing, the momentum remained after the break, a penalty try their reward when a lineout drive was halted illegally.
Two sharp runs from Kessell quickly took play back up the other end though and resulted in Moon striding over as the pace of the game picked up once again, Collins then blazing up the left to put Howard in behind for number eight.
Though the Wanderers had been made to work hard for that pair of scores, the next was a gift. Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi dotted down an interception from close range and straight from the restart came a 10th. Adam Parkins claimed a free ball and his deft offload sent Packman gliding through again, three more defenders left trailing and Alex Mitchell accepting the scoring pass out wide.
To Cambridge’s credit, there was no giving up and largely thanks to a solid lineout and some forward grunt, James Kilroe gave the home crowd something to cheer about.
The joy, however, was short lived and one final try from George Furbank ensured the Wanderers ended an emphatic victory on the front foot.
TIMELINE
2mins WAND Try + Con Hanrahan 0-7
10mins CAMB UNI Miss pen Mortimer
15mins WAND Try Kessell 0-12
24mins WAND Try + Con Hanrahan 0-19
27mins WAND Try Eves Con Hanrahan 0-26
30mins WAND Try Tuala Con Hanrahan 0-33
35mins WAND Try Packman 0-38
HALF-TIME CAMB UNI 0 WAND 38
45mins CAMB UNI Try Penalty Con Gillies 7-38
57mins WAND Try Moon Con Olver 7-45
59mins WAND Try Howard Con Olver 7-52
62mins WAND Try Hobbs-Awoyemi Con Olver 7-59
64mins WAND Try Mitchell 7-64
69mins WAND Yellow Williams
73mins CAMB UNI Try Kilroe 12-64
77mins WAND Try Furbank Con Olver 12-71
FULL-TIME CAMB UNI 12 WAND 71
CAMB UNI - Davies; Cherezov, Kruger, Clough, Mortimore; Gillies, Stevens; Briggs, Montgomery, Spelman, Lockhart, Nagle, Kilroe, Dass, Farmer
Calvert, Moros, Poulton, Rose, Erogbogbo, Tullie, Strachan, Erogbogbo
WAND - Tuala; Packman, Howard, Eves, Collins; Hanrahan, Kessell; Hobbs-Awoyemi, Williams, Denman, Onojaife, Woolford, Nutley, Allman, Bennett
Marshall, Fish, Parkins, Moon, Cardall, Mitchell, Olver, Hutchinson, Furbank
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