Deplaeated Wasps A side soundly beaten by Cambs

Once were Wasps
By Barney Burnham
October 27 2004

A fiercely competitive Cambridge University, missing a number of first-choice players, came back from 13-3 down to deservedly beat an even more depleted Wasps side, by 23 points to 13.

The result delighted the students and their supporters, but this was a scrappy game, marked by four yellow cards, numerous handling errors and turnovers, constant stoppages and a series of refereeing decisions which left both sides angry and frustrated.

For a variety of reasons, the Wasps side had only six of the team which had started last week's comfortable win at Oxford. With the squad being given a deserved 3-day break, it was a case of calling in a number of players from junior clubs, including Henley and Bracknell. As it was, Wasps could only muster a squad of 21 , and they ended the game with only 12 players on the field, as several members of the squad for Saturday's Heineken Cup game in Calvisano were pulled off, to avoid possible injuries.

Skippering the Cambridge side, from number 10, was Jonny Ufton. The former Wasps favourite missed a first-minute penalty, after the visitors were penalised within ten seconds of the kickoff. His left boot then nearly set up a Cambridge try, a minute later.

He chipped over the defence, to the left-hand corner. The ball bounced awkwardly, to give David Akinluyi the chance to go over, but the centre knocked on as he tried to gather the ball over the line.

From the ensuing scrum, Wasps opened the scoring with a breathtaking try. Quick hands, followed by a long pass by Fraser Waters, sent Mike Roberts away down the left. Taking the ball 10 metres inside his own half, the wing handed off his opposite number, accelerated away and rounded the fullback to touch down near the posts. Edd Thrower added the two points.

Wasps came close to a second try, after another adventurous move from deep within their own territory. Matt Priscott's long run took him into the Cambridge 22, where he found John Paul Filler in support. The Henley flanker seemed certain to score, but the despairing hands of a Cambridge tackler just managed to hang on to his shorts, before he was penalised, in one of many baffling decisions.

After Thrower missed a long-range penalty, another Wasps move from deep looked likely to give Roberts a chance to go clear, but, this time, the long pass from Waters went behind the winger and rolled into touch.

Then it was Cambridge's turn to show something in attack. It took a clattering tackle by Roberts, to stop a powerful burst by centre Ed Carter.

Cambridge were now coming into the game, with number 8 Ben Wheeler (son of former Leicester, England and Lions hooker Peter) prominent in everything they did. It was the blonde-haired back row man who had first use of the sin-bin, on 18 minutes. Wasps then came tantalisingly close to adding a second try, when Thrower was forced into touch at the corner, after gathering his own chip.

The game now went in to a very scrappy phase, which suited Cambridge, as Wasps were unable to take advantage of Wheeler's absence. It wasn't until the last minute of his enforced rest that the visitors added three points, when Thrower landed a drop-goal, after Fraser Waters had set up good second-phase possession.

In between penalties by Ufton and Thrower, Cambridge lock Adam Gilbert received the first of his 2 yellow cards, and left winger Akinola Abiola brought the crowd to its feet, when he fielded a kick just outside his 22, rounded Priscott and raced away down the touchline, before kicking ahead and narrowly losing the race for the touchdown.

In injury time, Ufton added a second penalty, to narrow the gap to 13-6 at the break.

The second half is one Wasps will want to forget. A fired-up Cambridge side took control right from the kickoff, and Wasps barely got out of their own half for the next 40 minutes.

The first Cambridge try came when flanker Nathan McGarry touched down, following a powerful shove by the Cambridge scrum. After the Wasps lock Charlie McGowan (from Bracknell) became the third player sent to the sin bin, Cambridge should have taken the lead, when they were awarded a simple penalty under the Wasps posts, but Wheeler took a quick tap, only to lose the ball as he went for the line.

It was a brief respite for Wasps, as the Light Blues finally took the lead two minutes later. Under pressure near the corner, Wasps tried to run their way out of danger, but a pass went astray, and Cambridge pounced on the loose ball to launch another forward drive, which saw prop James Cure go over. Ufton's conversion made it 18-13, and it was the flyhalf who then added the final points of the evening, with nearly 20 minutes still left to play.

Just inside the Wasps 22, he took a quick penalty, which caught the defence unprepared, and went over for a try which he couldn't convert.

As for the rest of the game - the less said the better. A series of substitutions, more handling errors and blasts of the whistle. The only incident of note came when McGarry charged down Sam Ulph's clearance kick to touch down for what would have been his second try, had the referee not penalised Cambridge for being offside at the lineout.

Gilbert then received his second yellow card, and, with it, an automatic red, before the game ended with Wasps trying to play catch up, from deep in their own half.

An altogether frustrating evening, spoilt (in the view of many) by referee Rowan Kitt's excessive use of the whistle. Full marks, though, to a lively Cambridge side, for whom Ben Wheeler had an outstanding match. Standing in for coach Shaun Edwards (who was en route to Rome with the England squad, for an audience with the Pope), Craig Dowd said "He clearly has a great future."

Wasps resume Zurich A League action on November the 8th, when they visit Sunbury, to play London Irish. By then, tonight's game should be completely out of their system.