The second of today’s London Double Header was by no means going to be the lesser of the two matches. Perhaps it was more intriguing in the fact that the two teams are more evenly matched. London Irish were seen as the underdogs a few seasons ago, but after maintaining a steady victory count, they often neighbour Wasps mid table. However since moving to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, Wasps have been revitalised and refreshed, whether it be home or away. Their strength versus Irish’s skill was sure to be an interesting game under the Twickenham lights.
Wasps got off to a sure-fire start, quickly advancing into the home team’s 22 and being awarded a penalty for offside in the first four minutes. 0-3 was brushed aside by the Exiles who surged into Wasps territory with pacey runs and a skilful break by Tikoirotuma to force Alex Lewington within five metres of the line. A penalty given to the men in green saw fly-half Chris Noakes make it 3-3 as both teams found their feet in this environment.
Islander Ofisa Treviranus was penalised for being offside, but a missed kick by Ruaridh Jackson failed to take them into the lead. Elliot Daly looked dangerous with the ball as Wasps attacked down the wing, but a forgone opportunity was supplemented by Jackson earning three penalty points minutes later. Wasps continued to dominate through Daly and Nathan Hughes, but Irish’s defence held out and despite a strong break towards the line, Hughes fumbled and spilt the ball for a no try to be called. Desperate to make their position on-field count, the five metre scrum saw Wasps push too early and lose the ball. Irish were sturdy in a rolling maul to clear it out and gather themselves together. Half an hour gone and neither side looked to waver, each taking turn to ambitiously attack and defend with passion. A scrum awarded to the hosts saw Dai Young’s side falter and give Noakes a chance from the tee, but as it skimmed the posts they sat at a 3-6 deficit. James Haskell led his team into the Irish 22 and persistent efforts from the ruck finally gave Frank Halai space to stretch over for the first try of the game. Jackson missed the conversion, but it didn’t stay at 3-11 for long as a confident reply from Tom Coventry’s side allowed Lewington and Fowlie to run the ball far out for Williams to score his third try in as many games. The half time whistle blew with the score at 8-11, and both teams looked like they had plenty more to bring to this well-balanced game.
The opening minutes of the second half had Wasps with most of the possession and spending most of their time edging into the Exiles territory. Jackson failed to earn another three points when referee Wayne Barnes awarded Wasps a penalty, and a scrum minutes later was given to Irish for Cooper-Wooley not binding properly. A chance for the home side to level the score, Noakes’ kick drifted wide and the score remained the same.
Wasps seemed a little lacklustre as they approached the Exiles 22, but a fast pick up from Daly saw him go over for their second, followed nicely by a conversion by Jackson. A later penalty for Wasps took the score to 8-21 and Irish looked to become undone. The trailers soon replied, however, as Johnny Williams went over for his second try of the game after a perfect grubber kick downfield by Topsy Ojo. Conversion precise, the 15-21 score was welcomed by the 42,680 strong crowd as the game heated up the wintery conditions. More than half way through the final 40 minutes, fresh legs were applied in both sets of scrums as Irish hoped to close the gap even further. Wasps fought well to steer a maul from the ten metre line towards the whitewash and finally drive Young over to make it 15-26. A fantastic team effort from the visitor’s was rounded off with a great conversion. Not satisfied with this lead extension, though, Halai stormed over the line after a sensational run down the wing to rub salt in the Exiles’ wound. A successful conversion took it to 15-33, and made the match look more one-sided than it had been. Yes, London Irish ran out of steam in the final ten minutes, but for the most part they had challenged their rivals in every aspect of the game. The ball was kicked out for the final whistle to be blown, and Wasps had earned themselves a bonus-point, 15-33 win and Hughes with the deserved Man of the Match award. A momentous day at Twickenham that saw Irish fail to take the sting out of the Wasps.
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