Wadham seal promotion.
Rugby Fourth Division
University....................14
Wadham......................20
A windy, frigid afternoon at the university sports ground provided the backdrop for a fourth division defensive struggle between league leaders Wadham and lowly University sitting second bottom of the bunch. Wadham’s brutal physical approach and stinging defensive play set the tone as the visitors claimed a fourth consecutive victory and promotion from the bottom league of Oxford college rugby.
It comes as sweet revenge for the apparently unjustified criticism Wadham has received for its rugby club over recent seasons. With performances so much improved, the college will look to build their burgeoning reputation at the next level. The influential Wadham scrum-half Jonny Letham opened the scoring with just seven minutes on the clock, breaking away from a pack of defenders on his own 22 and speeding past the Univ full-back unscathed for his try.
With stellar play by Wadham and a sluggish start by the home side, it appeared that the blue and white would run away with the match from the offset. It fell to University back Trevor Thompson to thwart this early forecast as he thundered downfield, bowling over several Wadham defenders as he crossed over the try line. Univ Captain Tom Muir completed the conversion to bring the score to 10-7 in Wadham’s favour nearly twenty minutes in.
University picked up their play spurred on by Thompson’s try, taking momentum until the end of the first half. The Univ man of the match also registered several bone-jarring tackles near the sideline, invoking excited cheers from his teammates and the sparse Univ crowd. A scrum just outside the Wadham try-line resulted in some clean possession and another clinical try for the emphatic Thompson, and a further Muir conversion put University up 14-10 with just minutes to go before the whistle.
The Univ smiles didn’t last long, however, as the Fourth Division leaders regrouped at the interval and placed immediate pressure on the Univ defence. Just seconds into the half, Wadham set up camp just outside the Univ try-line. Letham took the feed off of a precisely executed line-out, and was held back from his own addition to the scoreline only by a series of breathless last-gasp tackles.
Wadham simply would not be denied however, with Letham feeding the lethal Toby Kendall who ran past some embarassingly flat-footed Univ defence for the try. Moments later, Wadham back Michael Tam found a seam and capitalised for yet another score propelling Wadham to a 20-14 lead just ten minutes after the restart. After the match, the destitute captain Muir pointed to these first minutes of the half as the spark that ignited Univ’s downfall, despite an otherwise solid defensive effort.
After the try, fierce tackling and sloppy offensive play coupled to produce very few opportunities as the game became a tighter, less exciting affair. Wadham’s advantage was never seriously threatened, and they extended their Division winning streak as University fell a third loss this year. Wadham captain Matt Sumner was not thrilled with his squad’s efforts, saying that they would take the victory, but that his side had not put their best play on the field.
Sumner credited quality defence as they key to the match. With Wadham sealing their prized landmark promotion to the Third Division, the captain said he was looking forward to the remaining fixture, a winnable contest against second placed Jesus College.
10th Nov 2005