Fri 4 Nov 2022
Wallingford welcomed third place Gosford All Blacks to the
Hithercroft for a Friday Night Lights match on a cool November’s evening.
In selection, Wallingford were without captain James Norris and Sam Botting, plus the longer-term injured players, but were still able to put out arguably their strongest XV of the season, with the bench boosted by the welcome return of experienced south-westeners Chris Rowland and James Springer.
Straight from kick off, a fumbled receipt and subsequent infringement gave Charles Campbell an early penalty opportunity to the left of the posts which he slotted comfortably.
Gosford came straight back and punched some early holes in the sloppy Wallingford defence and were soon rewarded with a penalty of their own which their reliable kicker converted.
As the game progressed, Wallingford’s defence sorted itself out, limiting Gosford to a kicking game. But with two of their backs possessing howitzer boots, they were able to pin Wallingford back in their half time and time again as good kick chase pressured the Wallingford back three.
This tactic worked well for the visitors, and with Wallingford’s discipline slipping, they were able to earn and convert two further penalties to take the lead.
Wallingford still had chances of their own, with the pack absolutely dominant at scrum time, but all too often they spurned gilt-edged chances as they approached the line.
Just as it looked like Gosford would go into half time with the lead, a moment of class from Campbell and then Ollie Newell brought the hosts back into the game.
Fielding a kick just inside the Gosford half, Campbell kicked wide to Ollie Newell who fielded the ball brilliantly before stepping inside three Gosford defenders to score an excellent try. Campbell converting.
Half time: Wallingford 10 – 9 Gosford All Blacks
The second half continued in a similar vein to the first, with Wallingford dominating set-piece and earning several scrum penalties, whilst Gosford resisted the Wallingford pack in the tight and cleared their lines when given the opportunity.
But with Wallingford again struggling to convert their opportunities, Gosford were always in the game. With the referee’s whistle becoming increasingly prominent, including a sin-binning for Jamie Wood for not retreating ten yards from a tap penalty, the lead exchanged hands three more times as Campbell and the Gosford kicker exchanged penalty kicks.
Approaching the last 10 minutes with Gosford holding a narrow 15-13 lead, the game really burst into life. From a Gosford line-out on halfway, a loose ball off the top saw the Gosford 9 drop on the ball as Lawson Dallimore came through, resulting in an accidental and light contact with the head. After downgrading the offense from a red (!) to a yellow, the referee also took the opportunity to yellow card Joe Mason for repeated infringements at the breakdown, as Wallingford went down to 13 men.
Far from condemning Wallingford to defeat, this seemed to rally both Wallingford and the excellent crowd on the side line, as Wallingford really stepped up a gear. With Wallingford stealing nearly every Gosford line-out by this stage, and the 6-man scrum still marching their counterparts back and winning scrum penalties, Wallingford dominated the final 10 minutes, culminating in a penalty with 4 minutes to go. With the kick 30m out to the left of the posts, Campbell completed his perfect kicking performances with a calmly struck penalty to send the crowd into raptures.
With just a few minutes to play, and Dallimore and Mason returning to the pitch, Gosford still had a chance, and worked their way up the pitch to set up a grandstand finish. But with the final play, their maverick 10 opted for drop goal glory from 40m which drifted short and wide, allowing Campbell to fittingly kick the ball out and end the game.
This was a hard-fought game of rugby against a vastly improved Gosford outfit. Wallingford took a while to adapt to Gosford’s kicking game, and were still guilty of not converting their chances, but the set piece dominance, which really should have resulted in at least one yellow card, and the much-improved defence from the previous week were big positives.
The tense finish in front of the best crowd we’ve seen down the club for a long time was great to see, and the atmosphere in the bar afterwards with both sets of players and fans was a good reminder of how level 7 rugby should be done.
Match photos
https://wallingfordrfc.rfu.club/gallery/1s-vs-gosford-4th-november-2022
