Sat 27 Nov 2021, 14:30
Wallingford travelled the short distance to Reading Abbey on Saturday looking build on the win against Bracknell last week. Injuries and unavailability meant they travelled with only 15, 13 of which were forwards, meaning the 12-15 comprised of Callum Timms, Tony Fixter, Jody Bain, Harvey Miller, and Tom Hill - all of whom are far more accustomed to playing in a single digit number on their backs.
Storm Arwen reduced the warmup to just 20 minutes and a forceful wind sliced across the pitch to add to the already low temperatures. Playing down the slight hill, Wallingford started brightly. It was clear they had the advantage in the pack and big runs from Gav Harmer and Will Fox set the tone for the game (stick it up the jumper). Abbey defended resolutely and Wallingford spurned a couple of early chances from catch and drive lineouts. However, with less than 10 minutes gone, Doug Haggart (playing flanker) got an ankle injury forcing him off. As agreed, although somewhat reluctantly, Abbey lent Wallingford a man (former WRFC player Mark Hathaway), and from the resulting scrum a couple of big carries saw either Fox or Harmer crash over; Rhys Arnold missing the conversion. Somewhat rattled by Wallingford's strong start, Abbey then decided not to even the numbers up, and hauled Hathaway back off, meaning Wallingford were to play most the game with 14 men.
Abbey continued to struggle to get out of their half, opting to run at any opportunity. While Wallingford were dominating up front, Abbey's backline was clearly made up of, well, backs (!) and their first exploration into the Wallingford half saw them come away with 7 points after their powerful centre boshed through a few tackles and ran in from 20 meters. Wallingford continued to dominate the half with Arnold and Kai Lewis both kicking really well for territory. However, against the run of play, it was Abbey who scored next, again through a powerful break in midfield.
The first 20 minutes of the second half were all Abbey. Playing down the hill, and with Wallingford losing some shape, they scored two further tries. Down to 13 men after Lewis had entered a ruck 'enthusiastically' Wallingford did very well to come back into the game and not concede again. They secured the rucks well and Abbey lost discipline (and finally a player to the bin) leading to a series of phases that led to either Fox or Harmer crashing over. Final score 24-10.
Although frustrating to lose, there were plenty of positives to take from the game. A number of players were playing out of position and held their own admirably against a strong Abbey side (who were boosted by a number of their 2s). They also played most of the game a player down. Although it's easy to 'blame' Abbey for this, the truth is we need more players making themselves available on Saturdays. It wouldn't have been an issue if we had travelled with subs. The pack did brilliantly. The FRU (young and old) gave a solid base at the scrums, Fox and Harmer ran destructively all day, and Andy Gillies and Pat McKenna worked tirelessly at the breakdown. Arnold and Lewis (at 9 and 10) started to show some real promise too. Tom Hill wore leggings. Next week it's High Wycombe at home.
