By Slick
October 11 2005

Feeling as depressed as everyone else after the comprehensive defeat to Glaws, I ventured to Clifton more in hope than expectation A side containing a number of inexperienced players and Academy youngsters against the rugby aristocracy of the Euro champions second string. But what I saw was a committed and greatly encouraging display and ultimately what the club needed, a morale boosting victory.

Wasps hit us with pace and power from the off and though we wobbled a little and conceded a soft try after their 10 ran through a gap the size of the nearby Severn Estuary, we regrouped and took them on. Up front we looked to have a real squeeze on them, RMR claiming a good number of steals and the Pennycook brothers ever present at the breakdown. While it was never likely to be a game of retained possession over more than around 5 phases, huge credit should be given to just about every member of the team for the tenacity of their defensive tackling and to use the parlance “fronting up big time”

Tommy Hayes left us all too early, planned or otherwise, but every cloud……..Rory Teague had a stormer tonight. I’d been led to believe it was Tommy who had a Howitzer right foot, but both Rory and the impressive Matt Williams at full back put in some monstrous touch finds, even when under enormous pressure from the Wasps rush defence. And his linking play with Denney and Cox and later Pritch directly led to both of Lee Robinson’s first half scores. The first was a fine finish from the big winger from 30 yards out (where have we heard that before?!), it seems to me that give him space and half a sniff of the line and his confidence levels rise. The second owed a huge amount to quick recycling after the ball was held up 5 yards short. On the other wing, Jake Babb(er) is a monster who looks the size of a prop with the pace of a wing. Give him space and he resembles Jonah Lomu, trampling over and through anything in his path. He also contributed a second half score after superb quick hands from Teague, Cox & Pritch.

So half time brought an air of expectancy and a renewed faith in the team. Danny Howick and Alan Hiett increased the Academy representation to the pack at the break and though we failed to compete quite as well in the set pieces, especially after the late replacement of Olly Kohn by Dave Attwood (that’s got to be a couple of stone on its own) their never-die commitment to the last held off a umber of very promising Wasps field positions.

And once again, Greg Nicholls impressed. He bosses the game in a way I hadn’t noticed in the past, cajoling his forwards and his speed of thought and pass and his quick breaks were key to Bristol’s success.

The victory was a much-needed boost for the club and I felt the 29-22 scoreline didn’t quite do justice to our control of the game. If these players are the future of the club, the men who will toy with our nerves in years to come, then we’re in pretty good hands.