Rugby: Wolves score seven tries to defeat young Warrington side

Saturday 19th. October 2019

North 1 West

Wilmslow 47 – 22 Warrington

Another hugely entertaining and remarkably clean game saw the Wilmslow Wolves score seven tries as they eventually pulled away from a game young Warrington side, also sporting a Wolves logo of their own. The visitors played a full part all afternoon, running in three mesmerising tries. When they scored their second try just after the break to claw back to within four points of Wilmslow, the outcome looked anything but certain. Robert Taylor's side though steadied and in the last thirty minutes scored four tries for what was ultimately a comfortable win but still not as emphatic as the final score line would suggest.

For the Wolves, there was the unusual sight of the returning Bob MacCallum starting on the bench, Andy Rimmer was at scrum half in place of the absent Sean Street and there was a Wolves debut for front row Ollie Stockwin. Wilmslow coach Chris Jones must have been delighted with the way his team took their chances. There were four tries for left winger Jamie Kingdon, one for Sam Cutts on the right wing, one for Mark Jennings, playing at full back and one for prop Jordan Ayrey touching down when the ball was recycled on the Warrington line.

There was also a big reduction in the number of penalties conceded at the breakdowns with the consequence that the Wolves spent less time defending deep in their own half than in some recent games. Once again, they managed to combine some sublime play with the inept, particularly at the restarts where the Warrington forwards plundered the ball on at least four occasions. It's annoying enough to have them pluck the ball out of your grasp even once but to allow it to happen three times more, well what can you say! At times, their passing and ball retention was also laboured, which opened up opportunities for the Warrington side.

Warrington had arrived with just one losing bonus point from their six games. For them it's a time to rebuild both on and off the pitch. Many of their older and more established players have departed and their places have gone to a whole raft of youngsters, coming through from what has been a very strong junior and colts section. On this evidence, there's plenty of emerging talent in this group, amongst them some highly elusive runners who had their counterparts clutching at shadows as they ghosted through Wilmslow's defensive lines.

Thus far this season, the Wolves defence has been near immaculate but on this occasion they were badly caught out by Warrington's fleet footed young backs, Jack Stride, Max Caldwell, Jack Morgan and teenager Roma Zheng, all of whom shredded the defence from their own half of the field more than once. It may well be that they will struggle to survive in this league this season but their young players clearly have the potential to develop and if they do end up going down, then they will almost certainly soon bounce up again.

To add to their current difficulties, it will also be unsettling for everyone involved in the Warrington club that they have had to suddenly leave their Walton Lea base of the last fifteen years or so, leaving them dependent on finding temporary grounds to play on in the Warrington area. Everyone in the rugby union family will hope that they can soon find a new permanent home.

The game opened with five minutes of virtually continuous play before Wilmslow forced a scrum on half way from which centre Jonny Kennedy eventually broke the Warrington line to offload to Mark Jennings, who strolled in for the Wolves' first try. Wilmslow soon had a further scrum from which their backs broke away for Jamie Kingdon, coming in from his wing to take an inside scoring pass. Jennings converted both tries and it was 14-0 for the Wolves. Flaky handling then let Warrington into the game. They then replied with an elusive break from their centre Jack Stride only to drop a certain scoring pass with the line at their mercy. On the twenty minute mark they were then awarded a scrum in their own half from which they showed just how dangerous they could be.

In truth, there didn't seem to be much on but elusive running from winger Max Caldwell through midfield ended with him scoring their first try under the posts. Wilmslow now went through a period during which they were regularly gifting possession away, Jennings was forced to make a foul tackle for which he got a Yellow Card and Warrington continued to threaten until on 35 minutes, the Wolves forced a scrum. Scrum half Rimmer was fortunate not to have been judged to knock on at the base of the scrum and a little dart as he recovered the ball opened up the way for Kingdon to out run the defence down the left touchline for his second try, converted in the absence of the sin binned Jennings, by No. 10 Ethan Harding. Moments later, they dropped the restart and soon infringed as Warrington countered for full back Darren Norman to claw back three points for 21-10 at half time.

Wilmslow's passing and handling then let them down again shortly after the game restarted and from the scrum, the Warrington back line completely bamboozled the Wilmslow defence with some incisive running and passing to put their right winger Jack Morgan in for a well crafted score.

That though was as good as it got for them, the Wolves became less profligate with the ball. MacCallum was brought into the back line and although he missed a penalty shot at goal normally well within his range, he had a hand in all four of the Wolves subsequent scores and converted three of them. Firstly he set up a catch and drive penalty lineout position and when Warrington lost their prop Green to a Yellow Card for pulling down a lineout illegally, the Wolves were able to make their extra man count with a drive from which after several attempts, Ayrey touched down.

Within five minutes, the Wolves were back under the Warringon posts where quick accurate passing put Kingdon, coming in off his wing again, in for the fifth try. Soon after, Wilmslow opted for a scrum in front of the Warrington posts and again simple passing saw Sam Cutts cross for try number six. There was a brief riposte from a mark by Warrington in their own half which they tapped and set their left winger Roma Zheng off for a long breath taking run down the touchline past several would be tacklers for a third try in the corner.

Despite then having the restart nicked from them for the third consecutive time, the Wolves soon regained possession as Warrington threw caution aside. From a scrum in the Warrington half, Danny Kennedy, now moved to No.8 in place of an injured Alex Taylor, made yet another of his powerful trade mark runs and when after several drives the ball was released along the backs, Kingdon, now full of confidence to back himself, outstretched the defence again for the last word.

The Wolves retained their two point advantage at the top of the league and next week take on Douglas (IOM) across there. The Manx men are going well, lying fourth in the league having taken some notable scalps. It will be no easy mission for the Wolves.

Match report by David Pike.

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