Wimbledon Win To Stay Top After Slow Start
Rugby Result: Sidcup 7-34 Wimbledon
Wimbledon's impressive start to the season continues. Picture: Sidcup Rugby/Twitter
Given Wimbledon’s dominance in the set scrum, their wealth of possession and the scoring opportunities they created it was hard to see how they failed to score until the half-hour. Admittedly Sidcup had an irritating habit of winning Wimbledon’s lineout ball as well as their own, and credit must go to their scrum half Munton and no.8 West for getting good ball away from a rapidly retreating scrum. But often Dons were their own worst enemies when the final pass of a good attack would go astray. (They also complained, with some justification, that a deliberate knock-on after a good break by scrum half Aaron Booth deserved a penalty try rather than just a yellow card.)
But at last, on the half-hour, wing Ollie Kitto found the tiny bit of space he needed to evade his opposite number, outpace the defence and run in round behind the posts to score, fullback Freddie Hooper adding the extras.
On the stroke of half-time wing Archie Brosch broke through Sidcup’s defence and the knock-on of his pass to Ted Bunn in acres of space should perhaps of earned another penalty try, instead of the three points from Hooper’s conversion of the penalty.
In the second half, despite the loss through injury of lock Tom Edwards, Dons’ pack continued to assert their authority but it was still 15 minutes before they won two good line-outs in a row, the second leading to a drive over the line, touched down by hooker Bradley Ugodulunwa, to make it 0-15. Sidcup then came straight back with a well-worked try from West exploiting a gap in Dons’ defence to run in beneath posts, no.10 Smith’s conversion reducing the difference to 7-15.
Entering the third quarter normal Wimbledon service was resumed. Replacement scrum-half Owen Davies jinked past three Sidcup players before off-loading from the tackle to the supporting Kitto who strolled in for his second try, converted by Hooper. The fullback then made a nice break from the re-start, passed to no.8 Kain Rix who gave a clever overhead pass gratefully accepted by Brosch who sprinted in to score in the corner, and it was 7-27.
The final score was created by Davies, drawing the defence after taking a quick tap penalty before giving it Rix to get the score under the sticks making the scrum-half’s conversion a formality.
Wimbledon continue at the top of the league and will hope to retain their position at home next week against Brighton.
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October 25, 2021