Will Wand applies magic touch as Cambridge defeat leaders Rosslyn Park
Cambridge provided festive cheer at Volac Park by getting the better of leaders Rosslyn Park in a 34-29 win in National League One.
In a well-rounded display, the hosts had a hard edge to take the south west London side on up front, and then finesse and flair to match them in the loose.
This was as close to an 80-performance as you are likely to get, and it is why they got the better of Park, rather than just beating them.
What particularly stood out in the first half was Cambridge’s first contact in defence. Park were offered no easy outs and were made to work very hard for any yards gained.
Nearly every tackle was being held, and then the support was quick to arrive to stop any quick ball and make sure the visitors had to grind through the phases to make any sort of territory.
So much has already been spoken of Cambridge’s weapon at the line-out, but with Park clearly having done their homework to try to thwart that threat, it was in the wide open spaces that the hosts ran free.
Will Wand was one of those to be able to make the most of this.
Starting in his favoured position of outside centre, he was named the man of the match having touched down Cambridge’s second score of the afternoon by running through on a great diagonal line and then finished off Joey Green’s superb break to get his second try of the game.
That was in a 20-minute spell after the break when space seemed to be at far less of a premium, however, once Cambridge had established a 27-24 lead, they shut up shop as much as was possible to do so.
It is often said that you need a bit of a rub of the green to get the big results, but Cambridge did not have that - nor, it must be said, did it go against them - they just worked hard for their rewards.
This even comes down to the calls on replacements, with the fresh legs arriving at just the right times to provide a vital boost.
You do just wonder, though, if the way things started fell into Cambridge’s hands a little bit.
In the third minute, Brandon Jackson was clean through on an overlap when he managed to drop the ball over the line when all he needed to do was touch it down.
Two minutes later, off the back of a line-out, the winger made amends by bursting through to score, and Craig Holland’s conversion made it 7-0.
Whether this lulled Rosslyn Park into a false sense of security, who knows, but they were to then spend a long spell struggling to get back onto the front foot because of that Cambridge defence.
It was being applied high up the pitch, and so it was perhaps no surprise that it reaped rewards in the 19th minute.
After a succession of drives from the line-out were stopped just short of the line, Marc Koteczky attempted something a little different and chipped over the defence. Matt Hema was alert to the idea, and collected the ball to touch down, and Koteczky converted.
Cambridge then had the lead after 25 minutes as good, quick ball off the base of an attacking scrum on the 22 reached Wand to race away on the diagonal to score.
Rosslyn Park responded in the way the best sides do, by ending the half on the front foot to take the lead.
Despite some good defence after a catch and drive, the visitors kept hitting the line and, eventually, Hugo Ellis crossed, and Holland converted to make it 14-12 at half time.
In the first minute after the break, a brilliant chase from a long kick saw Kieran Frost hauled down by Austin Hay without the ball, and it earned the Park man a yellow card and Cambridge a penalty, which Koteczky kicked to make it 15-14.
They may have been a man light, but Park replied immediately and, after going through the phases, reversed direction to go left and Jackson dotted down in the corner.
It was a hectic spell, and Cambridge went back in front two minutes later.
A superb counter-attack saw Green break away from halfway and after a step and a turn, got to the last man and had Wand off his shoulder to the left to pass to, and the centre went clear to score. Koteczky’s conversion made it 22-19.
There was a lull in the point scoring until the 58th minute, when some good, progressive play by Park saw them move across the pitch and Howard went wide for Nicholas Scott to touch down to make it 24-22 to the visitors.
The lead only lasted three minutes before Cambridge went back in front, and it is a try that all supporters tend to love, if it goes in their favour.
Winger Joey Patrick intercepted a pass on halfway and pinned his ears back to race away to score to make it 27-24.
Cambridge then dug deep defensively to deny Rosslyn Park any sort of space or quality possession, while also still posing a threat themselves.
The attacking prowess told in the 83rd minute when they were awarded a penalty try from a catch and drive at a line-out, although it must be said that it is unusual for the seven points to be given at the first offence.
There was still time for more points, and for Rosslyn Park to get a losing bonus point, as a catch and drive was finished off by Nicholas Lovell but that brought about an end to proceedings.
It was a deserved win for Cambridge, and the perfect way to sign off what has been a truncated calendar year at Volac Park.
Cambridge: Green; Patrick, Wand, Hema, Henderson; Koteczky, Duffin; Morley, Brownlie, Walker, Frost, Baxter, Bretag-Norris, Dawson, Adams.
Replacements: Veenedaal (Duffin, 47), Alexis (Walker, 58), Maka (Adams, 61), McCloud (Dawson, 61).
Rosslyn Park: Howard; Marfo, Scott, Cokanasiga, Jackson; Holland, Baldwin; Dawe, Piper, Hay, Flashman, Gillanders, Laventure, A Ellis, H Ellis.
Replacements: Gillanders (Spencer, 41), Lovell (Hay, 52), Garvey (Dawe, 53), Leonard (Howard, 58), Gash (Cokanasiga, 77).
Scorers: 5min Jackson try - Holland con (0-7), 19 Hema try - Koteczky con (7-7), 24 Wand try (12-7), 40+5 H Ellis try - Holland con (12-14), 42 Koteczky pen (15-14), 47 Jackson try (15-19), 49 Wand try - Koteczky con (22-19), 57 Scott try (22-24), 61 Patrick try (27-24), 80+3 penalty try (34-24), 80+7 Lovell try (34-29).
Sin bin: Rosslyn Park - Hay (foul play, 41), Baldwin (foul play, 73), A Ellis (foul play, 80).
Referee: Daniel Rowlands.
