Bristol Ladies vs Wasps Ladies

After coming off the back of a storming win in the previous round, the Wasps travelled to the West Country to take on a strong Bristol side. Bristol dominated the first half but the Wasps defence stayed strong to concede 1 try through all of Bristol’s pressure. The second half saw wasps step up another gear and score 3 unanswered tries to take the win back to London.

The first 10 minutes saw Wasps FC ladies take the majority of possession with came to no avail. Sammy Wong broke the defensive line deep in Wasps half with a darting run and with a player on either shoulder decided to go alone which resulted in the play fizzling out and Bristol turning it over.

Bristol then finally found a way through the Wasps defence by stretching the line with the Bristol player finding a gap and going over from close range. Wasps withstood everything that was thrown at them by the Bristol attack but couldn’t find another way past to further the lead. Some big hits from Rocky Clark and Danielle Waterman kept the fire within the wasps and the hunger to keep the opposition at bay. However, the first half was overshadowed by an injury to Justine Lucas which forced the coaching staff into a change.

Wise words from coaching staff saw a masked improvement in the Wasps attack in the second half. They came out with more determination and a hunger that would see them dominate the second half. Changes were made in the Wasps back line; captain Kate Alder and Gemma Rowland came in for Tova Derk and Vicki Jackson respectively. Kate’s energy and determination lifted the Wasps team and this was eventually rewarded with Gemma Rowland going over and levelling the scores.

Wasps continued to pile the pressure on the Bristol defence. Danielle Waterman thought she had scored against her former club however, officials deemed that she had knocked the ball on as she crossed the line. This lead to Bristol having a scrum on their 5 metre line which a big push from the Wasps pack turned the ball over with Miller-Mills collecting the ball from the back of the scrum and drove herself over the whitewash to give Wasps the lead for the first time in the game.

This lead however, did not make the Wasps team complacent as they went in search of another try. Constant pressure from the Wasps pack at the breakdown enabled them to retain the possession deep in Bristol territory. After constant pick and go’s from the forwards the ball was spread out wide to Abby Dow who touched down in the corner to further increase their lead and take Bristol outside of bonus point range. Louise Dodd then made a superb conversion from the right touchline which entailed wild celebrations after she had been battered and bloodied from previous encounters within the match.

This was a big win away from home for Wasps who made it back to back wins in the league for the first time this season and gives them a huge confidence boost for their next game at home to Firwood Waterloo.

Updated 21:49 – 29 Oct 2017 by Holly Foskett