Sat 23 Mar 2019
By Matt Lewis
Wycombe came away wondering how they lost a game they should have had sewn up by half time. A combination of poor decision making, dropped passes and excellent Reading defence meant Wycombe had to settle for a bonus point for their afternoon’s work. Although with Slough drawing at Bicester that bonus point means Wycombe have secured at least 10th place in the league.
The first half took on a familiar theme as Wycombe enjoyed most of the territory but squandered several golden opportunities to score. The first of those chances came when some strong work over the ball by Osian Lewis gave Wycombe a penalty in front of the post on the twenty two, unfortunately the kick went wide. A great take above his head from the twenty-two by Tom Boardman put Wycombe on the attack and another penalty was tapped quickly by Joff Forber. With the defence backing off he got metres from the line but his pass to the supporting Craig Murray didn’t go to hand and Reading cleared. From an errant kick Wycombe had a lineout on the Reading ten metre line and a good offload from Greg Butters put the home team on the front foot. Some good hands from Matt Wardle and Jake Banton put James Shuck into space and he was hauled down just metres from the line. With space out wide Matt Wardle put in a cross field kick which was gathered by Greg Butters, unfortunately Lawrence Webster couldn’t take the final pass and another opportunity went begging. Another cross field kick by Matt Wardle set up Wycombe’s next attack. This was chased down by James Shuck who managed to keep the ball in play and flick it to Joff Forber and Wycombe were awarded another penalty when Craig Murray was tackled off the ball. The penalty was kicked to touch and although Wycombe set up camp on the Reading line a combination of excellent defence and poor execution meant the away team survived again. Wycombe’s next attack was stopped when another penalty was awarded against the away team. Wycombe looked to go quickly but this was cynically stopped by a Reading player, but the penalty was reversed when Wycombe reacted and some pushing and shoving ensued. Although Wycombe stole the lineout they were stripped in contact and Reading broke deep into the twenty-two. A knock on halted the attack and Wycombe had a scrum on their five metre line. A good scrum allowed Craig Murray to carry the ball up to the twenty-two, but his offload didn’t go to hand and Reading scooped up the ball and carried it up to close to the line, eventually using their forwards to score 0-5. Reading were reduced to 14 men for an illegal tackle and Wycombe finished the half as they started it on the attack. Two successive penalties were tapped by Wycombe and strong carries by Alex Corrigall and Craig Murray took play up to the Reading line but another offload that didn’t go to hand brought the half to a close.
Half Time 0-5
The second half was a much more even affair with Wycombe struggling to find the fluency of the first half. It was Wycombe on the attack first after a strong break Wycombe were once again camped on the Reading line but an injury for both sides forced the referee to stop the game and from the scrum Wycombe knocked on. The home team continued to press, and Matt Wardle spotted a gap in the defence and he carried the ball into the twenty two where he offloaded to Mike Fradgley. He looked like he would score under the posts, but a last ditch tackle hauled him down just short of the line and Reading again held out. It was Wycombe’s turn to be reduced to 14 men when a high tackle from James Shuck was yellow carded and Reading took advantage. After a sustained period of pressure Wycombe defended well and the away team knocked on close to the try line. Reading put huge pressure on the Wycombe scrum and Craig Murray was forced to pick up the ball with the scrum going backwards. He was immediately enveloped and tried to offload the ball. This offload didn’t go to hand and Reading dived on the ball to score 0-12. Wycombe eventually did score when some good hands in the backs put James Shuck in space, he carried close to the line and offloaded to Josh Hall who went over to score, with Matt making the kick 7-12. With minutes remaining Wycombe pressed for another try and in the dying seconds Jake Banton finally found space and made a good break but just didn’t have the angle to go around the last defender and Reading held out for the win.
Full Time 7-12
Congratulations to Reading who defended strongly for the whole game and took their opportunities when they arose. Wycombe will wonder how they lost a game in which they created so many chances.
