Wombats Five From Five

The Avondale Wombats have continued on with their perfect start to the season with a comprehensive 41 – 8 victory over Bowral at Eridge Park. The Blacks matched it with a disrupted Wombats side for the first forty minutes to be within six of the lead at the break. With five unanswered tries to Avondale after the break the Wombats have laid down the gauntlet to all the other sides in the comp declaring them-selves the team to beat.

With Avondale coach Murray McDonald relegating two key first graders to seconds this week after they missed training, the Wombats started the match with several players in unaccustomed positions. Bowral took full advantage and had the better of the first twenty minutes of the match.

New Fly-half Donovan Du Randt opened the scoring with a try after fourteen minutes of absorbing football from both sides. Bowral worked a complex backline play deep in the Wombat half, which broke down but Du Randt cleaned up a loose pass to zip away from the Avondale defence and score with an angled run to the right corner, for a 5 – 0 lead.

Avondale took the lead after a try by winger William Tait-Taanoa which came from scrappy play on the halfway line. The wingman swooped onto a loose ball and scooted away. Forced to kick ahead when left without support he won the race to the ball regathering just short of the line to score. As the Avondale forwards were starting to show more go forward, with lock Tom Taiti-Taanoa showing the way, their second five pointer went to centre Nua Alone. Alone scored after regaining a pin-point Andre Itula kick from twenty out. Fullback Jacob Kara converted both tries for Wombats to lead 14 – 5 after thirty five minutes.