Wasps 5 Haringey Rhinos 19

HARINGEY rose one place to seventh in London Division 3 North-West with a comfortable victory away at struggling Wasps at the weekend.

After last week’s disappointing home defeat to London Nigerians, Rhinos impressed with a performance full of dynamism, pace and power.

The first half started as it was to continue for the visitors, and their constant barrages into Wasps’ 22 was rewarded after 25 minutes when Tom Armer crashed onto a clever Gareth Jones pass and slipped a tackle to score from 15 metres.

Jones was also awarded the extras, even though the opposition touch judge refused to raise his flag, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead at the break.

The Rhinos continued their dominance after the restart as Wasps struggled to get anywhere near the opposition’s try-line.

But, despite their supremacy, the second score didn’t come until the hour-mark, when a number of phases near the right touchline created space infield and opened up the pitch.

Rob Wood was the beneficiary as he took advantage of a bunched defence and scored to the left of the posts, while Jones duly obliged with the conversion.

The Rhinos added their third try 10 minutes later, when a scrum near the left touchline saw Jade Murphy give the ball to Armer. The left-winger found Dom Gains in space, and he careered into the corner from the 22-yard line.

The try was made more straightforward for the Rhinos by the fact that Wasps’ right-winger had been sin-binned for abusing the referee.

Wasps eventually scraped a consolation try in the closing moments of the game, a forward trundling over to touch down near the corner in what was possibly the hosts’ first foray towards the Rhinos’ line.

Haringey Rhinos: Howson (Thompson), Yates (Montague), Chadwick, Handley, Hawkes, Jakens, Wood, Gains, Murphy, Love, Armer, Jones, Whitear, Huiskamp, McDevitt. Unused sub: Owusu.