Colchester visited high-flying Wimbledon with an unchanged team buoyed up by their recent home victory but were comprehensively defeated by ten tries to one in a one-sided contest that saw them concede three tries in the first ten minutes and were thereafter chasing the game.

Wimbledon used their superior weight and speed to outclass a lacklustre Colchester side who, under this sustained pressure, made too many basic errors to ever look like putting up a serious challenge against the home side.

Wimbledon got off to a dream start when their right wing intercepted Colchester’s backs first move to race in for a try with barely a minute on the clock. This score was quickly followed by two more by their No 8 and their fly half who converted both.
Stunned into action the visitors pressed towards the host’s line with the boot of fly half David Higgins gaining them a lineout five metres out. Hooker Tom Jepson linked well with jumper Liam Pickett and the ball was moved along the backs for Brett Cutbush to score by the posts with Higgins converting.

If the visiting supporters thought that this score heralded a revival they were to be deeply disappointed as Wimbledon raised their game another notch and scored three more tries before the interval bringing the half time score to 40-7.
From the bench Charlie Thorogood replaced hooker Jepson and scrum half Cutbush swapped places with fullback Joel Stewart which improved things for the start of the second half but, before long, the hosts won a lineout close to the Black’s line, executed a well-rehearsed catch and drive move to score again.

Colchester were matching Wimbledon in the scrums but were having a torrid time in the lineouts. On came lock Elliott Castle and centre Jona Crisp to take the place of Ollie White and Matt Barnes and this change seemed to stem the tide for the next 15 minutes. Colchester’s back row of Danny Whiteman, Ethan Hughes and Ollie Pickett were having to work very hard to stop the advancing Wimbledon players, the latter unluckily picking up a leg injury to be replaced by White.

Half an hour into the second half with play stretching across the pitch from right to left, the host’s left wing finished off a slick passing move to score in the corner. Wimbledon’s fly half missed the conversion and two minutes later missed converting another try, this time scored by the right wing.

However, with time running out and the score at 55-7, Colchester were understandably getting frustrated with wing James Crozier receiving a yellow card for comments to the referee and hooker Thorogood getting one for a retaliatory punch.
The fight seemed to go out of the visitors in the final minutes of the game conceding yet another catch and drive score to end this disappointing performance and they all know that they have to raise their game and regroup before next Saturday’s home match against Guildford.

Steve Whiteman