The Beijing Devils combined generally solid work up front with sublime running in the backs to record a 36-5 victory over the Aardvarks in the first game of the 2006 Beijing Cup series.
However it was not until midway through the second half that the balance of the match was in the Devils’ favour as they were forced to hold off the stern challenge of a reinvigorated Aardvarks side.
The Aardvarks showed their intent from the kick-off, as their new seven foot-tall signing caused a nuisance at the breakdown with his freakishly long arms wrapping up most of the Devils’ pack, but some well-organized recycling allowed the Devils to eventually clear their lines.
The deadlock was broken after about 10 minutes when some swift passing down the Devils back line found Kato storming up the right wing. The Fijian flyer still had a lot of work to do, but his neat chip ahead saw him regather the ball and plough over the last line of Aardvark’s defence to score in the corner.
The Devils stretched their lead shortly after, with some quick thinking from man-of-the-match James Wainwright.
The nuggety blonde youngster from Guildford, everpresent around the park all game, took a quick tap penalty on the Aardvarks 22 metre line, offloaded to the Devils’ dashing openside, the Thrill, who drew the Aardvarks defence before sending a pinpoint pass out to Hutch on the left wing.
The bright young prospect from Australia did well to evade some last ditch defending by the Aardvarks, scoring in the corner to give Webby the opportunity to slot over an impressive conversion from sidelines. Not bad for the ageing scrum half who was once again off the field nursing an injury at half time.
From the restart, Devil’s captain Colin offloaded to the Thrill who squandered a good attacking opportunity by hoofing the ball directly into the welcoming hands of the Aardvarks fullback. The talismanic Welsh flanker’s only excuse was that he was temporarily taken aback after seeing his skipper take a clean catch for once, and that the shock of such an unfamiliar scenario forced him to make a rare error…
The Aardvarks used the opportunity to counter-attack, forcing a penalty in the Devils 22. From the resulting lineout the men in blue created a firm platform and drove the ball over the tryline for their first and only score of the game.
A half time scoreline of 12-5 was a fair reflection of the match to that point, with both sides showing some impressive touches in a generally clean encounter, apart from some particularly carnivorous Aardvarks who resorted to biting in rucks, the effect of which is still painfully evident as I type this.
A few changes were made at half time, and the Devils scrum looked solid with the arrival of some fresh legs. Never before have Tini’s legs been described that way.
The Devil’s started to click soon after, with some bullocking runs by the likes of burly Kiwi, Willie Paki, playing in an unfamiliarly glamorous position in the second row, but relishing the chance to do his own demonstration of a human wrecking ball.
Also in the backs, the big American centre Ed Flanagan was carving holes up the middle providing space for the likes of Mik the fearsome Finn to penetrate the gaps, while defensively the likes of Sam “the Hoff” Walsh – inspired by the presence of his mummy in the stands – were tirelessly making tackles when they mattered most.
But it was by no means one-way traffic as the Aardvarks proved far more organized than last season, snuffing out many of the Devils’ attacks and posing questions with some impressive runs by their big men.
The Devils eventually managed to extend their lead thanks again to the quick thinking of James “black eye” Wainwright who was on hand to receive a pass from a quick tap penalty and prance like a ballerina over the tryline to score under the posts.
Despite being in front of the posts, and with legs still relatively fresh, big Tini skewed the conversion attempt wide - a near-impossible feat which he managed to repeat minutes later after Colin, the Devils’ curiously groomed captain, squeezed his way through the defense with almost as much determination as he shows when trying to get served at an overcrowded bar.
At 22-5, the Devils were sitting pretty, but not looking it, and were able to put some good passages of play together, which culminated in another score, when replacement hooker Simon “Ankle Breaker” Gillson lolloped over the tryline after more good work from James and Colin.
Not to be distracted by Tini’s catcalls, the Thrill stepped up and slotted over the conversion.
With the shackles now truly off, the Devils were able to play an expansive game, with the likes of Chinese pop starlet Wason Liu forging some strong runs into the heart of the Aardvarks, much to the delight of the high-spirited Devils’ supporters in the ISB stands.
The final try was the best of the game.
A move that started in the Devils own 22 saw the ball passing through six pairs of hands in the backline, until replacement scrumhalf Johnny burst through and made an angled run for the left corner, where he was scragged seven metres out. Some great support work from Devils veteran Wason allowed the newcomer Johnny to offload and then take the return pass to tumble over the line.
The try scorer’s conversion took the score to 36-5 and rounded off a great first victory for the Devils in the 2006 Cup series.