Rugby: AUC Wolves 0-22 Cairo RFC

AUC Wolves (0)
Cairo RFC (22) Tries: TJ, Hisham, McKenzie, Smythe Conv: Gibson
On a floodlit pitch at the AUC, Cairo RFC started their season in style with a win against the AUC Wolves. The reigning champions of the Egyptian league went into the match as favourites against an AUC team that was comfortably beaten last week by Alexandria, but Cairo were made to work hard for their win as the Wolves showed some promising signs of improvement.
The match started at a frantic pace as the teams looked to establish territorial advantage, and in a scrappy first 5 minutes both sides threatened. The battle between the forwards developed into an enthralling contest as Cairo’s experience was pitted against the AUC’s physical strength. Cairo’s Richard Hile impressed with his darting runs frequently driving Cairo forward over the gain line, whilst the AUC’s Ahmed El Mallah drew big cheers from the home crowd for his big hits in defence. As Cairo settled into their rhythm, they began to make more use of their back line, who put together several nice phases of play and looked threatening throughout the match.
Cairo began to pile on the pressure, but a much-improved AUC defence proved difficult to break down, defending doggedly on their own try line. It took until midway through the first half for Cairo’s pressure to pay off, when worked the ball through the backs, making use of the overlap and feeding the ball to pacy winger TJ, who crossed the line for Cairo’s first points of the season.
The Wolves didn’t let their heads drop, however, and continued to battle hard in the scrum and line out, but they continued to struggle gaining ground and maintaining pressure on Cairo’s defence, their biggest threat coming from center Adham Salloum’s kicking and chasing, which the Cairo backs generally dealt with comfortably. On the stroke of half time, and with the AUC looking like they would make it to the break with a one-try deficit, Cairo again made use of some good distribution by fly-half Jake Smythe allowing fullback Ahmed Hisham to run in try number 2.
The second half was somewhat less entertaining, as both sides conceded penalty after penalty resulting in a very fragmented spectacle. Cairo had rung the changes at half time, showing their strength in depth, and replacement scrum-half Dave Sargent made a big impact with his industrious and astute play. The AUC forwards began to tire, their exhaustion particularly being evident in the line out and scrum, where they had been extremely competitive in the first half. Cairo forward Benjamin Sellé began to steal an increasing number of AUC line outs as Cairo again applied the pressure in their opponents’ 22. Sargent thought he had touched down for Cairo’s third, only to be ruled that the ball had been held up by the AUC’s hard working defence, before a forward drive on the opposite wing saw Cairo’s lead increased to 15 points. A fourth followed soon after as Smythe, now playing at center, worked his way through a gap in the Wolves defence to score. That try was converted by replacement fly-half Niall Gibson, to take the final score to 0-22.
The result leaves AUC adrift at the bottom of the league, with Cairo trailing Alexandria on points difference, setting up what will be a fascinating encounter when Alexandria come to Cairo when the league resumes on October 30, at the Olympic Stadium, Maadi.