The team has been changed around quite a lot this week. We have put out a serious pack and there is some real pace in the three-quarters, with Hanley and Foden on the wings and Bell and Mayor in the centres. Titterell and Large Lobbe are returning from injury and make the bench.

Honours are pretty even in the first few minutes, with Calvisano getting in our faces and kicking a first minute penalty to the corner. We then push back and win a couple of penalties for offences at the breakdown, putting us 6-0 ahead after 15 minutes. The initial fire seems to have gone and Calvisano are flagging a bit now, so we turn the screw, winning a penalty at the restart, kicking to touch on the left and rolling the maul 30 metres for Dean Schofield to score at the end of the first quarter.

This first try gives us confidence and we start to run the ball more. Steve Hanley is fed and cuts inside off his wing, sucking in the defenders. The ball is recycled quickly and worked out to the right where Ben Foden crosses. We keep the pressure on and Calvisano start to make mistakes. They concede a penalty from the restart, Charlie puts it in touch on the Calvisano 22. Calvisano win bad ball, the scrum half flicks an unexpected pass out and they knock on. We have a scrum dead centre and 20 metres out. We work the ball left and are prevented from scoring only by a deliberate knock-on, which sees the defender sin-binned. We take the scrum, send the ball right and Ben Foden burrows over in the corner. The conversion, from out wide, comes off the post, Charlie’s only failure of the evening. We are 25-0 up after 35 minutes.

Calvisano have had enough of being cannon fodder now. They up their game, kick a penalty for the corner, run the ball wide and de Marigny crosses. We attack again, Chabal makes a break but we concede a penalty and the half time score is 25-8.

Nacho replaces Dean Schofield at the beginning of the second half and we go looking for the fourth try. Calvisano break out with a long kick and we get lucky, with Larrachea’s clearance charged down but deflected into touch. For the next 15 minutes, honours are pretty even with Calvisano kicking another penalty and us imposing pressure but not scoring. Finally, we break the deadlock, rolling a maul from half way, setting Steve Hanley loose down the wing and recycling the ball to Ben Foden for his hat trick of tries. Just to make Italian evenings complete, we bring on Jason Robinson for Larrachea. He quickly makes an impact and almost breaks through the tiring defenders, but there is another long period without scoring. We substitute Chris Jones for Chris Day and finally one monster for another- Eifion Lewis Roberts for Sherri. We steal a Calvisano line-out, Steve Hanley breaks, we move the ball right and Lobbe drives over. It’s 39-11 with 10 minutes to go, the Italians know they are well beaten and the floodgates open now.

First, from deep in the Sale half, Charlie feeds Jason. He breaks to near half way and passes to Chris Bell, who outruns the Calvisano defence. Ben Foden is just caught by the last defender but we win a penalty, move the ball right and Chabal breaks through to cross. We swap Mark Taylor for Wiggy and Ben Foden moves to scrum half. He slips a beautiful short pass to Jason who slides through the defence and touches down. Finally, from a tap penalty, Lobbe drives forward, sucks in the defence and the ball reaches Chris Mayor, who goes on a long arcing run down the left to score. 67-11 at full time.

So what does this tell us? We did what we needed to do to keep our Heineken Cup hopes alive, but Wasps next week will be whole lot tougher than this brave but outgunned Calvisano side. No-one could deny Ben Foden man of the match, it was nice to see Steve Hanley looking aggressive and dangerous and Chabal seemed more like his old self too.

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