Rotherham Titans vs Ealing Trailfinders

Match Report

Ealing Trailfinders stay in the Greene King IPA Championship play-off places after running in six tries in their maiden victory at Rotherham Titans’ Clifton Lane home.

Kieran Murphy grabbed a brace of tries, Luke Carter scored one on his return to South Yorkshire and there were further scores from Will Harries, Rayn Smid and Sam Rodman.

Rory Clegg made his club debut after his deadline day move and he finished with a 100 percent record with his boot of six conversions and three penalties.

Ben Ward’s team were helped after Rotherham Titans second row Miles Normandale was sent off for catching Carter’s head with a boot after 16 minutes. It meant there was plenty of room for Clegg to set his runners free; either the outside backs into space, or powerful drives from the forward pack.

Clegg had scored his first penalty by the time Normandale received his marching orders and soon after he converted Murphy’s first try after the back-row had been driven over from the back of a lineout.

The flanker then added his second when he peeled round the back of a lineout to leave him with a straight-forward run over the line.

After the pack continued to exert more pressure on the line Carter scooted around the side of a ruck to leave a four-try bonus point on the cards just before the half-hour mark. It duly came shortly before half-time when Murphy turned creator with a clever chip over the defence that Harries swooped on.

Clegg kicked his third penalty to bring the half to a close, but when they returned it was the 14 men of Rotherham Titans who started in the ascendancy.

Prop Jo Rees was driven over for their first points and while Ealing Trailfinders responded with Smid’s first try for the club, wing Tom Collins received the biggest cheer of the day when he intercepted a loose pass and raced home from his half.

Ealing Trailfinders enjoyed the final word as the pack again took command of proceedings and with the clock running down prop Rodman scored Ealing Trailfinders’ sixth in a similar way to their first by being driven over following a lineout win from Willie Ryan.

Scorers
Rotherham Titans
Tries (Rees 47, Collins 60), Conversions (Ryan 60)
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (Murphy 15, 23, Carter 29, Harries 37, Smid 55, Rodman 71), Conversions (Clegg 15, 23, 29, 37, 55, 71), Penalties (5, 19, 40)

Rotherham Titans
Will Thomas, Ben Foley, Callum Wilson, Will Owen, Tom Collins, Charlie Foley, Connor Murphy; Tom Williams, Luke Cole, Joe Rees, Miles Normandale, Oli Curry, Tom Calladine, Charlie Maddison, Lewis Ludlam
Reserves
Joe Graham, Toby Williams, Danny Herriot, Darren Oliver, Tom MacDonald, Matt Walsh, Caolan Ryan

Ealing Trailfinders
Will Harries, Miles Mantella, Aled Jenkins, Joe Munro, James Cordy-Redden, Rory Clegg, Luke Carter; Will Davis, Alun Walker, Lewis Thiede, Llewelyn Jones, Barney Maddison, Kieran Murphy, Rayn Smid, Mark Bright (captain)
Reserves
Rhys Lawrence, James Gibbons, Sam Rodman, Harry Casson, Willie Ryan, Josh Davies, Curtis Wilson

Referee – Ian Tempest
Attendance – 773