Nottingham vs Ealing Trailfinders

Match Report

Ealing Trailfinders left The Bay as 38-26 victors after a scrappy encounter on a cold and wet Friday in Nottingham.

A brace from Richard Hardwick, along with tries from Mike Willemse, Will Goodrick-Clarke and Max Bodilly, capped off Trailfinders’ fourth win in as many games, continuing their perfect start to the Championship.

They remain at the top of the table and look ahead to next week when they host fellow title contenders Coventry at TFSC.

It was a cagey opening. The slick Midlands pitch dictated that both sides would kick first rather than put the ball through the hands.

The fans who braved the low November temperatures had to wait until the 18th minute for the first points to be scored.

David Williams crossed untouched in the corner after an intricate set play, giving the archers a seven-point lead.

The points deficit would wake up Trailfinders, who had looked sluggish until this point. Willemse crashed over at the back of a maul to level the scores after Craig Willis’ conversion.

Trailfinders quickly scored again in the tight five; this time, Goodrick-Clarke crashed over from close range.

From there, the travelling outfit looked to flex their muscles. Josh Taylor thunderously crashed the ball up in midfield and repeatedly broke the gain line. That go-forward led to Hardwick’s first try of the game, leaving the score 21-7 heading into halftime.

However, that would not be all for the first period, as Williams scored his second straight from the resulting kickoff, leaving the score 21-14 at the break.

The second half started with Hardwick’s second score of the game. Picking and going, he continued the theme of simple but effective tries for Trailfinders.

In contrast, The Archers would prefer to cross the line more flamboyantly. Jonah Holmes was binned for an intentional knock-on, leaving the away side short in the backfield. A clinical chip and chase from a scrum on the halfway line sent Williams under the sticks untouched for his hat-trick.

Yet another pick-and-go from Trailfinders kept Nottingham at arm’s length, and a Willis penalty kick seemed to cap off a fine performance.

Nottingham were not done yet though; Williams finished a classy move by collecting a crosskick, scoring his fourth try of the day.