Ealing Trailfinders secured a spot in the Premiership Rugby Cup quarter-finals with an excellent 15-35 victory over London Scottish.

Tries from Rob Farrar, Craig Hampson, George Davis and a brace from Francis Moore helped secure Trailfinders’ spot in the knockout rounds of the cup.

Trailfinders started on the backfoot with Scottish coming out the blocks the quicker of the two sides.

They won an early penalty and kicked long to touch. They went to the tail and, after a couple of crash ball phases, got the try from hooker Calum Scott.

However, London Scottish’s ill-discipline was their own worst enemy as they were handed their first yellow card of the game to back row Ioan Rhys Davies for a no-arms tackle.

Despite being denied twice at the line by the Scottish defence, eventually the dams burst, and Trailfinders had their score with Rueben Bird-Tulloch making an excellent break which allowed Moore to eventually finish for his first.

Scottish hit back and edged back into the lead from a long-range penalty by Alec Lloyd-Seed; however, Trailfinders showed their class in the backline, executing some excellently worked try through some lovely offloading, exploited the space, and Moore finished it for his second.

Trailfinders were building momentum, and another penalty got them entry into the 22. Hard carries and a quick ball got them over the gain line, and then a hard line from Rob Farrar saw the Trailfinders score again with a commanding lead at the break.

Half-time: London Scottish 8-21 Ealing Trailfinders

It was a slightly slower start to the second period, but eventually, Trailfinders scored their fourth, with Hampson getting on the end of a nice break for the try, and Davis added another shortly after crashing over from short-range.

Scottish were fighting hard right to the death and eventually got their second try, with a break down the wing and finished by the fullback.

However, it was only a consolation score as Trailfinders ended the game with an important victory that took them into the knockout stages.

Full-time: London Scottish 15-35 Ealing Trailfinders

 

Ealing Trailfinders:

Tries: Moore 19, 30, Farrar 36, Hampson 52, Davis 60

Conversions: Jones 20, 30, 36, 52; Willis 61

London Scottish:

Tries: Scott 2, Holmes 73

Conversions: Wilstead 74

Penalties: Lloyd-Seed 28

Yellow Card: Davies 15, Prior 55

Ealing Trailfinders fell to a 32-10 loss at the hands of Harlequins in Round Five of the Premiership Rugby Cup.

A try from Jody Reid and a penalty from Dan Jones could not garner any points from Trailfinders’ encounter with their London rivals.

This leaves Trailfinders 2nd in the pool, travelling to London Scottish with a win needed to qualify for the knock-out rounds.

The game started horribly for the hosts. A fumble from the kick-off gave Quins the ball, and they threw it wide, giving Cameron Anderson the ability to score in the corner with less than two minutes gone.

Trailfinders were shocked yet undeterred from their task and hit right back.

Michael Dykes broke down the left wing, offloading to Frances Moore, who slid for the line but was stopped just short.

A penalty at the ruck gave them a lineout, and the rolling maul gave Reid the easiest score of his life as it went straight through the Harlequins defence.

Quins then showed their Premiership class, as Jarred Evans chipped through and the visitors regathered, finding Ben Waghorn to streak away and score.

After a hectic first 15 minutes, the game then slowed in the wet conditions.

Trailfinders were the next side to threaten but could not convert. The hosts worked up to the 5m line but knocked on and had to come back for an earlier penalty, which Jones duly knocked over.

Both defences pushed the agenda, and as a result, there were no more scores in the first term

Half-Time: Ealing Trailfinders 10-12 Harlequins

The second half was equally as physical, and both sides struggled initially to find their attack flow.

Disaster then struck for Trailfinders as Tobi Wilson was yellow-carded for playing a man without the ball, and Quins was on the front foot as a result.

From the following maul, Sam Riley scored, and the conversion meant Quins stretched their lead to two scores.

Huge shots continued to fly in all over the park from both sides as Trailfinders prevented further scores with a man down.

However, Quins scored again from a rolling maul through Jack Musk to put the game out of sight.

Errors continued to plague Trailfinders as they worked their way up the pitch again but knocked on again to give the visitors an out.

Then Harlequins killed the game with two penalties from Jamie Benson, and Trailfinders were left with nothing despite a tremendous effort.

Full-Time: Ealing Trailfinders 10-32

Ealing Trailfinders:

Tries – Jordy Reid 4

Conversions – Dan Jones 5

Penalties – Dan Jones  36

Yellow Cards – Tobi Wilson 51

Harlequins:

Tries – Cameron Anderson 1, Ben Waghorn 11, Sam Riley 52, Jack Musk 67

Conversions – Jarrod Evans 12 53 68

Penalties – Jarrod Evans 77 80

Ealing Trailfinders secure a crucial 29-50 victory against Saracens at the StoneX Stadium in Round Four of the Premiership Rugby Cup.

 

Tries from Mike Willmese and Jordy Reid and braces from Reuben Bird-Tulloch and Tobi Wilson secured all five points for the visitors.

 

Trailfinders sit at the top of Pool C, with two rounds of the pool stages to go in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

 

It was an electric start to proceedings in North-West London. From the kick-off, Wilson rose above Saracens players to tap the ball back, and the hosts conceded a penalty at the breakdown. Trailfinders pointed to the sticks, and Dan Jones gave them the lead after two minutes.

 

Ealing Trailfinders kept the pressure on; after multiple phases on the opposition try line, they eventually crashed through the defensive wall, and it was captain Willemse who came up with the ball after just ten minutes on the clock.

 

The visitors second try also came in the opening quarter of an hour. It was Bird-Tulloch who went underneath the posts untouched after Jones offloaded out of the tackle.

 

Saracens hit back with two of their own. Tries from Carwyn Tuipulotu and Brandon Jackson made it a one-score game.

 

In a game full of momentum swings, Wilson capitalised next. Craig Hampson pounced on a loose ball at the breakdown, and the ball was moved out to the right quickly, allowing the fullback to run in from the 22.

 

Wilson was not done there; turnover ball at the scrum two minutes later meant this time the ball was quickly shifted out to the left, allowing him to go into the opposite corner.

 

The hosts scored the final try of the half. It was Jackson who raced in down the left wing, which brought Saracens to within ten points of Trailfinders.

 

Half-time: Saracens 17-27 Ealing Trailfinders

 

The fast-paced nature of the match was on hold for the third quarter. Jones stepped up to the tee three times, adding nine points in a dominant period for Ben Ward’s men.

 

Jordan Holgate’s interception ignited the second half. He offloaded to his centre partner Bird-Tulloch who ran in from halfway for his second try of the match.

 

Tiff Eden secured the try bonus for Saracens with ten minutes left on the clock.

 

Jordy Reid capitalised on his own charge down to score Trailfinders’ sixth and final try. Jones converted to bring up fifty on the scoreboard for Trailfinders.

 

It was Saracens who had the final say. Jackson sprinted in down the left wing for his hat trick.

 

This left the final score 29-50 to Ealing Trailfinders, and they will be hoping to carry that momentum into next week, where they welcome Harlequins to Trailfinders Sports Club.

 

Full-time: Saracens 29-50 Ealing Trailfinders

 

Saracens:

Tries- Carwyn Tuipulotu 15,Brandon Jackson 18 36 80, Tiff Eden 72

Conversions- Louie Johnson 37 80

Ealing Trailfinders:

Tries- Mike Willemse 6, Reuben Bird-Tulloch 11 64, Tobi Wilson 22 27, Jordy Reid 77

Conversions- Dan Jones 7 12 65, Craig Willis 78

Penalties- Dan Jones 2 51 55 63

Ealing Trailfinders come out on top in their Premiership Cup Round Three match against London Scottish with a 36-5 victory at Trailfinders Sports Club.

Tries from Matt Cornish, Ben Harris, Bobby De Wee, Rayn Smid and a brace from Jordan Holgate secured all five points for the home side.

Trailfinders sit at the top of Pool C after the conclusion of this weekend’s Premiership Cup action.

Ben Ward’s men struck first in the worst conditions Trailfinders Sports Club had seen this season. A line out move straight from the training ground was executed perfectly in the opening ten minutes. Smid rose at the back of line out and he popped it off the top to Holgate who crashed over.

The visitors hit back shortly after. Zach Carr broke from the back of a driving maul to go over on the right-hand side. Following this score, there was a long period of both teams trying to get a foothold in the match.

Ealing Trailfinders found some field position and set up camp in the London Scottish 22 with ten minutes to play in the first-half. Constant pressure meant Scottish conceded multiple penalties. This saw their co-captain Jack Ingall sent to the sin bin. The hosts used their man advantage and drove their way over the line. Cornish came up with the ball which gave his side a seven-point lead at the half-way stage.

Half-time: Ealing Trailfinders 12-5 London Scottish

Ealing Trailfinders came out of the blocks firing in the second forty. Some early pressure on the Scottish try line allowed inside centre Holgate to score his second of the afternoon.

Trailfinders seemed to have found their rhythm in the second half. The ball was moved out wide to debutant Harris who had a man to beat and he managed to. The bonus-point was secured for the hosts.

Next, it was the turn of replacement De Wee to get himself on the scoresheet. The second-row muscled his way after multiple pick and go phases to bag himself a five-pointer on his return to the side.

As we entered the final ten minutes, a fresh front-row of James Kenny, Henry Walker and Kabous Bezuidenhout fancied their chances against a tired London Scottish pack. A dominate display saw them push their way over the try line from 5m out, that allowed Smid to fall on the ball and score Trailfinders’ sixth and final try of the afternoon.

Full-time: Ealing Trailfinders 36-5 London Scottish

Ealing Trailfinders:

Tries- Jordan Holgate 6 46, Matt Cornish 32 Ben Harris 53, Bobby De Wee 60, Rayn Smid 72

Conversions- Craig Willis 7 47 61

London Scottish:

Try- Zach Carr 16

Yellow Card- Jack Ingall 31

Ealing Trailfinders fell to a narrow 38-33 loss against Harlequins in Round Two of the Premiership Rugby Cup.

Tries from Tobi Wilson, Matt Cornish, Jordan Holgate and a brace from Tom Collins meant Trailfinders left Twickenham with two bonus points.

The result leaves Ealing Trailfinders second in Pool C with four group games left to play in the competition.

It was a superb start at The Stoop when Wilson crossed the whitewash. Trailfinders regained the kick-off and the ball was moved out to the right. Wilson found himself in space beat his man and finished well. The conversion just wide.

Harlequins didn’t leave it long to respond, getting themselves on the scoresheet inside the opening ten. Tom Lawday crashed over from the pick-and-go and Jamie Benson converted to give Quins a two-point lead.

Quins dominated the rest of the first quarter. Sean Lonsdale was sent to the sin bin after Trailfinders conceded successive penalties defending their own line, and Quins eventually broke down the defence as, Cameron Anderson walked in on the left hand side.

Harlequins thought they were in again just minutes later, however crossing at the back of the maul allowed Dan Jones to relieve some pressure, and gave Trailfinders possession in the opposition half for the first time since the opening two minutes.

Quins captain Lawday burst through the defence to setup the third of the night for Harlequins.

Wilson made the tackle five metres out, but he passed the ball up to Benson who scored and then converted his own score.

With just five minutes to go before the half-time whistle, a teasing kick was put over the top from Craig Hampson was carried into touch by Benson, creating a perfect attacking platform. Front foot ball off the lineout allowed Dan Jones to throw a delayed pass to Tom Collins who burst through to score the visitors’ second of the night. Jones added the extras.

Ealing Trailfinders were not ready for the break just yet. A well executed line out and a powerful rolling maul allowed Cornish to score and Dan Jones close the deficit to just two points.

Half-time: Harlequins 21 – 19 Ealing Trailfinders

Harlequins came out of the blocks firing in the second 40, converting some early pressure into a Penalty Try and it was a second yellow card of the night, this time for Will Montgomery.

The fourteen men of Ealing Trailfinders looked poised to strike back a minute later. A strong rolling maul got them from the 22 to just five metres out but an agonising handling error let them down. \

Kyle Whyte was then sent to the bin for a high shot, reducing Trailfinders to 13.

After a valiant defensive effort the hosts found a way through the Trailfinders defence with a two man advantage, Bryn Bradley offloaded to George Hammond who scored Quins’ fifth.

Ealing Trailfinders struck next with their bonus point try and it was Collins who had his second.

Another rolling maul set up a good platform. After Jordan Holgate and Reuben Bird-Tulloch came close it was Jones who passed to Collins juggling it over the line and diving over.

With just ten minutes on the clock and nine points down, it was crucial that Trailfinders were next on the scoresheet. A huge shove at scrum won a penalty for the visitors and the penalty came agonisingly back off the post. Moments later Quins slotted a penalty of their own.

In the final play, Trailfinders went in search of a final try and they found it through Jordan Holgate. A trick play at the line out sent the centre over untouched to secure a second bonus point for the visitors.

Full-time: Harlequins 38 – 33 Ealing Trailfinders

Harlequins:

Tries – Tom Lawday 8, Cameron Anderson 20, Jamie Benson 29, Penalty Try 44, George Hammond 52

Conversions – Jamie Benson 9 21 30 53

Penalties – Jamie Benson 79

Ealing Trailfinders:

Tries – Tobi Wilson 2, Tom Collins 36 58, Matt Cornish 40, Jordan Holgate 80

Conversions – Dan Jones 37 40 59, Craig Willis 80

Yellow Cards – Sean Lonsdale 17, Will Montgomery 44, Kyle Whyte 50

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Ealing Trailfinders beat local rivals Saracens 29-19 kicking off their Premiership Cup campaign with a bang.

A brace from Reuben Bird-Tulloch along with scores from Rob Farrar, Angus Kernohan and a penalty try gave Trailfinders a famous victory over their Premiership counterparts.

The hosts took the maximum five points from the fixture, heading into next Friday’s clash against Harlequins at The Stoop.

The game started perfectly for Trailfinders. Farrar flew over the white wash in the left corner after Trailfinders pounced on turnover ball from kick-off.

The fast start continued as Tobi Wilson threw a wonder ball over the top to Bird-Tulloch out wide, allowing the centre to cross, making the score 12-0 inside the first five minutes.

Saracens then woke up from their apparent slumber and scoring slowed, as the visitors held most of the possession.

The hosts were throwing bodies around forcing handling errors from Saracens. Bird-Tulloch then scored again, this time beating three Sarries players and crossing over on the right wing.

It was disaster after disaster for the visitors. Phil Brantingham and Toby Knight were sent to the bin after consecutive maul penalties and Trailfinders were awarded a penalty try.

Saracens closed off the half with a try on the buzzer. Brandon Jackson broke through and raced away from Trailfinders in a rare defensive lapse.

Halftime: Ealing Trailfinders 24-5 Saracens

The second half started identically to the first. Kernohan flew over in the corner after Trailfinders strung some brutally efficient phases together.

Saracens then managed to drag themselves back into the contest. Holding onto the ball for the majority of the second term they were able to cross 11 minutes after the break through Harry Wilson.

Pressure off the ball from the hosts continued to repel their rivals attacking efforts. Trailfinders then came close as a beautiful, flowing attacking move meant they went coast to coast but Lefty Zigiriadis was held up over the line attempting to crash over.

Saracens then scored a consolation try as Jackson scored again going the length via the intercept.

As a result it finished 29-19 giving Ealing Trailfinders the perfect start to their cup run.

Fulltime: Ealing Trailfinders 29-19 Saracens

Tries:

Ealing Trailfinders

Farrar (2), Bird-Tulloch (4, 25), Penalty (30), Kernohan (43)

Saracens

Jackson (39, 77), Wilson (51)

Conversions:

Ealing Trailfinders

Jones (2)

Saracens

Swiel (51, 78)

Yellow Cards:

Saracens

Brantingham (31) Knight (32)

Ealing Trailfinders fell just short in their phenomenal efforts to tame the Tigers, losing 29-21 in the semi-final of the Premiership Cup at TFSC.

Tries from Will Goodrick-Clarke and Mike Willemse, and three penalties from Billy Twelvetrees were not enough in a valiant performance.

Trailfinders started the stronger side as they dominated the scrum, forcing two Leicester penalties in kicking range, which Billy Twelvetrees dispatched with ease.

A yellow card for Bobby De Wee for a professional foul turned the tide of the game slightly, as the English rugby powerhouse capitalised on their player advantage.

Tigers’ Phil Cokanasiga scored the first try of the game as he burst through a gap in the Trailfinders defence, dragging two men with him to dot the ball over the line. Jamie Shillcock converted.

The away side then further extended the lead with their player advantage still intact, as Finn Theobald-Thomas drove over the line off the rolling maul. Shillcock missed the extras leaving the score 6-12 at half time.

Trailfinders started brilliantly in the second half and should have taken the lead through Craig Hampson, after a delightfully delayed pass from Dan Lancaster played in Max Bodilly, who weaved behind the Leicester line to tee up Hampson, but he could only knock on.

Leicester continued to be penalised for various infringements and Twelvetrees nailed a penalty through the posts to reduce the score to 12-9.

The dominance at the scrum continued for Trailfinders, and Leicester had Dan Richardson sent to the sin bin as a result.

In a moment of jubilation around TFSC, Goodrick-Clarke bundled over the whitewash for the home side’s first try of the game after successive Tigers penalties had them crunched onto their line. Twelvetrees conversion rattled the posts and missed, however.

Against the run of play Leicester managed to tally up 10 points in quick succession, as an interception-led try from Phil Cokanasiga and a penalty from Shillcock made it 22-14.

With their resilience never fading however, Trailfinders came back again through Willemse, who scored off a pick and go after successive phases. Twelvetrees slotted home the conversion to reduce the deficit to just one point with seven minutes to go.

In a heart-breaking conclusion, another interception in the Trailfinders half led to Matt Scott running freely through the Trailfinders line to score under the posts to kill off the game. Shillcock converted to leave the final score 29-21.

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With a historic Premiership Cup semi-final berth on the horizon, Ealing Trailfinders made no mistake in Round 4 of the competition, recording a 52-17 win over Championship new boys, Cambridge RFC. The bonus point victory sees them move to four wins from four in the competition, having amassed an impressive 19 points from a potential 20.

 

It wasn’t the fastest start from Trailfinders at Ellgia Fields, who traded possession back and forth with Cambridge between the 40m lines. Sustained defensive pressure against Cambridge in their 22 brought momentum to Trailfinders, however, as Andrew Davidson charged down a box-kick and cantered after the ball to drop down on it over the try line. Steve Shingler then converted well from the left.

 

It wasn’t long before Trailfinders extended their lead, with Trailfinders Academy back row Josh Taylor powering over after multiple phases in the Cambridge 22. The hosts didn’t take long to respond, though, with sustained pressure in Trailfinders’ 22 resulting in a try of their own. The ensuing conversion brought them to within 5 points of the visitors’ lead.

 

A first club try for Henry Walker from a maul and a Shingler conversion re-established a stronger lead, only for Cambridge to win a penalty at the scrum and knock over the resulting penalty, keeping themselves well in the game at half-time, trailing just 10-19.

 

Davidson got Trailfinders off to the perfect start in the second half, collecting his brace, although Cambridge hit back themselves, as Morgan Veness restored the half-time differential by powering over at the maul.

 

Trailfinders then begun to take control of the game, as Rayn Smid dived over off the base of the scrum, before Taylor had a strong carry over the try line on the first phase after a maul.

 

With the result secured, Trailfinders let loose. Debutant Billy Twelvetrees had a slick pass for the arcing Will Montgomery to canter over the try line, before Matt Cornish’s late try brought an end to the game, coming as a result of an athletic lineout steal from Bobby de Wee.

 

The result sees Trailfinders atop their Premiership Cup pool.