Ealing Trailfinders won the Championship Cup after a dramatic 23-17 victory over London Irish at Trailfinders Sports Club.
Ben Ward’s side were forced to defend their own line for the final three minutes but managed to smash the ball out to confirm a memorable victory in front of a record crowd.
The Trailfinders were showing no signs of nerves in the opening stages and dominated the first quarter, resulting in the first try of the match after just 11 minutes. A penalty was kicked to the corner, and from the lineout Craig Willis floated an inch-perfect pass to Seb Stegmann on the wing who was able to score in the corner. The conversion blew wide in the wind, but Ward’s side were showing their intent.
It almost got even better just five minutes later as Jordan Burns raced away for a try, however it was disallowed by the Television Match Official. Willis, who was playing sublime rugby dummied and broke through the line before releasing Burns. The scrum-half stormed his way to the line, but in the process of scoring a knock on was called.
Will Harries then scored the second try on the 20 minute mark as the hosts continued their dominant start. Willis kicked in behind and it bounced up perfectly to Harries who was able to dive on the ball to score. The conversion was wide but the lead was now up to 10 points.
Irish responded immediately and scored 10 minutes before the half-hour as they ramped up the pressure. Ben Loader pounced on a loose clearance and skipped through the entire defence to race under the posts. Stephen Myler converted as the lead was down to just three points.
Willis then kicked a penalty as the Trailfinders went six points in front, but just three minutes later Myler kicked one for Irish to cancel it out.
A crucial moment came just before half time as Scott Steele took a quick penalty and scored from just five metres out, however the TMO said he was just short and the Trailinders went down the tunnel at half time with a 13-10 lead.
Ward’s men started the second half brilliantly and extended their lead after just five minutes. An incredible spell of play saw them go through 36 phases in the Irish 22, and with a penalty given they spun the ball wide to David Johnston who beat the final defender to score. Willis converted to extend the lead to 10 points.
Willis then kicked a penalty to take the lead up to 13 points, but Irish came back and scored as Terrence Hepetema bundled over the line. The conversion cut the lead to just six points with 10 minutes to go.
A penalty on half way looked to have secured the victory, however the kick missed touch and Irish came raring back in the final minute. With the ball on the Trailfinders’ line they managed to hold out the pressure and fire the ball in to the stands to begin the enormous celebrations as the 2018/19 season ended with silverware.
Ealing Trailfinders:
15 Will Harries (replaced by Harry Sloan, 68 mins) 14 Seb Stegmann 13 David Johnston 12 Pat Howard 11 James Cordy Redden10 Craig Willis 9 Jordan Burns 1 Jordan Els 2 Alun Walker (replaced by Matt Cornish, 65 mins) 3 Elliot Millar Mills 4 Sam Dickinson (replaced by Ben Landry, 70 mins) 5 Harry Casson 6 Kieran Murphy 7 Jordy Reid 8 Rayn Smid (c)
Replacements:
16 Matt Cornish 17 Jack O’Connell 18 Ben Betts 19 Ben Landry 20 Harry Sloan 21 Ryan Foley 22 Laurence May
Scorers:
Tries: Seb Stegmann (11 minutes) Will Harries (20 minutes) David Johnston (46 minutes)
Conversions: Craig Willis (46 minutes)
Penalties: Craig Willis (34, 59 minutes)
London Irish:
15 Luke McLean, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Fergus Mulchrone, 12 Terrence Hepetema, 11 Matt Williams, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Scott Steele, 1 Gordon Reid, Saia Fainga’a, 3 Ollie Hoskins, 4 Franco van der Merwe, 5 Josh McNally ©, 6 Jake Schatz, 7 TJ Ioane, 8 Ofisa Treviranus
Replacements:
16 David Porecki, 17 Patric Cilliers, 18 Barney Maddison, 19 Matt Rogerson, 20 Brendan McKibbin, 21 Jacob Atkins, 22 Brendan Macken
Scorers:
Tries: Ben Loader (28 minutes) Scott Steele (40 minutes) Terrence Hepetema (68 minutes)
Conversions: Stephen Myler (28, 68 minutes)
Penalties: Stephen Myler (37 minutes)
Yellow Card: TJ Ioane
Match Officials:
Referee: Greg Macdonald
Assistant Referees: Shane Lewis & Clare Daniels
Fourth Official: Fergus Kirby
Television Match Official: Sean Davey
Half Time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 13-10 London Irish:
Man of the Match: Craig Willis
Attendance: 3627
Ealing Trailfinders ended the Greene King IPA Championship season with a 33-12 defeat to London Irish after a dramatic match at the Madejski Stadium.
Ben Ward’s men were unfortunate to be on the end of a misleading result after creating a number of opportunities which could have seen an entirely different scoreboard.
The hosts made the perfect start and went in front after just two minutes with a try from Brendan Macken. A loose clearance gave Irish front foot ball, and after Albert Tuisue broke the line he passed wide to the centre who beat the last defender to score in the corner. Jacob Atkins converted from the touchline to give them a 7-0 advantage.
Irish continued their dominant start and scored their second try with 10 minutes on the clock to go further ahead. A long kick gave Alivereti Veitokani acres of space, and he raced away from 60 metres to score an impressive try as the home crowd continued to celebrate. The conversion went wide but the Champions held a 12 point lead in the opening stages.
The Trailfinders then woke up and scored a brilliant try to get back in to the match. A penalty was kicked in to the 22 and after going through the phases the ball spun to Reon Joseph who broke through three defenders and dotted down to get the visitors on the scoreboard. Peter Lydon added the conversion to cut the deficit to just five points.
Joseph, who has been in sensational form then went just inches away from bringing his side level. Once more he stepped past four Irish players as he entered the 22, but he was brought down just short and then an ambitious pass found touch as the hosts escaped.
Irish were forced to absorb plenty of pressure from the Trailfinders for the remainder of the first half, but after shutting the visitors out they extended their lead with another opportunistic try. Topsy Ojo entered the 22 and an overlap opened up on the left hand side, allowing him to pass to Albert Tuisue who dived over the line. Atkins again converted as the lead went back up to 12 points.
Then came a crucial moment just before the break as Ward’s men put themselves right back in contention. Teofilo Paulo was sent to the sin-bin for the hosts, and they were punished with a try in the final play of the half. A set move from the back of a lineout created some space back on the short side, and Laurence May fizzed a perfect pass to Segundo Tuculet who crept over in the corner. The conversion went just wide, but the Trailfinders were now just seven behind as the half time whistle blew.
The Trailfinders kept up the momentum early in the second half and went close to drawing level straight away. From the top of a lineout the ball was spun to Laurence May who kicked over the top to Segundo Tuculet. The centre drew in the final defender and had Rayn Smid on the inside but his pass was agonisingly forward and the referee gave Irish the put-in.
Ben Landry then made a barn-storming run as he pounced on Max Davies’ pass and charged towards the line, but the frustration grew as from the resulting phase a knock on let Irish off the hook once again.
Against the run of play Irish then proved how clinical they can be with a try on the hour mark to regain control of the match. As the Trailfinders looked to play out of their own 22 a mix up saw the ball pop out from a collision, and it bounced up for Matt Williams who showed his footballing skills to kick ahead and score. The conversion from Atkins took their lead up to 14 points.
Ward’s men refused to lie down and were next on the scoreboard, but it was disallowed in what was the match deciding moment. Max Davies was able to bundle over to score his first try for the club from close range, but we came back for an earlier infringement which saw Harry Casson red carded and the try was chalked off.
The Trailfinders continued to battle bravely but Irish ended strongly with the advantage of an extra man, and Fergus Mulchrone wrapped up the win after going over from the base of a scrum to score. Stephen Myler’s conversion put their lead up to 33-12, and from the kick off they smashed the ball out to confirm their victory before the trophy presentation.
The two teams meet again next weekend in the Championship Cup Final at Trailfinders Sports Club in what promises to be another huge occasion, tickets are still available and can be purchased by clicking this link.
London Irish:
15 Alivereti Veitokani, 14 Topsy Ojo, 13 Brendan Macken, 12 Fergus Muclhrone (c), 11 Matt Williams, 10 Jacob Atkins, 9 Brendan McKibbin, 1 Harry Elrington, 2 Motu Matu’u, 3 Pat Cilliers, 4 Barney Maddison, 5 Teofilo Paulo, 6 Albert Tuisue, 7 Conor Gilsenan, 8 Matt Rogerson
Replacements:
16 Saia Fainga’a, 17 Lovejoy Chawatama, 18 Manasa Saulo, 19 Sebastian de Chaves, 20 Jake Schatz, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Stephen Myler
Scorers:
Tries: Brendan Macken (2 minutes) Alivereti Veitokani (10 minutes) Albert Tuisue (30 minutes) Matt Williams (60 minutes) Fergus Mulchrone (80 minutes)
Conversions: Jacob Atkins (2, 30, 60 minutes) Stephen Myler (80 minutes)
Yellow Card: Teofilo Paulo
Ealing Trailfinders:
15 Peter Lydon (replaced by Howard Packman, 60 mins) 14 Reon Joseph 13 Segundo Tuculet 12 Lewis Jones (replaced by Ben Williams, 60 mins) 11 Seb Stegmann 10 Laurence May 9 Ryan Foley 1 Jack O’Connell (replaced by Matt Beesley, 60 mins) 2 Matt Cornish (replaced by Alun Walker, 70 mins) 3 Ben Betts 4 Ben Landry (replaced by Harry Casson, 55 mins) 5 Tom Denton (c) 6 Max Davies 7 George Edgson (replaced by Rayn Smid, 10 mins) 8 Will Safe
Replacements:
16 Alun Walker 17 Matt Beesley 18 Elliot Millar Mills 19 Harry Casson 20 Rayn Smid 21 Ben Williams 22 Howard Packman
Scorers:
Tries: Reon Joseph (15 minutes) Segundo Tuculet (40 minutes)
Conversions: Peter Lydon (15 minutes)
Red Card: Harry Casson
Match Officials:
Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant Referees: Neil Chivers & Gareth Holsgrove
Fourth Official:
Television Match Official: Sean Davey
Half Time Score: London Irish 19 – 12 Ealing Trailfinders
Man of the Match: Alivereti Veitokani
Ealing Trailfinders rampaged their way to a relentless 54-21 victory over Bedford Blues at Trailfinders Sports Club.
Ben Ward’s men scored eight tries as they dominated the entire 80 minutes to register another impressive win as their fantastic end of season form continues.
The Trailfinders made an electric start and had the bonus point secured within the first half an hour, with the first try coming from Rayn Smid after just 10 minutes. A five metre scrum saw the hosts given a number of penalties in succession, and they played from the advantage by spreading the ball wide. Kieran Murphy then picked a great line and offloaded to Smid who was able to dot the ball down from close range. Craig Willis added the conversion to give his side a 7-0 advantage.
Will Harries then scored two tries in as many minutes as the Green and Whites took control of the match in the opening quarter. A Jordan Burns break on half way saw him skip past three defenders, and he drew in the full back before passing outside to Harries who had a clear run to the line. Willis was on target again as the lead grew again.
Just two minutes later Harries crossed again to the delight of the home supporters who were enjoying some impressive rugby in the sun. Bedford were looking to get on the front foot and were going through the phases on half way, but a looping pass was intercepted by the Welshman and he ran under the posts from 50 metres to score try number three. Willis’ conversion put the hosts 21-0 up after just 20 minutes.
Bedford responded immediately to score their first points of the afternoon with a try from Dean Adamson. They had the ball deep in the 22 and spun the ball out to Adamson who stepped inside past four defenders to dive over the line. Will Hooley’s conversion cut the deficit to 14 points.
The Trailfinders reasserted their control and went further ahead just before the half hour mark as they also secured the bonus point with try number four. They worked their way up to the line and then a trademark zipping pass from Craig Willis found James Cordy Redden on the wing who finished powerfully in the corner. The conversion went just wide but the lead was now a dominant 19 points.
It got even better before half time as a wonder try from Reon Joseph put the result beyond doubt. A scrum on the hosts’ try-line was spun straight to the 19-year-old, and he skipped past the entire Bedford defence and showed his incredible pace to score a try which caused the home supporters to erupt. Willis kicked the conversion and his side then headed down the tunnel with a convincing 33-7 advantage at the break.
Bedford started the second half well and scored after just five minutes as they looked to start a comeback. A penalty was kicked to the corner, and James Lennon dummied from the base of the maul to dive over the line. Hooley added the extras as the visiting supporters got some optimism with 35 minutes remaining.
The Trailfinders however were in no mood to allow Bedford back in to the game, and responded with a try straight away to keep the momentum going. A penalty was smashed deep in to their 22, and with the maul powering over Jordan Burns was able to snipe away to score a deserved try. Willis, who had his kicking boots on brought up the 40 point mark with the conversion.
Try number seven came on the hour mark as Ward’s relentless side continued to dominate in a fantastic performance. Pat Howard and Lewis Jones broke through the line as the centre pairing kept getting better, and after being brought down just short the ball was recycled to Kieran Murphy who was never going to be stopped from just three metres out. The conversion from Willis extended the lead to 47-14.
Alun Walker marked his 100th appearance for the club with a try to bring up the half century of points with just one minute remaining. In trademark fashion the hooker broke away from a maul and dotted down for yet another score. Willis scored the hosts’ final points of the game as the conversion sailed through the posts.
Bedford scored a consolation try as Pat Tapley stepped his way to the line from half way but it proved too late as the referee blew the final whistle to confirm a 54-21 win for the Trailfinders.
The Green and Whites now head to the Madejski Stadium to sign off the Championship season against London Irish before welcoming the same opponents for the Cup Final on Saturday May 4th.
Ealing Trailfinders:
15 Will Harries 14 Reon Joseph 13 Lewis Jones 12 Pat Howard (replaced by David Johnston, 75 mins) 11 James Cordy Redden 10 Craig Willis 9 Jordan Burns (replaced by Ben Williams, 65 mins)1 Jordan Els (replaced by Matt Beesley, 45 mins) 2 Matt Cornish (replaced by Alun Walker, 45 mins) 3 Elliot Millar Mills (replaced by Ben Betts, 45 mins) 4 Sam Dickinson (replaced by Tom Denton, 50 mins) 5 Harry Casson 6 Ben Landry 7 Rayn Smid (c) (replaced by Max Davies, 60 mins) 8 Kieran Murphy
Replacements:
16 Alun Walker 17 Matt Beesley 18 Ben Betts 19 Tom Denton 20 Max Davies 21 Ben Williams 22 David Johnston
Scorers:
Tries: Rayn Smid (12 minutes) Will Harries (17, 20 minutes) James Cordy Redden (27 minutes) Reon Joseph (40 minutes) Jordan Burns (48 minutes) Kieran Murphy (59 minutes) Alun Walker (79 minutes)
Conversions: Craig Willis (12, 17, 20, 40, 59, 79 minutes)
Yellow Card: Will Harries
Bedford Blues:
15. Rich Lane 14. Ryan Hutler 13. Ed Coulson 12. Lewis Robling 11. Dean Adamson 10. Will Hooley 9. James Lennon 1. Sean McCarthy (c) 2. Charlie Clare 3. Alex Penny 4. Ed Taylor 5. Will Carrick-Smith 6. Oli Curry 7. Huw Worthington 8. Jarad Williams
Replacements:
16. Jacob Fields 17. Hayden King 18. Ben Cooper 19. Justin Blanchet 20. Josh Buggea 21. Harry Sheppard 22. Pat Tapley
Scorers:
Tries: Dean Adamson (23 minutes) James Lennon (45 minutes) Pat Tapley (80 minutes)
Conversions: Will Hooley (23, 45, 80 minutes)
Yellow Card: Oli Curry
Match Officials:
Referee: Dean Richards
Assistant Referees: Peter Brunt & Robert Warburton
Half Time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 33-7 Bedford Blues
Attendance: 1636
Harrison’s Vintners & Delicatessen Man of the Match: Jordan Burns
Ealing Trailfinders produced a stunning performance to keep themselves firmly in the hunt at the top of the Greene King IPA Championship after a comprehensive 45-14 victory over Jersey Reds at Stade Santander International.
Ben Ward’s side scored seven tries in their best all-round display of the season as they stunned the Channel Islanders with a dominant showing from minute one to 80.
The Trailfinders made the perfect start in the Jersey sunshine and opened the scoring after just three minutes. Kieran Murphy made a storming break as he battered through three defenders and passed outside to Andrew Durutalo, who drew in the final man before passing back to Murphy who was able to run straight under the posts. Craig Willis added the conversion to give his side a 7-0 lead.
The start got even better for the visitors just four minutes later as they scored their second try after seven minutes. Reon Joseph and James Cordy Redden combined well down the left wing and used their pace to work a way around the outside of the defence, and had David Johnston alongside who had a clear run to the line. Willis was again on target to extend the advantage to 14 points.
Jersey however responded immediately after a frantic opening to the match. After a penalty was kicked to the corner they went through the phases in our 22, and a half break saw Liam Howley snipe his way to the line from 10 metres out. Former Trailfinders Aaron Penberthy cut the lead to seven points with his successful conversion.
The Green and Whites were in rampant mood and restored their 14 point lead straight from the re-start. A penalty was awarded, and from the five metre lineout the maul powered over the line to allow Alun Walker to stretch over from close range. Willis was on form with the boot and his third conversion extended the lead.
The bonus point was then secured before the half hour mark as Kieran Murphy went over for his second try of the afternoon. A series of penalties saw the Trailfinders get up to the five metre line, and once again the ever-reliable rolling maul was unstoppable as it allowed Murphy to break away to score. The conversion was just wide, but the lead was now up to 19 points after a sensational first 30 minutes.
Craig Willis scored try number five just before the break as the Trailfinders continued their momentum in to half time. A five metre scrum saw the ball zipped straight to the fly-half, and he stepped back inside to score under the posts. He converted his own try to send his team down the tunnel with a sensational 33-7 lead at the break.
The second half started in the same way as the first as the West Londoners continued to dominate on the Channel Island. Jordan Burns and James Cordy Redden made a break from a scrum and after being brought down short the visitors went through the phases which allowed Andrew Durutalo to bundle over for try number six. The conversion came back off the post but the Trailfinders were flying with some of their best rugby of the season.
It continued to get better for Ward’s side, who got try number seven on the hour mark to bring up 40 points. Lewis Jones intercepted and offloaded to Burns but he was brought down, however a smart pop up to Murphy saw the move progress. The flanker was tackled but his offload to Pat Howard meant that the centre marked his return to the match day squad with a deserved try. Willis converted as the lead kept growing.
Jersey got a consolation try with 10 minutes remaining as Jake Upfield crossed from close range. They had the ball deep in the 22 and went through the phases before the substitute managed to navigate his way to the line. Penberthy converted to cut the deficit to 14-45.
The Trailfinders closed out the remaining minutes and smashed the ball in to the stands to confirm a stunning win in hugely impressive fashion.
Jersey Reds:
15 Brett Herron 14 Jason Worrall 13 Apakuki Ma’afu 12 Mark Best 11 Leroy Van Dam 10 Aaron Penberthy 9 Liam Howley 1 Roy Godfrey 2 Jack Macfarlane 3 Leeroy Atalifo 4 Jerry Sexton (c) 5 Dave McKern 6 Kyle Hatherell 7 Conor Joyce 8 Janco Venter
Replacements:
16 Nick Selway 17 Harry Morley 18 Sam Rodman 19 Rory Bartle 20 Jake Upfield 21 Will Homer 22 James Newey
Scorers:
Tries: Liam Howley (13 minutes) Jake Upfield (65 minutes)
Conversions: Aaron Penberthy (13, 65 minutes)
Ealing Trailfinders:
15 David Johnston (replaced by Will Harries, 65 mins) 14 Reon Joseph 13 Lewis Jones 12 Pat Howard 11 James Cordy Redden 10 Craig Willis 9 Jordan Burns (replaced by Ryan Foley, 70 mins) 1 Jordan Els (replaced by Matt Beesley, 70 mins) 2 Alun Walker (replaced by Matt Cornish, 70 mins) 3 Elliot Millar Mills (replaced by George Davis, 65 mins) 4 Sam Dickinson (replaced by Ben Landry, 60 mins) 5 Harry Casson 6 Kieran Murphy 7 Andrew Durutalo 8 Rayn Smid (c) (replaced by Tom Denton, 65 mins)
Replacements:
16 Matt Cornish 17 Matt Beesley 18 George Davis 19 Tom Denton 20 Ben Landry 21 Ryan Foley 22 Will Harries
Scorers:
Tries: Kieran Murphy (3, 26 minutes) David Johnston (7 minutes) Alun Walker (15 minutes) Craig Willis (38 minutes) Andrew Durutalo (44 minutes) Pat Howard (57 minutes)
Conversions: Craig Willis (3, 7, 15, 38, 57 minutes)
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth
Half Time Score: Jersey Reds 7 – 33 Ealing Trailfinders
Man of the Match: Kieran Murphy
Attendance: 1806
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