Saracens secured promotion back to the Gallagher Premiership with a consecutive triumph over Ealing Trailfinders to lift the Greene King IPA Championship trophy, winning 57-17 on the day.
The defeat condemns Ben Ward’s side to another season in the second tier, but their showing particularly in the opening period was one of encouragement and improvement from the first leg.
The teams went in level at the break with ten points apiece, with Sarries’ unchanged side unable to match their performance at Vallis Way last time out.
A second half onslaught put the distance between the sides as Sarries touched down with eight tries and ultimately secured promotion in front of over 2,000 fans at the StoneX Stadium.
Trailfinders made up for lost time by immediately putting seven points on the board, as Saracens flanker Jackson Wray was penalised and sent to the bin for deliberately knocking the ball out of touch following a miscued collection of Craig Willis’ kick-off.
Owen Farrell registered his first three points of the afternoon having initially possessing the advantage awarded by referee Luke Pearce, where an overcooked ball bypassed Sean Maitland made its way in to touch as the Sarries captain opted to split the posts.
The defensive output from Ben Ward’s side in the opening fifteen minutes saw a marked improvement to that of the first leg at Vallis Way, with hard work at the breakdown exemplified with a reward to take a chance at goal that Willis could not convert.
The men in Green and White were punished for not making their territory count as hopes of a second try were dashed when Shaun Malton’s lineout was nabbed, setting in motion the beginning of a mighty Sarries push beyond their five-metre line and towards their ’22.
Craig Willis made no mistake with his second kick of the afternoon to extend the lead back to seven for Trailfinders with 25 minutes gone, ensuring that the hosts’ relative lack of clinical edge was represented in the scoreboard.
Mako Vunipola spearheaded a Sarries maul over the whitewash to conclude his side’s procession up the pitch soon after nevertheless, with Farrell’s following conversion levelling the scores between the sides five minutes before the break.
Saracens couldn’t cash in on their momentum before the interval as a vital turnover at the ruck from Guy Thompson halted Mark McCall’s men in their tracks, where a phase before a try looked ominous as Sean Maitland ghosted through Trailfinders’ defence as first receiver from a lineout.
HT Saracens 10-10 Ealing Trailfinders
The scores did not stay level for long as Alex Lewington evaded two tackles before offloading to Elliot Daly to cross over, taking the lead for the first time in the game.
Sarries begun to turn on the style and show why they are a Premiership calibre outfit, outdoing a fast-becoming brittle Trailfinders resistance.
Centurion Vincent Koch doubled his side’s lead on his 100th appearance in black and red, touching down after picking up off the ruck.
The departing Michael Rhodes’ farewell game at StoneX Stadium came to a premature end as the back-rower saw red following a harsh tackle on David Johnston.
Just as the rolling maul had often been the order of the day in the first leg, Jamie George continued the trend by finishing off his own lineout; charging towards the whitewash despite being a forward down following Rhodes’ dismissal.
It was all change for with 50 minutes gone as a healthy portion of Sarries’ international contingent, including the likes of Itoje and Farrell, vacated the pitch with their trip to South Africa with the Lions this July in mind.
One of the remaining internationals on the pitch Nick Tompkins extended the lead, with the Welshman one of many Saracens men flooding the right wing to score.
Rayn Smid’s agonising knock-on before grounding denied Ealing’s first try from play in the game, with the South African having shadowed a penetrating Craig Hampson to the try line.
Several phases of rich line-breaking rugby eventually saw the ball being worked out to former London Irish winger Alex Lewington, who jinked and dummied his way into a gap in the converging Trailfinders defensive line, with substitute Manu Vunipola adding the extras.
Front row replacement Lewis Thiede was the second sin binning of the afternoon for his role in a botched scrum, with the resulting reset again once again not legally contested by Trailfinders as a penalty try extended the deficit to forty points with ten minutes to go.
Ralph Adams-Hale’s impressive burst down a desolate right flank and into Trailfinders’ saw the ball passed out to Alex Lewington, who was this time denied before the line by a Bill Johnston tackle.
Lewington was able to offload from the floor to his teammate Tom Whitely, who acrobatically touched down on his final appearance for Sarries.
Substitute Jordan Burns left a mark on the fixture with a consolation try in the corner as the final positive action of the season for Trailfinders, who were ultimately undone by the might of a Premiership level side.
FT Saracens 57–15 Ealing Trailfinders
Saracens
1 Mako Vunipola (replaced by Ralph Adams-Hale, 54 mins), 2 Jamie George (replaced by Tom Woolstencroft, 54 mins), 3 Vincent Koch (replaced by Alec Clarey, 54 mins) 4 Maro Itoje (replaced by Callum Hunter-Hill, 54 mins), 5 Tim Swinson, 6 Michael Rhodes, 7 Jackson Wray, 8 Billy Vunipola (replaced by Andy Christie, 62 mins), 9 Aled Davies (replaced by Tom Whiteley, 58 mins), 10 Owen Farrell (c) (replaced by Manu Vunipola, 54 mins), 11 Sean Maitland, 12 Nick Tompkins, 13 Elliot Daly (replaced by Duncan Taylor, 54 mins), 14 Alex Lewington, 15 Alex Goode
Replacements: 16 Tom Woolstencroft, 17 Ralph Adams-Hale, 18 Alec Clarey, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Andy Christie, 21 Tom Whiteley, 22 Manu Vunipola, 23 Duncan Taylor
Tries: M Vunipola, Daly, Koch, George, Tompkins, Lewington, Penalty, Whiteley
Conversions: Farrell (3), Vunipola (2)
Penalties: Farrell
Red Card: Rhodes
Ealing Trailfinders
1 Kyle Whyte (replaced by James Gibbons, 54 mins), 2 Shaun Malton (replaced by Michael van Vuuren, 58 mins), 3 Elliot Millar Mills (replaced by Lewis Thiede, 54 mins), 4 Bobby De Wee, 5 Harry Casson (replaced by Simon Linsell 50 mins), 6 Malon Al-Jiboori (replaced by Harry Dugmore, 50 mins), 7 Guy Thompson, 8 Rayn Smid, 9 Craig Hampson, 10 Craig Willis, 11 Angus Kernohan (replaced by Bill Johnston, 58 mins), 12 Pat Howard (replaced by Jordan Burns, 62 mins), 13 Max Bodilly, 14 Luke Daniels, 15 David Johnston.
Replacements: 16 Michael Van Vuuren, 17 James Gibbons, 18 Lewis Thiede, 19 Simon Linsell, 20 Simon Uzokwe, 21 Jordan Burns, 22 Bill Johnston, 23 Harry Dugmore.
Tries: Penalty, Burns
Penalties: Willis
Yellow Card: Theide
Referee: Luke Pearce Assistant referees: Matthew Carley & Karl Dickson TMO: Claire Hodnett
Saracens put eight tries past fellow promotion hopefuls Ealing Trailfinders on their travels in a 60-0 win, in the first leg of the Greene King IPA Championship Playoffs.
A disappointing afternoon for Ben Ward’s team puts a significant question mark on their bid to secure Premiership status, with the second leg at StoneX Stadium still to play next Sunday.
Saracens demonstrated their international quality with dominance at the breakdown that suffocated Trailfinders throughout the 80 minutes.
12 of the men in black’s starters were indeed internationals, as tries from Maro Itoje, Aled Davies, Jamie George, Nick Tompkins, Sean Maitland, a penalty try and a brace from Billy Vunipola, condemned their hosts to a difficult defeat.
Trailfinders saw little of the ball in the opening stages, but were resilient from a powerful onslaught, consequentially resulting in Owen Farrell put the visitors up by three from the boot.
Craig Willis opted for the corner not once but twice in a galvanising response from the visitors, but it was England international Maro Itoje who silenced the Vallis Way crowd after Sarries built into the ’22 with several phases off the ruck.
Max Bodilly’s breakaway solo run from his own half and into Sarries’ was chased down and a turnover was forced, but Farrell’s following miss from the tee meant the lead stayed at 10.
Saracens’ brutish line breaking ability in midfield breached through Trailfinders’ with ease, as Owen Farrell was stopped just before the line before offloading to his half-back partner in Aled Davies to reach out over the whitewash, with Farrell converting.
Things began to turn a bit desperate for Ben Ward’s men after being unable to retain the ball with their own put-in at the scrum, as Farrell made no mistake and extended the deficit to 20.
Elliot Daly’s knock-on allowed a chance for the boys in Green and White to grab on to some much needed possession, but their counterparts had other ideas as the resulting breakdown led to Saracens snatch back the ball and kick for touch.
Hooker Jamie George peeled off the resulting rolling maul and crossed over, while England’s number 10 added to extras to conclude a dominant first forty minutes.
HT- Ealing Trailfinders 0-27 Saracens
Saracens unrelenting pressure was sustained straight from the off with the rolling maul the method of preferred execution of play.
Billy Vunipola was the man to pick the ball and add five more points to his side’s insurmountable tally within a matter of minutes of the restart.
Not long before his substitution, Sarries flanker Michael Rhodes was lucky to escape punishment for a late tackle on captain Rayn Smid.
Substitute Luke Daniels’ efforts to force Nick Tompkins into touch after short blindside burst were soon proved to be in vein, as Billy Vunipola muscled his way over for his second of the afternoon a minute later with a Farrell conversion following.
With the scoreboard sitting at 41-0, Dean Hammond’s attempt at intercepting Elliot Daly’s tipped pass looked to be one of Trailfinders’ best opportunities to get something on the board, only for the winger to knock on with an open field ahead of him.
Guy Thompson was sent to the bin as Sarries rolled over for their sixth try of the afternoon, with Thompson going in at the side as man in the middle Wayne Barnes awarded a penalty try as a result of persistent fouls committed by the home side.
A fast breakaway initiated by Craig Willis’ punt up the park meant Trailfinders had a rare spell in the visitors’ ’22, but couldn’t make the territory nor possession count as Saracens cleared away.
Nick Tompkins received the ball in the following phases, being one of many men over on Saracens’ right flank as the Welshman received the ball and accelerated over the line for Farrell to convert.
Winger Sean Maitland crossed over on his opposite wing as the clock went red for the final action of the game in a sequence of fluid passing rugby, stretching Saracens winning margin to a resounding 60 points.
FT- Ealing Trailfinders 0-60 Saracens
Ealing Trailfinders side to face Saracens:
15. David Johnston, 14. Dean Hammond, 13. Max Bodilly, 12. Matt Gordon, 11. James Cordy-Redden (replaced by Luke Daniels, 47 mins), 10. Craig Willis, 9. Craig Hampson, 1. Will Davis (replaced by James Gibbons, 40 mins), 2. Shaun Malton, 3. Kyle Whyte (replaced by Lewis Thiede, 36 mins), 4. Bobby De Wee, 5. James Cannon, 6. Kieran Murphy, 7. Simon Uzokwe (replaced by Guy Thompson, 40 mins), 8 Rayn Smid (C)
Replacements – 16. Michael van Vuuren, 17. James Gibbons, 18. Lewis Thiede, 19. Simon Linsell, 20. Guy Thompson, 21. Jordan Burns, 22. Luke Daniels, 23. Malon Al-Jiboori
Yellow card: Thompson
Saracens side to play Ealing Trailfinders:
15 Alex Goode (replaced by Rotimi Segun, 76 mins), 14 Alex Lewington, 13 Elliot Daly (replaced by Duncan Taylor, 62 mins), 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Owen Farrell (C) (replaced by Tom Whitely, 76 mins), 9 Aled Davies, 1 Mako Vunipola (replaced by Ralph Adams-Hale, 57 mins), 2 Jamie George (replaced by Tom Woolfenscroft, 62 mins), 3 Vincent Koch (replaced by Alec Clarey, 60 mins), 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Tim Swinson (replaced by Callum Hunter-Hill,66 mins), 6 Michael Rhodes (replaced by Sean Reffell, 49 mins), 7 Jackson Wray, 8 Billy Vunipola
Replacements- 16 Tom Woolstencroft, 17 Ralph Adams-Hale, 18 Alec Clarey, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Sean Reffell, 21 Tom Whiteley, 22 Duncan Taylor, 23 Rotimi Segun
Tries: Itoje, Davies, George, B Vunipola (2), Tompkins, Maitland, Penalty
Conversions: Farrell (6)
Penalties: Farrell (2)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Paul Dix & Jamie Leahy
TMO: Stu Terheege
A ninth bonus point victory of the season, secures play-off place for Ealing Trailfinders.
Six tries ensured that Ealing Trailfinders booked their place in the 2020/21 Greene King IPA Championship Play-offs, defeating fellow promotion hopefuls Doncaster Knights 38-15 at Trailfinders Sports Club on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors opened proceedings with ten points from Sam Olver, but the home side were able to regain control, taking the lead at the break by four points, through converted tries from Guy Thompson and Kieran Murphy.
The Knights made their hosts sweat even more with Sam Graham putting his side within touching distance of a bonus point try after the break, but a second half onslaught with tries from Dean Hammond, Michael van Vuuren, David Johnston and Luke Daniels ensured Trailfinders have a chance of Premiership rugby next campaign.
In their way will most likely be the formidable force of Saracens, a team who ended both Ealing and Doncaster’s 100% records previously and have two games to play still, with Ealing facing their upcoming bye week.
Trailfinders knew they had a game on their hands from the off as Doncaster, fresh off the back of two blank gameweeks, reaped the rewards of their early pressure with a try from Sam Olver, tumbling over from a maul and converting his own try.
The fly-half was able to then add three from the boot soon after and Trailfinders were down by 10 in as many minutes.
The boys in green and white capitalised after a disappointing kick for touch by Craig Willis and regained possession soon after, building up the pitch through several phases before Guy Thompson’s fantastic line-breaking run saw him bundle over for Ealing’s first of the afternoon, with Willis adding the extras.
A late tackle in the ruck on Jordan Burns gave Ealing the advantage, consequentially kicking for the corner and rolling over the whitewash via Kieran Murphy with Willis adding the extras once again as Trailfinders responded well to Steven Boden side’s early statement of intent.
The home side were firmly breaking into their stride as they held the lead for the first time, with Jordan Burns peeling off a ruck and into the ’22, with his pass just evading Dean Hammond and into touch when a try seemed inevitable.
After kicking their way into some territory, Doncaster’s Connor Edwards received an over the top lineout, finding space to break into the danger area.
Fantastic ground work in the ruck characterised the home side’s half, not once but twice suppressing any threat from the Knights in the final ten minutes of the half, perhaps most crucially when the game seemed to be slightly edging away from Trailfinders control.
HT Ealing Trailfinders 14-10 Doncaster Knights
The Knights began the second half just as they had the first, determined to lay the groundwork for the all important bonus point try they needed for play-off rugby with a game week still ahead to play for the Knights against Nottingham.
Olver’s kick for the corner typified this, instead of chipping away at the scoreline to narrow the defecit to a point, in what would have been a gimme three points.
Their decision making ended up paying dividends as Olver’s offload found it’s way to front row Will Holling, with a five metre dash over the try line.
Ealing once again had no hesitation in replying, when Max Bodilly’s quick turn off pace bypassed the back line and opened up the field, Dean Hammond tracking his run and being the eventual recipient of the former’s pass and finishing, with Willis’ extras extending the lead to six.
The home side went out with every intention to extinguish any faith Doncaster had in staying in the tie, substitute Michael van Vuuren putting five more on the board with a rolling maul from a lineout.
The Yorkshire side were handed a lifeline when they were really beginning the be put to the sword, with a knock on at the try line giving the visitors a chance to gain some territory.
The decision to clear the ball out across the field in hope of finding a breakaway runner was instead met by two of Ealing’s own, with Angus Kernohan picking the ball out of the air and handing to ball to his captain David Johnston to cross over, Willis adding the extra two from the boot.
Kyle Evans and James Mitchell’s quick feet gained some threatening ground up the pitch for the visitors, and demonstrated that maybe their side were not out of it just yet with ten minutes to go, Olver had other ideas with a loose pass as the Trailfinders regained the ball well and earned a lineout in the opposing 22 with a blistering breakaway.
Luke Daniels’ clear break for the line with some nifty footwork of his own, effectively put a conclusion to proceedings with five minutes left on the clock, with Wlllis unable to add to his tally thereafter as the Knights winless run at the Trailfinders ground continued.
Coming off seven successive bonus point wins, a victory for Saracens at Coventry this evening, their only away fixture this season, will set up the mouthwatering play-off fixture against Trailfinders, with scheduling and tickets to be confirmed.
With a place in this season’s Greene King IPA Championship playoffs secure, Ben Ward’s men will now enjoy a short break before returning to action in three weeks time.
FT Ealing Trailfinders 38-15 Doncaster Knights
Ealing Trailfinders:
15 DAVID JOHNSTON (C) 14 ANGUS KERNOHAN (replaced by Luke Daniels) 13 MAX BODILLY 12 PAT HOWARD 11 DEAN HAMMOND 10 CRAIG WILLIS 9 JORDAN BURNS (replaced by Craig Hampson) 1 JAMES GIBBONS (replaced by Will Davis) 2 SHAUN MALTON (replaced by Michael van Vuuren) 3 LEWIS THIEDE (replaced by Kyle White) 4 BOBBY DE WEE (replaced by Simon Lindsell) 5 JAMES CANNON 6 MAX NORTHCOTE-GREEN (replaced by Shane Buckley, who was replaced by Malon Al-Jiboori)) 7 GUY THOMPSON 8 KIERAN MURPHY
Replacements: 16 MICHAEL VAN VUUREN 17 WILL DAVIS 18 KYLE WHYTE 19 SIMON LINSELL 20 SHANE BUCKLEY 21 CRAIG HAMPSON 22 LUKE DANIELS 23 MALON AL-JIBOORI
Tries: Thompson, Murphy, Hammond, van Vuuren, Johnston, Daniels
Conversions: Willis 4
Doncaster Knights:
15 BILLY MCBRYDE 14 KYLE EVANS 13 CHARLIE FOLEY (replaced by James Mitchell, 13 mins) 12 CONNOR EDWARDS 11 JAMES KANE 10 SAM OLVER 9 GUS WARR 1 CONRAD CADE (replaced by Bomber Hilsop) 2 WILL HOLLING (replaced by Ben Hunter) 3 GAZ DENMAN (replaced by Joe Jones) 4 MATT CHALLINOR (C) 5 MATT SMITH 6 SAM GRAHAM 7 JACK DAVIES 8 GUIDO VOLPI
Replacements: 16 BOMBER HISLOP 17 BEN HUNTER 18 JOE JONES 19 WILL BRITTON 20 CONOR JOYCE 21 GEORGE ROBERTS 22 JAMES MITCHELL 23 JAMES NEWEY
Tries: Olver, Holling
Conversions: Olver
Penalty: Olver
OFFICIALS: REF: ANTHONY WOODTHORPE RR: DAVID MORGAN AR1: DEAN RICHARDS AR2: BILL BRITAN N04: GARETH HOLSGROVE
It proved to be a tough Friday night under the lights for Ealing Trailfinders, as they battled against a resilient Bedford Blues side. With a gritty performance at Goldington Road, to come away with the bonus point win.
A fast start to proceedings saw Centre’s Max Bodilly and Pat Howard light the touch paper, in a game which saw the Trailfinders score another six tries to add to their Greene Kind IPA Championship points total.
Ben Ward’s men hit the road looking to keep their playoff final hopes well and truly in their own hands, with rivals Doncaster Knights and Saracens breathing down their necks, in a race for the top 2 playoff places.
After an impressive 69-7 victory last time out over Richmond, the West London outfit named six changes to face Bedford including a debut in the back-row for newcomer Max Northcote-Green.
It took just five minutes for The Trailfinders to find space, with break down the left gaining valuable metres, going through the phases through the forward pack, until Max Bodilly found himself in the perfect position to pick and go, stretching to dot down. Shingler adding the extras to put the visitors seven points up.
Just moments later Bedford were once again penalised for not releasing at the breakdown, with Shingler kicking precisely to the corner. A smooth line out play between Shaun Malton and James Cannon led to a rolling maul, before the ball was moved out to the backs, with Bodilly feeding it out wide to Pat Howard who raced home to score the Trailfinders second of the evening, Shingler once again adding the extras to double the travelling sides points tally.
Bedford’s first spell in the visitor’s 22 didn’t come until the 15th minute, when Will Maisey kicked to corner after Ealing Trailfinders were penalised at breakdown, but the ball was quickly won back by the visitors, when Lewis Thiede showed strength at the break down to win the penalty.
The Trailfinders were soon on the warpath again with just 20 minutes on the clock, after a big kick into touch within Bedford’s 22 from Shingler led once again to a well worked line-out. The ball being worked out to the back from Malton’s Lineout which found James Cannon, before Charlie Walker was found in space to power home for The Trailfinders third try.
It seemed to be all one way traffic, but Bedford weren’t going to go down without a fight, working the ball out wide after breakdown inside Ealing Trailfinders 22, with Pat Tapley dotting down in the right hand corner, to get the home sides first points of the game.
The home side weren’t finished their either, when with the clock in the red, Bedford scored again through Tapley, Matt Worley breaks away from the chase Trailfinders defence, offloading for the winger to score. Fly-half Will Maisey this time adding the conversion to close the gap going into half-time.
HT 12-21
The home side came out, picking up where they finished the first half, after a number of strong carries in the sloping corner of the field put them within touching distance of the white wash. Joe Atkinson then latched onto the back of the rolling maul, to dot down for the home sides third try of the game.
Moments later a kick over the top from Shingler put Bedford’s defence under pressure once again, winning the turn over at breakdown the Trailfinders built multiple phases inside Bedford’s 22, after a number of scrums the ball was worked right to Pat Howard who stepped inside to dot down for his second of the game. Shingler once again adding the extras.
The game was all but put to bed with ten minutes to go with a big scrum from the Trailfinders replacement front row, saw Ealing keep hold of possession, going again and again with a number of big carries, before Jordan Burns was fed the ball by Max Bodilly, throwing the dummy and racing through the gap to score.
The visitors weren’t finished there though, and a sixth try was awarded with just minutes to go. A great break from Angus Kernohan, who picked up a loose knock on ball to race away, with only a last minute swipe from Bedfords chasing back defence stopping him from scoring. This momentum though led to Guy Thompson dotting down at the back of the rolling maul, after coming off the bench to replace Simon Uzokwe.
Another bonus point win for Ben Ward’s side and another step closer to securing a place in the Championship playoffs, with next weekend’s clash with Doncaster proving a season defining fixture for both sides.
FT 17-40
Bedford Blues –
15. Rich Lane (C), 14. Pat Tapley, 13. Tom Litchfield, 12. Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas, 11. Matt Worley, 10. Will Maisey, 9. Connor Tupai; 1. Emmanuel Lyogun, 2. Jacob Fields (52 Hughes), 3. Ed Prowse (40 Paul), 4. Will Carrick Smith, 5. Jordan Onojaife, 6. JJ Tonks, 7. Joe Atkinson, 8. Tui Uru (56 McCarthy.
Bedford Replacements:
16. Jack Hughes, 17. Sean McCarthy, 18. Henry Paul, 19. Oli Curry, 20. Ollie Newman, 21. James Lennon, 22. Ethan Grayson, 23. Elijah Niko
Tries – Tapley 2, Atkinson
Conversions – Maisey
Yellow Cards – Henry Paul
Ealing Trailfinders –
15. David Johnston, 14. Charlie Walker, 13. Max Bodilly, 12. Pat Howard, 11. Angus Kernohan, 10. Steven Shingler, 9. Craig Hampson (63 Burns); 1. James Gibbons (62 Davis), 2. Shaun Malton, 3. Lewis Thiede (54 Whyte), 4. Bobby De Wee, 5. James Cannon (62 Casson), 6. Max Northcote-Green (66 Murphy), 7. Simon Uzokwe (61 G Thompson), 8. Rayn Smid (c).
Ealing Replacements:
16. Michael Van Vuuren, 17. Will Davis, 18. Kyle Whyte, 19. Harry Casson, 20. Kieran Murphy, 21. Jordan Burns, 22. Luke Daniels, 23. Guy Thompson
Tries – Bodilly, Howard 2, Walker, Burns, Thompson.
Conversions – Shingler 5
Officials: Referee – Sara Cox; AR 1 – Mike Hudson; AR 2 – Ian Bibey; 4th – Tim Allatt.
Ealing Trailfinders bounced back from their Round 7 disappointment against Saracens with a convincing 69-7 victory over Richmond at Vallis Way.
Debutant Charlie Walker got his club career off to the perfect start, as the Ealing forwards softened up the Richmond defence in the midfield, before the wing latched on to a Matt Gordon break and crossed the whitewash with just four minutes on the clock.
Next up for Trailfinders was Will Davis, as he bundled his way over the line from the back of a maul, before Craig Hampson capitalised on another Gordon line break to score Ealing’s third and put them within touching distance on the bonus point.
Captain Rayn Smid was the man to earn the bonus point, though, as an arcing run saw him round the Richmond defence and storm in from 40m out. Max Bodilly then wrapped up the first half with some incisive inside steps and a poacher’s try from close range.
Richmond struck back early in the second half through Callum Watson, after a smart reverse of play caught Ealing off guard and the scrum-half was able to scythe through a hole in the defence.
Trailfinders’ front rows then came alive in the ensuing 14 minutes, with Lewis Thiede, James Gibbons and Kyle Whyte all crossing the whitewash in quick succession, as Richmond struggled to live with Ealing’s physicality.
Hampson picked up his second score of the game when he acrobatically intercepted a Richmond attack in his own 22, before taking it the length of the field and adding further gloss to the Ealing performance.
Gordon stepped up once again with a strong carry and offload that saw him assist on a third score of the game, as Bodilly was on his shoulder to secure his brace of tries. The final mention went to Shane Buckley, who wrapped up the scoring in the 79th minute.
Ealing now face a rest week, before resuming their Championship campaign against Bedford Blues.
Ealing Trailfinders
15. David Johnston
14. Charlie Walker
13. Max Bodilly
12. Matt Gordon
11. James Cordy-Redden
10. Craig Willis
9. Craig Hampson
1. Will Davis
2. Shaun Malton
3. Lewis Thiede
4. Simon Linsell
5. James Cannon
6. Shane Buckley
7. Simon Uzokwe
8. Rayn Smid
Replacements
16. Michael van Vuuren
17. James Gibbons
18. Kyle Whyte
19. Harry Casson
20. Guy Thompson
21. Jordan Burns
22. Luke Daniels
23. Malon Al-Jiboori
Scorers
Tries – Walker (4), Davis (15), Hampson (28, 63), Smid (31), Bodilly (40, 72), Thiede (45), Gibbons (52), Whyte (58), Buckley (79)
Conversions – Willis (4, 15, 31), Johnston (40, 45, 58, 72)
Richmond
15. Rob Kirby
14. Dan Kelly
13. Cameron Mitchell
12. Benjamin Cook
11. Will Kaye
10. Ted Landray
9. Callum Watson
1. Jonny Harris
2. Jack Musk
3. Jimmy Litchfield
4. Byron Hodge
5. Alex Bibic
6. Hamish Barton
7. Toby Saysell
8. Jake Parker
Replacements
16. Callum Torpey
17. Timmy Walford
18. Sam Gratton
19. Freddie Hosking
20. David Massey
21. Jake Allcock
22. Charlie Gowling
23. Jake Caddy
Scorers
Tries – Watson (44)
Conversions – Landray (44)
Ealing Trailfinders suffered their first defeat of the Greene King IPA Championship season on Sunday, as they fell to a 48-20 defeat to Saracens at the StoneX Stadium.
Trailfinders were right in the mix with Saracens at half time thanks to a penalty try late in the half, as well as the trusty boot of Craig Willis, and the hosts took a 23-13 lead into the interval.
Saracens’ class showed in the second half however, when they capitalised on some uncustomary profligacy from Ealing and ended up scoring three tries and wrapping up a 48-20 victory, as they close the gap on Trailfinders at the top of the table.
Ealing exerted some early pressure on Saracens at the scrum, earning themselves two penalties at the set-piece, although it was Saracens who struck first, initially through the boot of Owen Farrell, before wing Alex Lewington finished a sweeping move on the right wing.
Willis and Farrell traded penalties as the half went on before Vincent Koch powered his way over as Saracens kept pounding on the door and eventually Ealing’s defence buckled.
Ealing’s well-functioning set-piece brought them some joy as the half wound down, however, with Saracens unable to legally stop a driving maul from 10m out and the referee awarded a penalty try and a yellow card to Jackson Wray.
Trailfinders were unable to punish Saracens’ numerical disadvantage, though, as errors saw Farrell successfully kick three penalties in the 10 minutes that Wray was off the pitch.
Koch once again crossed the whitewash from close range in the second half, before Aled Davies scooted over in support of a good break from Sean Maitland, two scores which realistically took the game beyond Ealing.
Despite having winger James Cordy Redden in the sin-bin, a Guy Thompson turnover and length of the pitch counter attack saw Ealing earn themselves a 5m scrum, which Shane Buckley capitalised on and registered Ealing’s second try of the game during the subsequent phase play.
Lewis Thiede then joined Cordy Redden in the sin-bin and, with Ealing down to 13 men, Saracens put the finishing touch on a comprehensive victory as Nick Tompkins went over the line and completed an impressive showing from the north Londoners.
Saracens
15. Elliott Obatoyinbo
14. Alex Lewington
13. Elliot Daly
12. Nick Tompkins
11. Sean Maitland
10. Owen Farrell (C)
9. Aled Davies
1. Mako Vunipola
2. Jamie George
3. Vincent Koch
4. Maro Itoje
5. Tim Swinson
6. Jackson Wray
7. Sean Reffell
8. Billy Vunipola
Replacements
16. Tom Woolstencroft
17. Richard Barrington
18. Alec Clarey
19. Joel Kpoku
20. Andy Christie
21. Tom Whiteley
22. Manu Vunipola
23. Duncan Taylor
Scorers
Tries – Alex Lewington (11), Vincent Koch (24, 51), Aled Davies (60), Nick Tompkins (79)
Conversions – Owen Farrell (11, 24, 60, 79)
Penalties – Owen Farrell (8, 17, 40, 42, 45)
Ealing Trailfinders
15. David Johnston
14. Angus Kernohan
13. Max Bodilly
12. Pat Howard
11. James Corey Redden
10. Craig Willis
9. Craig Hampson
1. Kyle Whyte
2. Shaun Milton
3. Elliot Millar Mills
4. Simon Linsell
5. James Cannon
6. Kieran Murphy
7. Simon Uzokwe
8. Rayn Smid
Replacements
16. Michael van Vuuren
17. Will Davis
18. Lewis Thiede
19. Harry Casson
20. Guy Thompson
21. Shane Buckley
22. Jordan Burns
23. Luke Daniels
Scorers
Tries – Penalty (36), Shane Buckley (75)
Conversions – David Johnston (75)
Penalties – Craig Willis (13, 20)
Ealing Trailfinders consolidated their excellent start to the season with a 64-17 victory over Jersey Reds on Saturday afternoon, picking up their sixth bonus point win of the season and maintaining their position at the top of the Greene King IPA Championship.
First half tries from Bill Johnston, Simon Uzokwe, Shaun Malton and Rayn Smid ensured that Trailfinders had the bonus point wrapped up by the interval, with Ben Ward’s side taking a 24-5 lead into the half.
The floodgates opened in the second half, as Smid completed his hat-trick, whilst Jordan Burns (2), Craig Hampson and Max Bodilly all added their names to the scoresheet.
A strong set-piece start saw Trailfinders open the scoring with a try from on loan fly-half Bill Johnston, after the Irishman capitalised in support of a break by hooker Shaun Malton.
Another accurate throw from Malton minutes later resulted in Simon Uzokwe bundling over from the driving maul, with the hosts having committed 12 men to the maul and Jersey hadno answer so close to their own try line.
After having set up the first two tries, Malton got his name on the scoresheet later in the half as Ealing once again punished Jersey at the lineout and the hooker was on hand to dive over the line at the back of the maul.
Jersey were able to fire back before the interval, however, as a precision grubber through from Scott van Breda was collected and dotted down by Brendan Owen.
Trailfinders were able to finish on a high, though, as a midfield scrum and a powerful carry from Pat Howard set up the bonus point try for the hosts through captain Rayn Smid.
Harvey Biljon’s side were efficient on their return to the field after the half, with Matt Williams barrelling through some disappointing defence from Ealing and registering Jersey’s second of the day.
The response from Ealing was immediate, though, and Smid ended a flowing moving started by Craig Hampson by running over unopposed and re-establishing his side’s leading margin. Just a minute later and their roles reversed, with a Smid break feeding Hampson, who ran in a try from the 40m line.
Jersey were not done, however, and Owen went over for his second try not long after, when he found himself in space on a cross-kick following a Jersey lineout in Ealing’s 22.
Injuries to Bobby de Wee and Dean Hammond saw play disrupted for a while, but Jordan Burns was able to get Ealing back on the front foot with a quick score.
Guy Thompson then took on the role of creator, as he collected his own chip before linking with Simon Linsell and then releasing Jordan Burns for the speedster to cross the line under the posts.
Next up was a well-earned try for Max Bodilly, with the centre capitalising on a Jersey lineout that Ealing were able to disrupt and quickly spread the ball, catching Jersey’s defence in the transition.
Another opportunity in transition, following Thompson diving on a handling error from Jersey, saw Ealing turn the corner on the resetting Jersey defence and Burns sped away down the left wing, before popping the ball back inside to the supporting Smid, who completed his hat-trick.
Attentions at Vallis Way now turn toward Saracens, with the league leaders set to take on the former European Champions at the StoneX stadium in the next round of fixtures.
Ealing Trailfinders
15. David Johnston, 14. Angus Kernohan, 13. Max Bodilly, 12. Pat Howard, 11. Dean Hammond, 10. Bill Johnston, 9. Craig Hampson; 1. Kyle Whyte, 2. Shaun Malton, 3. Lewis Thiede, 4. Simon Linsell, 5. Harry Casson, 6. Bobby de Wee, 7. Simon Uzokwe, 8. Rayn Smid (C)
Replacements
16. Michael van Vuuren, 17. Will Davis, 18. Elliot Millar Mills, 19. James Cannon, 20. Guy Thompson, 21. Shane Buckley, 22. Jordan Burns, 23. Luke Daniels.
Tries – B Johnston (5), Uzokwe (11), Malton (28), Smid (40+3, 44, 73), Hampson (46), Burns (59, 62), Bodilly (65)
Conversions – B Johnston (5, 40+3, 44, 59, 62, 65, 73)
Jersey Reds
15. Brendan Owen, 14. Lesley Klim, 13. Scott van Breda, 12. Apakuki Ma’afu, 11. Darren
Atkins, 10. Brendan Cope, 9. Max Green; 1. Roy Godfrey, 2. Eoghan Clarke, 3. Dan
Richardson, 4. James Scott, 5. Sean O’Connor, 6. Macauley Cook, 7. Lewis Wynne (C), Matt Williams.
Replacements
16. Jack Macfarlane, 17. Ollie Dawe, 18. Jack Higgins, 19. Zak Farrance, 20. Tim Grey, 21.
James Elliot, 22. Josh Bainbridge, 23. Jack Roberts.
Tries – Owen (36, 53), Williams (42)
Conversions – Cope (42)
Red cards – Ma’afu (56)
Match Officials
Referee: Neil Chilvers
Assistant Referees: Simon Adams and Stephen Nicholas Lee
Ealing Trailfinders continued their fantastic start to the season with their best win of the campaign so far as they comprehensively defeated Cornish Pirates 38-10 at the Mennaye Field.
A sensational second half saw the visitors leading 12-10 with half an hour remaining, but then they transformed their play and took the game away from Pirates in impressive style.
Elliot Millar Mills, James Cordy Redden, Angus Kernohan, Kieran Murphy, Jordan Burns and Shaun Malton all crossed the try-line in a victory that will be remembered for a long time.
The Trailfinders got off to the perfect start, which has become a regular occurrence so far this season, with Elliot Millar Mills scoring the opener after just five minutes.
A succession of penalties took the visitors to within five metres of the line, and they took it quickly before spinning the ball wide to the prop who powered over in the corner. Craig Willis’ brilliant touchline conversion put his side 7-0 ahead.
Another half chance opened up just five minutes later for James Cordy Redden who ran a great line against the traffic at the breakdown, but he was met by the Pirates defence who stayed firm and stopped a second try.
In a hugely physical opening 40 minutes both sides were finding the wind challenging, and most of the rugby was played in the middle third with the weather making handling difficult.
Pirates thought they had got level with an interception on the 20 minute mark, but the referee called play back for an earlier infringement which allowed the Trailfinders to clear.
Craig Willis and Simon Uzokwe combined brilliantly in the midfield to unlock the Pirates defence as the visitors went in search of another score, but just as play entered the 22 the ball was stolen at the breakdown and the hosts cleared.
The Pirates then grew in to the game and Ward’s men were struggling with their discipline, which resulted in Will Cargill dissecting the posts to cut the lead to just four points.
Crucially, the Trailfinders got a valuable try with the last play of the first half to put themselves firmly in the ascendancy. The Pirates had a lineout in their own 22 but it was stolen by Rayn Smid, and then Willis patiently dragged in the defenders before releasing Cordy Redden who dived over in the corner for a much-needed score. The conversion blew just wide in the wind, but the Green and Whites went down the tunnel with a nine point lead.
The Pirates got the second half off to a flying start with a try just two minutes after the restart to get themselves right back in to the match. Cargill’s up-and-under was misjudged by the Trailfinders back-three, and it bounced up perfectly for Shae Tucker who was able to stroll through in a moment of great fortune for the hosts. Cargill added the extras, making the score 10-12 with plenty of rugby still to play.
Then came the crucial spell of the match, as the Trailfinders took a significant step towards victory. A spell of six consecutive penalties saw the Pirates have both Tom Duncan and Shae Tucker sent to the sin-bin for repeated infringements, and the visitors made their 13-man opponents pay.
The latest penalty was quickly tapped, and then Craig Hampson and Max Bodily shifted the ball to Angus Kernohan who was able to finish in the corner. An outstanding touchline conversion from David Johnston in to the wind extended the lead to nine points.
That lead then grew straight after as the bonus point was secured in sensational style. A frantic passage of play saw the ball change hands multiple times, and it was eventually charged down by Pat Howard. The centre was able to gather, and it ended up in the hands of Kieran Murphy who ran over the final defender to score. Johnston added the extras, putting his side 26-10 ahead with 20 minutes to go.
Jordan Burns then put the result beyond doubt with a trademark try in the final 10 minutes. Another sequence of penalties took play up to the line, and the scrum-half spotted a gap at the fringe of the ruck to snipe over for try number five.
Shaun Malton added further gloss to the score-line with the final play of the match, as he went over for the sixth try. A five mere lineout gave the maul the platform, and the hooker was on hand to bundle over from the base. The conversion went just wide, but the win was confirmed in an almighty statement from the Trailfinders.
Cornish Pirates:
15 Tommy Wyatt 14 Alex O’Meara 13 Rory Parata 12 Shae Tucker 11 Robin Wedlake 10 Luke Scully 9 Alex Schwarz 1 Marlen Walker 2 Dan Frost 3 Jay Tyack 4 Fa’atiga Lemalu 5 Danny Cutmore 6 Josh Caulfield 7 Antonio Kiri Kiri 8 Tom Duncan (c)
Replacements:
16 Jack Andrew 17 Tom Channon 18 Sam Rodman 19 Matt Bolwell 20 John Stevens 21 Rhodri Davies 22 Will Cargill 23 AJ Cant
Scorers:
Tries: Shae Tucker (42 minutes)
Conversions: Will Cargill (42 minutes)
Penalties: Will Cargill (32 minutes)
Yellow Cards: Tom Duncan, Shae Tucker
Ealing Trailfinders:
15 David Johnston 14 Angus Kernohan 13 Max Bodilly 12 Pat Howard 11 James Cordy Redden 10 Craig Willis (replaced by Luke Daniels, 42 mins) 9 Craig Hampson (replaced by Jordan Burns, 65 mins) 1 Will Davis (replaced by Kyle Whyte, 60 mins) 2 Alun Walker (replaced by Shaun Malton, 30 mins) 3 Elliot Millar Mills (replaced by Lewis Thiede, 65 mins) 4 Bobby de Wee 5 James Cannon (replaced by Harry Casson, 60 mins) 6 Kieran Murphy (replaced by Simon Linsell, 60 mins) 7 Simon Uzokwe (replaced by Guy Thompson, 65 mins) 8 Rayn Smid (c)
Replacements:
16 Shaun Malton 17 Kyle Whyte 18 Lewis Thiede 19 Simon Linsell 20 Harry Casson 21 Guy Thompson 22 Jordan Burns 23 Luke Daniels
Scorers:
Tries: Elliot Millar Mills (5 minutes) James Cordy Redden (40 minutes) Angus Kernohan (55 minutes) Kieran Murphy (60 minutes) Jordan Burns (73 minutes) Shaun Malton (80 minutes)
Conversions: Craig Willis (5 minutes) David Johnston (55, 60, 73 minutes)
Match Officials:
Referee: Adam Leal
Assistant Referees: Dean Richards & Clare Daniels
Fourth Official: Kevin Williams
Half Time Score: Cornish Pirates 3-12 Ealing Trailfinders
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