Ealing Trailfinders secured their fifth consecutive bonus point win after a dramatic 32-25 victory over Hartpury at Gillman’s Ground.
The West Londoners scored four tries in tricky conditions with James Cordy Redden, Guy Armitage, Seb Stegmann and Pat Howard all crossing the line to secure the win despite a late comeback from the hosts which led to a grandstand finish.
In the wet and windy West Country the opening stages to the game were challenging for both sides as a number of knock ons stopped either team getting any form of momentum. The first points of the match came courtesy of Sam Leeming who kicked Hartpury in to a 3-0 lead from a penalty.
The Trailfinders then began to show glimpses of their early season form and had their first chance when hooker Matt Cornish carried strongly deep in to the Hartpury 22, and despite being over the line the referee said he was held up and the game re-started with a scrum.
From the resulting scrum Ben Ward’s men scored their first try of the match to take the lead. Pat Howard took the ball up to the line and then after quick ball Craig Willis fizzed a wide pass to James Cordy Redden who dived over in the corner. Peter Lydon converted from the touchline to give his side a four point advantage on the 20 minute mark.
That lead was quickly extended as Guy Armitage scored the second try just three minutes later to put the Trailfinders in control. Willis had the ball deep in the opposition’s 22, and his perfectly measured grubber kick went straight through the middle of the Hartpury defence and popped up to Armitage who was able to pounce on the ball. Lydon again converted to put the Green and Whites 11 points in front.
The rest of the first half continued to be a real arm wrestle, and the final play of the opening 40 minutes was a second penalty for Hartpury fly-half Sam Leeming who cut the deficit at the break to eight points.
The first score of the second half was always going to determine the outcome of the match, and the Trailfinders came within inches of scoring straight from kick off. Ben Landry gathered the restart and dummied his way straight through a handful of defenders before the final pass was fumbled to see the chance pass by.
Seb Stegmann then scored the third try to put the Trailfinders further in front with half an hour remaining. A penalty was kicked to touch and the ball came off the top of the lineout to Peter Lydon who picked an impressive line before drawing in the final defender and allowing Stegmann a free run to the line.
Hartpury then responded with a try from James Dun to bring themselves back in to the match. They relied on their impressive driving maul to get momentum, and James Dun drove over from close range to cut the deficit to eight points.
The Trailfinders then got the bonus point try on the hour mark courtesy of Pat Howard. A five metre scrum gave them the platform, and the ball was spun straight to the South African who smashed his way under the posts. Lydon’s conversion put the Trailfinders 26-11 ahead, before a penalty followed five minutes later to extend the lead to 18 points.
However in similar fashion to recent weeks, the opponents rallied to make for a dramatic ending. Rayn Smid was sent to the sin bin and from the resulting phase Jake Henry scored in the corner, before a touchline conversion gave the hosts some momentum in the final 10 minutes.
Lydon then kicked another penalty to seemingly put the result beyond doubt, but another try for Hartpury followed from James Stephenson after a break through the middle to cut the gap to just seven points with three minutes remaining.
Ben Ward’s men then went through the phases to calmly close out the game, with Craig Willis smashing the ball in to touch to secure a fifth consecutive victory.
Hartpury:
15 Mike Wilcox 14 Ben Foley 13 Tom Seabrook 12 Jack Reeves 11 Jake Henry 10 Sam Leeming 9 Richard Bolt 1 Dan Murphy (c) 2 Will Tanner 3 Rupert Harden 4 Alex Craig 5 James Scott 6 James Dun 7 Rob Langley 8 Iain Grieve
Replacements:
16 Luke Stratford 17. Des Merrey 18. Joe Morris 19. Mat Gilbert 20. James Stephenson 21. Harry Cochrane 22. Charlie Powell
Scorers:
Tries: James Dun (54 minutes) Jake Henry (71 minutes) James Stephenson (76 minutes)
Conversions: Sam Leeming (71, 76 minutes)
Penalties: Sam Leeming (12, 37 minutes)
Ealing Trailfinders:
15 Peter Lydon 14 Seb Stegmann 13 Guy Armitage 12 Pat Howard 11 James Cordy Redden 10 Craig Willis 9 Ryan Foley (replaced by Jordan Burns, 72 mins) 1 Jake Ellwood (replaced by Alex Lundberg, 65 mins) 2 Matt Cornish (replaced by Alun Walker, 60 mins) 3 Elliot Millar Mills (replaced by Ben Betts, 70 mins) 4 Ben Landry (replaced by Jordan Onojaife, 72 mins) 5 Ben West 6 Jordy Reid 7 Andrew Durutalo 8 Rayn Smid (c)
Replacements:
16 Alun Walker 17 Alex Lundberg 18 Ben Betts 19 Jordan Onojaife 20 Rohan O’Regan 21 Jordan Burns 22 Laurence May
Scorers:
Tries: James Cordy Redden (18 minutes) Guy Armitage (23 minutes) Seb Stegmann (47 minutes) Pat Howard (60 minutes)
Conversions: Peter Lydon (18, 23, 60 minutes)
Penalties: Peter Lydon (65, 75 minutes)
Yellow Card: Rayn Smid
Match Officials:
Referee: Michael Hudson
Assistant Referees: Gareth Holsgrove & Clare Daniels
Fourth Official: Adam Wookey
Half Time Score: Hartpury 6 – 14 Ealing Trailfinders
Ealing Trailfinders made it two wins in a row with a very impressive 31-7 victory over Hartpury at College Stadium.
Ben Ward’s side scored five tries and showed their class with a strong second half performance which proved too much for the hosts to deal with as the West Londoners left with a bonus point win.
A double from Alun Walker as well as scores from Barney Maddison, Harry Casson and Dan Temm ensured that the Trailfinders ended the second block of the Greene King IPA Championship with a morale-boosting away victory.
It was the hosts that started strongly and they went in front with a try from Will Tanner after just nine minutes. A lineout inside the 22 gave them the field position and with the rolling maul powering towards the line, Tanner was able to bundle over to score the opening points of the match. The conversion from James Williams extended their lead to 7-0.
The Trailfinders suddenly woke up and responded straight away with a try of their own from Barney Maddison. A string of penalties took them up to the line, and despite the maul being brought down Alun Walker smartly popped the ball up from the ground which allowed Maddison to smash his way over from just two metres out. Luke Daniels, who continued his impressive form from the tee levelled the scores at 7-7.
For the remainder of the first half both sides were battling for territory in what was a very close encounter. With the conditions making running rugby a challenge the teams were relying on a kicking game to create opportunities.
Piers O’Conor went close for the visitors with some nice footwork seeing him evade the defenders at the base of a ruck, but after racing in to the 22 he was dragged in to touch by the battling Hartpury defence.
Williams missed the chance to put the hosts ahead with a long-range penalty which went to the right of the posts, and the West Londoners punished the error with a try on the brink of half time to go down the tunnel with the lead.
In the final play of the half Luke Carter dummied and was brought down within touching distance of the line, and it allowed former Hartpury man Harry Casson to gather from the ruck and power his way over to give the visitors a much-needed lift. Daniels converted, giving Ben Ward’s men a hard-fought 14-7 advantage at the break.
The Trailfinders got the second half off to the perfect start with a try from Alun Walker just two minutes in to the final 40. Rayn Smid powered through the middle of the Hartpury defence, and the ball was spun wide straight away allowing Walker to run in unattended. Daniels converted from the touchline to extend the lead to 21-7.
Ealing then went in search of the bonus point score and were left frustrated as a number of chances passed them by around the hour mark. A dummy from Walker set Luke Carter free down the wing, but his pass back outside towards Will Harries was fumbled and Hartpury survived.
The patience paid off with 65 minutes on the clock as Alun Walker went over for the bonus point score to ensure that his side would return with all five points. A penalty gave the visitors a lineout just five metres from the line, and as so often this season it was the Scot who was able to power over the line from close range.
Dan Temm added some gloss to the scoreline with 10 minutes remaining with a long range try to put the match beyond doubt. The flanker gathered the ball from the base of a ruck 45 metres from the tryline and went himself, stepping a number of defenders to race clear for try number five.
The game opened up in the final moments with both sides looking to add to their tallies but the Trailfinders’ defence held firm and limited Hartpury to just the solitary try, which ensured that the match would finish with a 31-7 victory for the Londoners ahead of the return of the British and Irish Cup next weekend.
Hartpury:
15 Mike Wilcox 14 Aquile Smith 13 Tom Seabrook 12 Luke Eves 11 Ed Sheldon 10 James Williams 9 Harry Cochrane 1 Dan Murphy 2 Will Tanner 3 Alex Gibson 4 Charlie Beckett 5 BJ Edwards 6 Iain Grieve 7 Mat Gilbert 8 Rhys Oakley (c)
Replacements:
16 Henry Walker 17 Mike Flook 18 Ciaran Knight 19 Joe Quinn 20 Joe Dancer 21 Charlie Chapman 22 Jacob Perry
Scorers:
Tries: Will Tanner (9 minutes)
Conversions: James Williams (9 minutes)
Yellow Card: Rhys Oakley
Ealing Trailfinders:
15 Luke Daniels 14 Will Harries 13 Piers O’Conor 12 Joe Munro 11 James Cordy Redden 10 Rory Clegg (replaced by Lewis Robling) 9 Luke Carter (replaced by Grayson Hart) 1 Will Davis (replaced by James Gibbons) 2 Alun Walker (replaced by Rhys Lawrence) 3 Mark Tampin (replaced by Lewis Thiede) 4 Barney Maddison 5 Harry Casson (replaced by Llewelyn Jones) 6 Rayn Smid (replaced by Morgan Allen) 7 Dan Temm 8 Mark Bright (c)
Replacements:
16 Rhys Lawrence 17 James Gibbons 18 Lewis Thiede 19 Llewelyn Jones 20 Morgan Allen 21 Grayson Hart 22 Lewis Robling
Scorers:
Tries: Barney Maddison (13 minutes) Harry Casson (39 minutes) Alun Walker (42, 63 minutes) Dan Temm (67 minutes)
Conversions: Luke Daniels (13, 39, 42 minutes)
Match Officials:
Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant Referees: Darryl Chapman & Greg Garner
Fourth Official: Alexander Thomas
Half Time Score: Hartpury 7-14 Ealing Trailfinders
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