Author Archives: Paul Clarke

Academy heads to Nottingham

Nottingham 2 flier

There’s a slight feeling of deja vu around the Academy this week, and there a good reason for it. A special request from our fellow Championship Academy means we will play away twice this season and at home twice next.

After a strong U19 squad showing against Moseley last time out, we are keen to put the lessons learned over the last few games to try to make sure we get a better outcome from this trip to Lady Bay.

Our previous fixture against Nottingham ended in a comfortable win for the home side, despite a strong finish from the young Trailfinders. It will take a big effort from all involved to reverse the result but we are able to pick from an almost full squad.

There are seats available on the team bus for the trip and anybody looking to travel should contact Academy Manager Annie Lyndon to grab a spot.

Academy U19 overcome tough Moseley side to impress

Ealing Trailfinders Academy U19 47 – 10 Birmingham Moseley Academy

While a record crowd filled Vallis Way for the 1st XV game against London Irish, the Academy were putting on a performance of their own at Merchant Taylors School in Northwood.

As expected Moseley posed many problems for the young Trailfinders, not least at the breakdown where they won far too many turnovers for anyone’s liking. A lack of work by the ball carrier after the tackle and ineffective clearing out gave far too many opportunities to steal the ball.

The key to success was width and pace, both were evident for the first try for the Academy top try scorer Reon Joseph when he linked with full back Josh Steadman to out flank the Moseley defence from a scrum. U17 centre Ciaran Poynter on his Senior Academy debut was next to score, finishing off a long period of possession with a trot in, impressively converted by Max McMinn. Joseph finished the coring for the half with another link up with Steadman to score his 18th Academy try of the season.

The second half was a much better representation of how we like to play the game with more dynamism and aggression at the breakdown producing quicker ball to experiment with. Loose head prop Kadeem Collins scored the first try, a reward for hard working support on a long line break. Then the U17 contingent took over, Ciaran Poynter scored his 2nd try, centre partner Jesse Otway joined him and formidable young prop Harry Robbins also marked his debut with a classic forwards try.

Academy U18 Head coach Dave Samuels said “This was a great day for all the boys but especially pleasing to see 6 of the 7 tries today scored by players from the Academy U18 group playing up a level. It took a little while to get the physicality right but Zak Gregory at No8 was especially good in the loose with some good carries. It was bold to go with an U17 pairing in the centres but we were confident that Jesse and Ciaran were up to the task and they didn’t disappoint. Hopefully this experience will set us up for a strong finish to our U18 season with 2 cup competitions still up for grabs.”

All round a great day for the Club and the Academy, with only three games left in the Senior Academy season we are looking forward to a real test up at Nottingham in February.

Ealing Trailfinders Academy

Steadman J, Joseph, Poynter, Otway, Slater, McMinn, Nurse, Gregory, Woolford, Smith D, Niang, Ellingham, Barton, Bannister, Collins

Replacements

Retter, Robbins, O’Brien, Acclem, Price, Barry, Smith L, Bleakley

Scorers

Tries – Joseph (2), Poynter (2), Collins, Otway, Robbins
Cons – McMinn (5), Slater

Emerging talent Niang to skipper U19 side

St Edwards School, Oxford lock Alex Niang is set to skipper the Academy U19’s in tomorrows fixture against Birmingham Moseley at Old Merchant Taylors.

On announcing an exciting young squad Academy Director John Lacey said “We are really pleased to name Alex Niang as skipper of tomorrows side, he has been training and playing with both the Academy U18 and Senior Academy sides when he’s back from boarding school. He has shown a great mix of power, aggression and skill in his games with us and we think he has both athletic potential and leadership qualities that we hope to develop over the coming years.

We have all been working together as a squad this week with the U17 and U18 players joining the Senior Academy programme for the week. There have been some pleasing performances from the lads. It will be interesting to see how they go against older players, but we plan with these step ups in mind and are confident we will cope well.

The squad includes many of our Emerging Player Group members and these guys have been concentrating on skills and physical development for just these opportunities.

We’re expecting a tough game against Moseley and will have to be at the top of our game to come away with performance to be proud of.”

With a full house expected at Vallis Way, we have rearranged the venue to the impressive set up at Merchant Taylors School, we have played there on a couple of previous occasions and enjoyed those experiences immensely.

Kick off is at 14:00 and if anyone can’t make the 1st XV game against London Irish, we’d love to see you on the touch line cheering the boys on.

Evergreens 19 – 31 Thamesians

Under the Friday lights once again at Vallis the Evergreens looked sharp, well drilled and ready for this long anticipated top of the table clash with Thamesians Space Cowboys despite a longish Christmas lay-off. The game started at a fierce pace with big carries and hits from both sides with only an early Beck penalty miss of note. Missed tackles that crept into the Evergreens game then led to a converted try to the left of the posts after some good recycled ball by the opposition. Quick thinking with a tap penalty by Thamesians led to a second try, then a third after a clean break by a Dorian Grey-like vets figure leading to a 19-0 advantage.

Evergreens rallied with turnover ball taken into subsequent contact by Jake & Ash, sucking in opposition defence, leading to an easy score in the far left corner but we were not able to close the gap by half time.

The home halftime talk led to renewed second half pressure but dropped possession resulted in an interception from the 22, duly converted: 26-5. A series of rapid penalties taken by Whitney, with the referee punishing the non-retiring visitors, allowed Pup to cross the line for a converted try. Suddenly the team had belief and the unforced error count dropped. Eoghan broke with 3rd phase ball to take the score to within one converted try at 26-19. A draw was on the cards and Evergreen went for it but loose defence at the death led to a coffin sealing last try for the opposition.

Plenty of rugby to follow gents, with cup and league matches to come, plus a real chance of a rematch should we return to winning ways.

Coach Calling – High Tackles

Hot on the heels of the initiatives recently taken concerning the recognition and treatment of concussion, World Rugby has now acted to address one of the potential causes; the high tackle. Whilst the Law concerning players making contact with the head area in a tackle has not altered significantly, from January 03^rd this year the sanctions associated with such have been made more severe with a ‘zero tolerance’ approach being applied. Please see below and also take a few minutes to read further information which may be downloaded here and to view the short video available here.

The escalation of sanctions should simply add further weight to our tactical default which is to tackle ‘below the ball’…

Reckless Tackle

A player is deemed to have made reckless contact during a tackle or attempted tackle or during other phases of the game if in making contact, the player knew or should have known that there was a risk of making contact with the head of an opponent, but did so anyway. This sanction applies even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders. This type of contact also applies to grabbing and rolling/ twisting around the head/ neck area even if the contact starts below the line of the shoulders.

Minimum sanction: Yellow card

Maximum sanction: Red card

Accidental Tackle

When making contact with another player during a tackle or attempted tackle or during other phases of the game, if a player makes accidental contact with an opponent’s head, either directly or where the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders, the player MAY be sanctioned. This includes situations where the ball carrier slips into the tackle.

Minimum sanction: Penalty

If you have any questions or concerns relating to the Law or on the escalation of sanctions then please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thanks for your co-operation and understanding.

Best
Nick Lambert
Head Coach – Ealing Men’s Section

Main and Paddock Gate Kiosks

On Greene King IPA Championship and B&I Cup match days only; an additional entrance and ticket kiosk will be open, on the west side of Trailfinders Sports Club allowing much quicker access to the ground from Castle Bar Park Station and for supporters coming from Hanwell and Greenford.

The entrance is located on the footpath that runs between Gurnell Grove and Hathaway Gardens and will be open two hours prior to kick off and close after the majority of supporters have left the ground.

For the London Irish Game on Saturday 28th January, the gate will open three hours prior to the game and we recommend that you make use of this gate as we are expecting a large number of supporters.

Birmingham Moseley return to face Academy U19

Time marches on and its Birmingham Moseley who provide the next match for the young Trailfinders on Saturday 28th January. With a bumper crowd expected at the club that day for the 1st XV game against London Irish, the fixture has had to be moved to Old Merchant Taylors RFC in Moor Park, Northwood, there will be a familiar feel to the day as we have played there on a number of occasions in the last 3 seasons.

The reverse fixture ended in a good win for the Academy with Birmingham being a little under strength on the day, the change to U19 will mean a much stiffer test for the boys but its also a great opportunity for the 1st year Senior Academy boys to link up with the current U18s. The coaches will be looking closely at who steps up to the older group with an eye on next seasons recruits.

Recent Divisional selections Akeem Eubanks-Anderson and Reon Joseph are expected to feature with exciting prop forward Harry Robbins likely to make his debut for the Senior Academy. The side will be led by St Edwards School and Academy U18 player Alex Niang who has impressed against both the Royal Navy and London Welsh.

Divisional U18 honours await Academy duo

We are proud to announce that two members of the Academy U18 side have been selected to represent London and South East Division in the upcoming Divisional programme. Akeem Eubanks-Anderson and Reon Joseph both impressed while playing for Middlesex County before Christmas and continued to shine at the Divisional trial two weeks ago.

The players will take part in a further preparation game against a combined Hampshire and Sussex side on Sunday 22nd January at Old Paulines RFC before taking on South West Division at Staines RFC in February. From these fixtures an England Counties U18 squad will be selected to face Ireland Clubs U18.

Academy Director John Lacey said “This is a fantastic achievement and thoroughly deserved by both lads. Reon has had two great seasons, he’s been playing and training up with the Senior Academy since the summer and now school rugby has finished for Akeem he has joined up with the older group too. Both players are a joy to work with, they show great commitment and a willingness to learn.

We are very proud of their selection and it should act as a wonderful example to our younger players and those in the U16 and U18 Emerging Player Group of just what can be achieved with the right approach.”

Academy see in New Year with a Win at Welsh

London Welsh 5 – 48 Ealing Trailfinders Academy

lw-result

The Academy celebrated New Year early on Friday with a well executed win away at a foggy Old Deer Park.

In what was their first game in 10 years the newly re-formed Griffins fought with tenacity and heart but it was a more experienced Ealing side that took the spoils.

The scoring was opened by exciting winger Reon Joseph who chased a clever kick ahead by Josh Steadman, Steadman was next on the scoresheet, finishing a sharp move in the corner.

The young Trailfinders were on top in the loose and were producing a steady supply of ball for the back line but it was to be No8 and skipper Marcus Lowe who went over next with a short side rewind attack. London Welsh to their credit were next to score with a try of their own before Joseph scored his second shortly before half time.

The second half saw more tries for the Academy, Joseph completed his hat trick and there was a fine solo effort from scrum half Andrew Nurse before winger Lou Walker bagged a pair of tries to complete the scoring.

Hooker Chris Joyce was the pick of the bunch in possibly his best performance with the Academy, his set piece was excellent and he carried with power and determination. There were also good performances from Academy U18 players Alex Niang and Zak Gregory.

It was a great day for all concerned and especially exciting to see another Championship Club committing to a Young Player development programme. We wish them all the best and look forward to locking horns over the coming seasons.

Next up for the Academy are Birmingham Moseley later this month, the home fixture will be played at Merchant Taylors School in Moor Park, the game will be at U19 level so a great chance to see the next crop of youngsters likely to be moving into next years Senior Academy programme, keep an eye on here for more details.

We’d like to wish a happy New Year to you all and look forward to seeing you in the coming months.

Academy names team to face London Welsh Griffins

Academy Director John Lacey has named his side to face local Championship rivals London Welsh in tomorrows local derby at Old Deer Park.

On naming the team, Lacey said “Given the time of year, lads are back from University so there are plenty of players looking to get some more Academy game time, therefore we have named a large squad for the game.

We have included some of the Academy U18 squad who have been training with the Senior Academy, Alex Niang and Zak Gregory join Reon Joseph playing up having impressed against Birmingham Moseley.”

Dreamrobber

Marcus Lowe returns from loan at National League 2 Henley Hawks to skipper the squad.

Team
1. HITCHCOCK, T
2. JOYCE
3. VOSABALAVU
4. ELLINGHAM
5. WAKE
6. DAY
7. AVIS
8. LOWE (c)
9. SEGRE
10. McMINN
11. SAMMS
12. TOWNSHEND
13. ADELEKE
14. JOSEPH
15. STEADMAN, J

Replacements
16. BARTON
17. MARCH
18. NIANG
19. LEONARD-FOX
20. GREGORY
21. RETTER
22. NURSE
23. NOLAN-HUTCHINSON
24. LUK
25. WALKER
26. SLATER

Kick off tomorrow is at 13:00, it would be really appreciated if we had as many supporters there to cheer the boys on.