Author Archives: Paul Clarke

Ealing Trailfinders have made a quadruple swoop to sign up four players from local rivals London Scottish.

Fullback and wing James Love (right), centre Andy Reay (below), prop Jamie Kilbane and second row Paul Spivey have all made the short trip over Kew Bridge to Vallis Way to help Ealing Trailfinders in their quest to return to the Greene King IPA Championship at the first time of asking.

Love has been signed on a two-year contract and is equally at home at fullback or wing and can also cover fly-half if required. The former Hartpury College and Plymouth Albion player joined London Scottish in 2012 and was the Exile’s leading scorer in his first season with 218 points.

The 26-year-old then added another 166 points in 2013-14 to take his total with Scots to 384 in two seasons including a haul of 22 points when Ealing Trailfinders visited the Athletic Ground in March.

“James is someone I have admired for a while now,” Director of Coaching Ben Ward said. “Not only does he have a great kicking game, but he is a fantastic runner with ball in hand. He will suit our style of play and be a threat all over the park.”

Centre Reay signs in a joint capacity as a player and defensive coach for the first XV. Like Love he joined Scottish in 2012 and last season played 25 matches, scoring two tries.

He is a local lad having been born in Hillingdon, but made his name during a four-year spell at Moseley having previously helped England’s U21 side to the 2004 Six Nations Grand Slam and having played for Harlequins and Bristol Rugby.

“Andy brings a lot to the table,” Ward said. “As a player he has a great distribution game and has a knack of finding holes in opposition defences. He brings great leadership on and off the field and he has great defensive organisational skills that he will use to improve our defence from last season.”

Irish prop Kilbane joins after one season at the Exiles in which he played 11 times, including the match against Ealing Trailfinders in March. He previously enjoyed eight years at Rotherham Titans where he racked up 100 appearances and also lined up for Ireland U21, Belfast Harlequins, Clontarf, Ulster and Sydney University.

At 6’6’ second row Spivey was one of the Exiles leading lineout options. He began his rugby career in his native Yorkshire with Hull Ionians, where he came under the tutelage of current England head coach Stuart Lancaster. He then moved onto Moseley for two years and then signed for Scots in 2012.

“Jamie is a proven player at Championship level,” Ward said. “We are looking to really improve our platform next season and signing Jamie is a great coup for the club.

“Paul is a great athlete and has the engine to play our style of rugby. In a similar way to Jamie Kilbane he will be a key part of a forward pack tasked with providing a dominant set piece for us to play off.”

Gary Johnson is the latest player to sign for Ealing Trailfinders ahead of the 2014-15 season.

The 30-year-old second or back row joins from Cornish Pirates, where he had spent two years having previously played for London Irish and London Welsh, on loan. Last season he made 29 appearances for the side from the Duchy.

Prior to his spell in Cornwall Johnson rose through the ranks at London Irish; he made his debut for in an EDF Cup match against London Wasps in 2006 and subsequently racked up 55 appearances for the Exiles, including the 2009 Guinness Premiership final against Leicester Tigers.

Johnson, who was born in Farnborough, joined London Irish’s Academy in 2003 and in his first season he helped a side featuring future England internationals Delon Armitage and Nick Kennedy win the U19s National Cup. He has also appeared for England U18s Clubs, England Students and England Universities.

“Gary is a player who will bring a lot of experience to the club,” Director of Coaching Ben Ward said. “He is an abrasive and tough second row who will demand high standards from himself and the players around him. He is a good lineout operator and fits the bill of the type of player we are looking to recruit.”

Ealing Trailfinders are delighted to announce that front-row forwards Kevin Davis and Alex Penny have signed for the Club for the 2014-15 season.

Kevin Davis has joined from Greene King IPA Championship rivals London Welsh, for whom he played 16 times last season at both loose-head prop and hooker.

The Bristol-born player featured for England at U16, U18, U19, U20 and Student level and also featured for the Leicester Tigers’ Academy between 2004 and 2006. In 2010 he moved to Australia to play for the University of Queensland and impressed enough to progress to the Reds’ Academy in 2011, their Extended Playing Squad in 2012 and later the Queensland A side.

In England the 28-year-old has also played Championship rugby for Coventry and captained the losing Oxford side in the 2007 Varsity Match at Twickenham.

“Kevin is an athletic and agile front row forward,” Director of Coaching Ben Ward said. “He will give us a platform but can also play around the park and will fit in nicely with how we like to play the game.”

Alex Penny joins Ealing Trailfinders from National 1 rivals Henley Hawks.

In 2013-14 the tight-head prop impressed enough to earn selection for the England Counties side, before injury robbed him of the chance to wear England colours.

“Alex is someone who has been on the radar for the last few years,” Ward said. “He has performed well for Henley Hawks and will suit our style of rugby as he loves to get hands on the ball and has a good turn of pace.”

Steve Neville has rounded off a season in which he celebrated 200 appearances for Ealing Trailfinders by signing a new one-year deal for the 2014-15 season.

Neville has been with the Club since 2006 and the Preston-born prop forward marked his bi-centenary of appearances by leading the team out ahead of the home win over Nottingham.

“Steve has been with the club since its time in London 2,” Director of Coaching Ben Ward said. “He has made over 200 appearances for the club which is an amazing achievement.

“Every year there is new competition and Stevo rises to the challenge. It is great to have him on board next year. He knows what Ealing Trailfinders is all about and he will be an important person to have around the club on and off the field.”

Andrei Radoi is also signing on to help Ealing Trailfinders in their quest to win promotion from National 1.

The Romanian hooker signed for the Club in December 2013 and made his debut soon after against Bristol Rugby at Vallis Way. He quickly became a firm favourite with both his teammates and the fans and also helped Romania qualify for Rugby World Cup 2015.

“I am delighted to have re-signed Andrei,” Ward added. “His set piece area is very solid and he brings physicality around the park. It is a massive season for him that will culminate in a World Cup and he is determined to have success with both Ealing Trailfinders and Romania.”

A number of Ealing Trailfinders players who played for the club in the Greene King IPA Championship 2013-14 season are either stepping down or leaving for pastures new.

Chief among those departing is Mat Evans, who announced his retirement at the end of the season after four years at the Club. The South Africa-born Evans captained Ealing Trailfinders as they won the National 1 title and was at the helm again as the team attempted to avoid relegation.

Prior to his move to Vallis Way the back rower played for Worcester Warriors and Cornish Pirates with whom he won the EDF Cup twice. He also played for England Counties and the Barbarians.

“Thanks must go to Mat Evans who has also been with us from our league-winning season in National 2,” director of coaching Ben Ward said. “He has captained the team on many occasions and made over 100 appearances for the club. It has been a pleasure to play with him and I look forward to seeing him back at Vallis Way as a supporter next season.”

In total 24 players are moving on from W13, featuring those who played in the Club’s debut year in the Championship and those who helped the Club rise through the National Leagues to the second tier of English rugby.

“I would like to thank all the players for the hard work they put in throughout the season,” Ward added. “We came very close to pulling off a remarkable comeback but it was not to be. Special mention must go to Tim Brockett (left) and Gavin Curry who have played an important role on and off the field on our journey from National 2 South to the Championship.”

Players leaving Ealing Trailfinders ahead of 2014-15
Adam Preocanin
Andy Hall
Billy Robinson
Camilo Parilli-Ocampo
Cody Broadhurst
Conor Carey
Dan Collier
Gavin Curry
George Sandford
Isaac Ajayi
Joe McVey
Mat Evans
Richard Townsend
Ryan Storer
Sam Hocking
Sam Randel
Sam Wilkes
Simon Sexton
Stuart Commins
Thomas Anderson
Tim Brockett
Tom Bedford
Will Magie
Jack Pattinson

Ealing Trailfinders are delighted to announce that London Irish pair George Skivington (right) and David Paice will join the coaching team for the upcoming 2014-15 season.

Both players are experienced Aviva Premiership campaigners and have earned England honours. They will work alongside Keiran Power, who has signed a one-year extension to his contract with the Club.

George Skivington is the current captain of London Irish having previously played for Leicester Tigers and London Wasps. During that time he has won the Premiership and Heineken Cup and has also captained England Saxons. He is heavily involved in the lineout at London Irish and he will bring that expertise to Vallis Way by working on the lineout and kick off areas.

Australia-born David Paice (below) first came to England on a gap year in 2003. While in England the hooker joined the London Irish academy and was part of the team that won the National U19 Cup. He has gone from strength to strength with the Exiles to the extent that he has won eight caps for his adopted country and has notched up just short of 200 appearances in the London Irish first team. He will work on the scrum, as well as individually with the first team hookers.

“I am delighted to bring in both David and George to our coaching team for next season,” Director of Coaching Ben Ward said. “Both these guys are still playing and are aware of the demands of the modern game.

“We want to play an expansive game but to do this you need to get your set piece right. They will bring great experience to the line out, scrum and restart areas. Alongside Kieran Power we have a very exciting and dynamic coaching team looking after the forwards next season.”

Also joining the coaching team is former first XV player Paddy Gill. Since leaving Vallis Way he has worked in the coaching set-up at Leeds Carnegie Academy and Metropolitan University.

Paddy will come on board as a skills coach to help the players improve and develop core skills. His role will also extend to the analysis and evaluation of games.

“I have coached and played with Paddy previously,” Ward added. “He has a fantastic rugby brain and for us to play our expansive game plan all our players require an extremely high skill level. His primary role will be to ensure these guys receive all the help they need to perform these skills under pressure and in games when they count.”

Also signing extensions to their contract are Justin Smith, who will once again head up the medical team and Nick Rees who will lead the strength and conditioning team.