Author Archives: Paul Clarke

Stuart Commins returns to the Ealing Trailfinders starting XV for the away match against Cross Keys in the British and Irish Cup on Saturday.

The South African scrum-half had not featured in the team until he made a late appearance off the bench in the 28-27 win over Nottingham last time out having fought back from a rib injury he picked up against London Welsh in November.

In Wales he will form a half-pairing with Andy Hall.

Two of the try-scorers from the 24-15 defeat against the Welsh side in Vallis Way in October are in the team; Andrew Henderson continues at fullback, while Sam Hocking wears the number 6 jersey.

Hocking features in a back row with number 8 TJ Anderson, who will captain the side in place of the rested Adam Preocanin and Anders Nilsson, who returns from a calf injury.

Romanian international Andrei Radoi makes his second start at hooker and will pack down alongside Darryl Marfo and Tim Brockett. Behind them in the second row George Merrick returns from a neck strain to form a second-row pairing with Gavin Curry.

In total there are 11 changes to the team that beat Nottingham and one positional. Tom Bedford movies from inside to outside centre and will complete a centre pairing with his namesake Tom Wheatcroft.

Outside them winger Owen Bruynseels continues his return, while Sam Wardingley will start on the opposite wing.

Ealing Trailfinders v Cross Keys, Saturday 11 January, KO 15.00
15 Andrew Henderson
14 Owen Bruynseels
13 Tom Bedford
12 Tom Wheatcroft
11 Sam Wardingley
10 Andy Hall
9 Stuart Commins
1 Darryl Marfo
2 Andrei Radoi
3 Tim Brockett
4 Gavin Curry
5 George Merrick
6 Sam Hocking
7 Anders Nilsson
8 TJ Anderson (Captain)
Reserves
16 Cody Blackhurst
17 Steve Neville
18 Kyle Sinckler
19 Dan Collier
20 Alex Bradley
21 Tom Parker
22 Phil Chesters

Ealing Trailfinders’ Steve Pape in under no illusions of how important it is that the team made a winning start to 2014 with a 28-27 win over Nottingham.

The big second row started the victory; their second in the Greene King Championship after the 28-18 win away to Jersey in November. While Trailfinders may still be bottom of the table the result has boosted the team’s belief that they can now fight their way off the bottom of the table and catch the Channel Islanders, who are currently four points above them.

“It is massive,” Pape said. “If you look at Jersey they went and got a point (at home to London Welsh). It is massive as they are above us in the league and a massive confidence boost too. Beating Jersey was a good weekend, but this is another move in the right direction.

“It was a physical, physical game, but a good game. We played some good stuff, but we didn’t really make it easy for ourselves. The way we started the game was exceptional and I thought we were all over them. Sadly we let them in for an early try when they didn’t have to work for it, but overall it was a good win and a good start to the New Year.”

For the 30-year-old Pape it was a particularly tough match. With Nottingham’s game-plan built specifically around their powerful forwards, Pape and the rest of the pack had their hands full for most of the match.

While Nott’s captain Brent Wilson scored a hat-trick after being mauled over following three lineout catch and drives, Ealing’s pack repelled just as many further attempts and by the end of the match the Ealing eight were pinching lineouts and driving their opposite numbers backwards in the scrum.

“You have to give credit to Nottingham because over the years they have always been exceptionally well-drilled up front,” Pape added.

“From a collection of forwards, that lineout and the scrummage area, you can’t get more personal than that. So if someone says ‘We’re going to have a go at you, we’re going to kick to the corner’, and we put them on the floor and say ‘that’s not working, you’re going to have to go to your next plan’, then that’s a huge confidence boost. We all know we’re not the biggest set of forwards, but it was really good and really pleasing that we did defend well at times.”

Next up for Ealing is an away trip across the Severn Bridge to meet Cross Keys in the British and Irish Cup and Pape is expecting no let up in the physicality.

The Welsh side visited Vallis Way, built up a head of steam early on through their pack and then held on to win 24-15 as Ealing fought back with late tries from Billy Robinson and Sam Hocking.

“Cross Keys came here and pushed us over four times and they are going to do exactly the same when we go down there,” he said.

“They are going to come at us up front; typical Welsh boys, very robust, very aggressive, but we really have to tighten that area up. If we tighten that area up and give the backs the ball, like yesterday they will cause carnage.”

Ealing Trailfinders scored three first half tries and then dug deep under unremitting pressure to beat Nottingham for their second Greene King IPA Championship victory of the season.

Ealing led at half-time thanks to a brace of tries from Ronnie McLean and one from Phil Chesters. In the second half they had to weather a Nottingham attacking storm, but when centre Joe Munro was penalised for holding on in the tackle, Ben Ward was able to kick the ball off the pitch to seal the win from the first ever match between the two sides.

Ward scored the first points of the day when he slotted an early penalty after Nottingham were penalised for holding on in the tackle. Moments later they extended the lead further still when McLean linked with Andrew Henderson and Chesters to score a try that Ward converted for an early 10-0 lead.

Nottingham hit back quickly when wing Olly Woodburn raced clear, but when flyhalf Rory Lynn failed to find the posts it meant Ealing led 10-5 with 10 minutes gone.

The match settled into a pattern as both teams kept the ball in hand in an attempt to find a way through; eventually Nott’s captain Brent Wilson was driven over from a lineout, which Lynn converted to give the hosts the lead.

Their lead didn’t last long through as Chesters went over in the corner. Morgan Thompson took a quick tap from a penalty broke the line and fed the ball wide to the wing who held off the defence to touch down.

Nottingham hit back and twice tried to maul over from a lineout, but stout Ealing defence held them at bay and eventually Thompson’ box-kick cleared the danger. Minutes later a well-timed Henderson tackle forced a knock-on as their backs tried to run a move off the back of the scrum.

Lynn knocked over a penalty to pull Nottingham level at 15-15, but another Ward penalty put Ealing back in the lead and after the visitors were given one more chance to attack before the break, the forwards took the play close to the line before Ward released McLean for his second. With the conversion Ealing led 25-15 at halftime.

Nottingham came out all guns blazing in the second half and after their forward’s driving maul had been stopped they gave their backs the chance to have a run before Thompson and McLean combined to hold up centre George Catchpole over the line.

Eventually Wilson was driven over for his second try, but soon after Sean O’Connell and Henderson combined to carry fullback Andrew Savage back over his own line and after the scrum went down Ward calmly added another penalty.

The hosts continued to throw everything they had at the line and Wilson completed his hattrick from another rolling maul. They couldn’t find their way through again though and captain Adam Preocanin stole a lineout just as they were preparing a late surge.

O’Connell was ruled not to have scored a fourth, which would have secured a try-bonus point, before more great defensive play ensured that it would be a happy return back down the M1.

Ealing Trailfinders
Henderson, Bruynseels, McLean, Bedford, Chesters, Ward, Thompson; Storer, Radoi, Carey, Pape, Preocanin, Evans, Siggery, O’Connell
Replacements: Wilkes, Marfo, Brockett, Curry, Anderson, Commins, Kinloch

Nottingham
Savage, Purdy, Catchpole, Munro, Woodburn, Lynn, Romans; Ma’afu, Walker, Holford, Keogh, Montagu, Skuse, Wilson (captain), Calladine,
Replacements: Vickers, Bower, Hough, Eames, Jarvis, Barnham, Burton

Referee – Craig Maxwell-Keys
Attendance – 1,367

Romanian international Andrei Radoi will make his first start for Ealing Trailfinders in their away Greene King IPA Championship match with Nottingham on Sunday.

The 30-cap hooker joined Ealing just before Christmas and made his debut off the bench at home to Bristol Rugby in the final match before Christmas. Against Nottingham the 26-year-old will pack down between props Ryan Storer and Conor Carey.

Storer is the only other change to the pack that took on Bristol, which also features captain Adam Preocanin alongside Steve Pape in the second row.

Also coming into the starting XV is wing Owen Bruynseels, who has been out of action since the away match to Bedford Blues at the end of October. He is now over his groin problem and ready to return to try-scoring ways.

Bruynseels is the one change to the backline that faced Bristol and he makes up a back three with fellow wing Phil Chesters and fullback Andrew Henderson.

Ealing Trailfinders v Nottingham, Sunday 5 January, KO 15.00
15 Andrew Henderson
14 Owen Bruynseels
13 Ronald McLean-Dents
12 Thomas Bedford
11 Philip Chesters
10 Benjamin Ward
9 Morgan Thompson
1 Ryan Storer
2 Andrei Radoi
3 Conor Carey
4 Stephen Pape
5 Adam Preocanin (Captain)
6 Mathew Evans
7 Edward Siggery
8 Sean O’Connell
Reserves
16 Samuel Wilkes
17 Darryl Marfo
18 Timothy Brockett
19 Gavin Curry
20 Thomas Anderson
21 Stuart Commins
22 Christopher Kinloch

Ealing Trailfinders centre Tom Bedford is well aware that he and his teammates face a tough start to 2014 with an away match against Nottingham.

The east Midlands side are two place and 11 points clear of Ealing, but they showed their class earlier in the year when they reached the promotion playoff semifinals and are sure to want to begin 2014 with a victory

“It is a massive game against Nottingham coming up,” Bedford said. “That’s a big game for us and I’m sure the boys had a good break for Christmas, but really we have to think about getting points on the board.”

Bedford has been in try-scoring form in recent weeks; after his first of the season set up the team’s opening Greene King IPA Championship win away to Jersey, he pounced early on against Bristol in the final match before Christmas.

He struck less than five minutes in when he intercepted a Nick Robinson pass to race home from inside his own 22.

“By the end (Phil) Chesters was overtaking me and shouting at me to pass, but I looked left and right and luckily no-one was round,” he said. “I saw their 12 calling for the ball out the back and then the 10 looked up at him so I just gambled and it paid off.”

While Bristol hit back with three tries before halftime Ealing kept them at bay as they went after the try bonus-point in the second half.

In the last 20 minutes it was Ealing who were in the ascendancy as they sought a bonus point of their own and Bedford hopes he and the rest of the team can recreate those types of performances for the rest of the season.

“The boys were disappointed with the first half and the way we let them have some easy points,” he said. “In the second half we came out and gave it a really good go.

“There were a couple of times when we were in our own 22, but if we do our jobs right and defend correctly there’s no reason for people to score easy tries against us.”

Ealing Trailfinders put in an impressive display against Bristol in a match in which they had one of the favourites to win the Greene King IPA Championship reeling at times.

Fans didn’t have to wait long for the scoring to start; Bristol’s forward pack went on the attack, but after repeatedly hammering the Ealing line Tom Bedford pounced onto a loose pass and raced the length of the pitch to score his second try of the season that Ben Ward converted.

Bristol continued to use their forwards and eventually flanker Nick Koster was driven over from a lineout, with former Wales fly-half Nick Robinson adding the extras from the touchline. Soon after their pack won a penalty try, which Robinson had no problem converting to open a 14-7 lead.

With the wind behind them Bristol continued to pressure the Ealing line. Ronnie McLean stopped wing Ryan Edwards as he threatened to break through, so they turned to their pack and hooker Rhys Lawrence was driven over.

Despite Bristol holding the advantage Ealing ended the half on the attack and only desperate Bristol defence kept the hosts at bay.

The match remained scoreless for the first quarter of the match, though both teams did their best in the wind and run to move the ball and threaten one another’s lines.

Romanian international hooker Andrei Radoi came on to make his Ealing debut and as the match wore on Ealing took control of proceedings.

Ward picked out Phil Chesters with a cross-kick and the wing was only inches from reaching the line. In the end it was Ealing who looked more likely to secure a bonus points as they ended on the attack.

Ealing Trailfinders
Andrew Henderson, Chris Kinloch, Ronnie McLean, Tom Bedford, Phil Chesters, Ben Ward, Morgan Thompson; Steve Neville, Sam Wilkes, Conor Carey, Steve Pape, Adam Preocanin (Captain), Matt Evans, Ed Siggery, Sean O’Connell
Reserves
Andrei Radoi, Darryl Marfo, Tim Brockett, Gavin Curry, Sam Hocking, Tom Parker, Tom Wheatcroft
Bristol Rugby
Jack Tovey, George Watkins, Andy Short, Luke Eves, Ryan Edwards, Nicky Robinson, Callum Braley; Kyle Traynor, Rhys Lawrence, Gaston Cortes, Glen Townson, Mark Sorenson (captain), Nick Koster, Marco Mama, Mitch Eadie.
Reserves
Ollie Hayes, James Hall, Ben Skirving, James Merriman, Luke Baldwin, Adrian Jarvis, Charlie Amesbury

Ealing Trailfinders director of rugby Mike Cudmore has made minimal alterations to the team for the visit of Bristol Rugby on Saturday.

There are only two changes to the team that defeated Moseley in the British and Irish Cup last Friday, with one positional change for the pre-Christmas bash.

All the changes come in the forward pack.

Ulsterman Conor Carey takes over from Jordan Saunders at tight-head prop and will from a front-row trio with loose-head Steve Neville and hooker Sam Wilkes.

Matt Evans, who came off the bench in the win, wears the number six jersey in a back-row with Ed Siggery and number 8 Sean O’ Connell. Captain Adam Preocanin, who played flanker against Moseley, will move forward into the second-row and pack down alongside Steve Pape.

The back-line is unchanged. Morgan Thompson and Ben Ward will combine at half-back; Tom Bedford and Ronnie McLean are in the centres, while wings Phil Chesters and Chris Kinloch make up the back three with fullback Andrew Henderson.

Tim Brockett and Gavin Curry continue their return from injury on the bench and will be keen to add their presence to the fray against their home-town club.

New signing Andrei Radoi, also starts on the bench.

Ealing Trailfinders v Bristol Rugby, Saturday 21 December, KO 15.00
15 Andrew Henderson
14 Chris Kinloch
13 Ronnie McLean
12 Tom Bedford
11 Phil Chesters
10 Ben Ward
9 Morgan Thompson
1 Steve Neville
2 Sam Wilkes
3 Conor Carey
4 Steve Pape
5 Adam Preocanin (Captain)
6 Matt Evans
7 Ed Siggery
8 Sean O’Connell
Reserves
16 Andrei Radoi
17 Darryl Marfo
18 Tim Brockett
19 Gavin Curry
20 Sam Hocking
21 Tom Parker
22 Tom Wheatcroft