Author Archives: Paul Clarke

REPORT: Exiles 19 – 0 Old Isleworthonians

Saturday’s game saw the Exiles take on close neighbours Old Isleworthians.  Arriving at the club in beautiful sunshine, the 9 Exiles to have turned up were making way through the pre-match guiness hoping that they would not have to play 15 aside with 9, but then the prospect of 7s even with two subs was equally unappealing.  Then arrived the cavalry; in dribs and drabs, but each to a very warm welcome.

By game time, the Exiles were up to 4 subs, although with Andy Madden wearing the wrong contact lenses, it was difficult to count him as being fully there.  Kick off was greeted by a downpour which hampered running rugby; but undetered, the Exiles set about their opposition in rip roaring form with strong running from Malik, Ed Moores, and encouraging (?) vocal support from backs coach Barry Cousins on the sidelines.  The Exiles soon found themselves camped in the oppositions half with more possession than they knew what to do with – almost literally at times. 

Steve Richards was a welcome addition to the pack alongside Dave McS who was providing an energy that the Exiles have missed at times during the season.  It was infectious, and with Stef ‘World Player of Year’ McCabe playing at 9, but tackling like a flanker, Malik carrying hard, and Scot making yards at 10, the Exiles were all over the Isleworthians. 

The rain meant handling was tricky and on the few times the ball was turned over, the Isleworth 10 was struggling to make yards with the kicks.  Consequently much of the first half was spent in Isleworths 22. 

Despite the pressure, the Isleworth defence did not buckle easy; they rarely missed a tackle and made it very difficult for the Exiles to get over the white wash.  On top of that, the Exiles were guilty of butchering a couple of try scoring opportunities through an inability to work out what wingers are on the pitch for.  In one particular phase a 4 man overlap was squandered on two occasions as the runner opted to run back inside to get hit as opposed to passing it along the line to score easy.  Mark R on the right wing would be forgiven for taking a leaf out of the tube workers and going on strike.

Finally, Paul Toolan added some intelligence to the battering of the Isleworth line, by hitting the short side at speed and helped out by Afe’s weight, the two powered over the try line for well deserved score.

The second try was an opportunist’s try.  Following more sustained pressure on the Isleworth line, a turnover led to Isleworth possession, and just at their 9 was about to clear the ball, Stef ‘Players playing player of the year’ McCabe ripped the ball clear and dotted down for a very well deserved try.  Alex A converted.

The rain stopped for the second half and the Exiles carried on where they left off in the first.  Steve Richards was ruling the lineout, Ed Moores was enjoying the forwards going forward and Malik was like an ox on heat in the loose.  In one phase of play T epitomised the energy with a tank like drive putting the Exiles on the front foot; from the resulting ruck, T picked up and put in another barnstorming run – it’s not entirely clear how he managed to take it in and take it out, but it was bloody good to watch.

Despite all the good work, the Exiles were still struggling to breach the last line of outstanding Isleworths defence.  Spike was now on at 10 and conducting play like a glorious Welsh 10 from the 70s.  Nonetheless, there was still a lack of precision in the 22.  Forwards were still guilty of clogging up the backs and returning to the warm embraces of the opposition tacklers as opposed to letting the centres and wingers go round them.  Consequently, with 15minutes left there was still no second half score but there was little threat to the Exiles line.

Finally from another sliced Isleworth clearance, Ian Thynne found some room in the five metre channel and a little chip ahead saw the beleaguered Isleworth forced into touch for a five metre lineout.  Then there was one of those typical forward’s pile on which seems to lack sense to most people and Dave McS emerged from it smiling like a banker with a bonus.  5 points turned to 7 when Alex A nailed the tricky conversion.

More Exiles possession saw the game to a close, with couple of further lost opportunities to get the ball wide but with every other facet of the game commanding a 10/10; except Barry’s shouting, that just about reached 3/10 at its peak.

A very good performance from the Exiles with everyone playing their part.  A 19-0 score line didn’t reflect the amount of possession the Exiles had, nor the territory.  That said, the Old Isleworthian defence was very impressive all day, and there was nothing soft about any of the tries conceded. 

Finally, a special mention to the referee who went the whole game unnoticed – there is no greater compliment. 

Well done to the lads.  Onwards and upwards.

Tries:  Paul Toolan, Legend McGabe, Dave Mac Sweeney

Conversions: Alex Adide

REPORT: Ealing Trailfinders 37 – 10 Old Albanians

A topsy-turvy day in National 2 South saw a convincing home win for the Trailfinders while much-fancied Jersey crashed at Taunton, and Southend stayed in top spot despite losing at home to lowly Clifton.

N2S is developing into the league to watch. Just as it began to look like a handful of teams were pulling away it delivered the sorts of surprises that will see another season go down to the wire.

Ealing began strongly at home against an Old Albanians side that had won five from eight and surely would have looked for something from the short trip to West London. But Ealing had their tails up for the whole first half and were soon camped on the Old A’s line where number 8 Anders Nilsson picked up from the back of a five metre scrum and fed winger Owen Bruynseels who dived to place the ball on the line. For a moment the world stopped, and it was Ealing who realised the lack of action from referee Phillips meant Bruynseels was short of the line. Quick recycling led to Albanians hands in the ruck, an early yellow car for Jack Micans, the Old Albanians number seven, and an easy 3 points for fullback Neil Hallett.

Within a minute of the re-start Ealing were back in the Old A’s 22 with a scrum near the touchline. Ealing scrum-half  Morgan Thompson chose this moment for a little bit of magic. Standing facing infield he flicked the ball between his legs to release Phil Chesters  on the blindside for a try in the corner. Albanians were able to get on the scoreboard with a penalty slotted by fullback Richard Gregg, but it was still mostly one-way traffic. On twenty minutes it was Chesters again after some neat football on the floor from Ealing’s aggressive Matt Evans. A ruck in front of the posts gave Ealing too many opportunities against a disrupted defence and once again Chesters crossed in the same spot. Hallet, who has had a great season with the boot so far, missed again from the touchline, but at 13-3 Old Albanians already looked like a beaten side. Just seven minutes later another scrum in the Old A 22 led to a brutally fast break and Peter Hodgkinson’s fifth try of the season. But Old A’s regained their composure and started to go through the phases, keeping the ball for some minutes, albeit in  their own half. But with just 5 minutes to go until half time, Anders Nilsson charged down a kick for territory and dribbled the ball along the floor to score near the uprights. As Ealing went into half time 25-3 up, and with a try bonus point already secured, a large Vallis Way crown licked their lips and looked forward to more of the same in the second half.

After the break it was a new Old Albanians who took the field. For 10 minutes they had most of the ball and most of the pressure, until finally they broke down the Ealing defence through the midfield with a converted try from centre Johannes Lombaard. For a moment a fight-back did seem possible but Ealing came back with a relentless spell of pressure that finally released  the other winger, Owen Bruynseels, to score in the corner. A final try, which will have hurt the Albanian scrum, as they were pushed most of ten yards back before Ben Ward simply had to pat the ball to secure a convincing 37-10 victory.

Mike Cudmore, Eaing coach said, 

"I was very pleased with out bonus point win against Albanian’s.  Our platform was very strong with our scrum in dominate mood.  This allowed us not only to give our back line quality ball to work with but also it allowed us to put them under a lot of pressure on their ball.  We scored some good tries and our defence on the day was of a high level against a team who we knew like to play and challenge the opposition".

While Trailfinders were convincing at home the Jersey team were less so on their travels. Taunton, who Ealing beat at their ground in early October, put four tries away in the first half for a bonus point win against a very strong Jersey side. And it was bonus points that kept Southend at the top of the table. They lost to Clifton at home but got a losing bonus point and a try bonus point. Ealing finished the weekend in second place, just one point behind, with an away trip to second bottom Hinckley in prospect for the weekend. Southend have a difficult trip to Dings Crusaders while Jersey welcome struggling Newbury to their island fortress.

 

PREVIEW: Ealing Trailfinders v Old Albanian RFC Saturday 30th October 2010

Ealing return to Vallis Way after their first defeat of the season at the hands of Jersey last weekend, and whilst there will be disappointment at losing that record, they are well aware that it is only one game of a long season.

DoR Mike Cudmore said following the game, "Whilst we are obviously disappointed at the loss and we wanted something to show for it, but having said that it wasn’t a cup final, just one more game out of 30". National 2 South is more competitive this season than in previous ones, and it is doubtful that any one side will maintain the form needed to go undefeated all season. Only Southend have that now, a draw against Ealing being their only blot! A long season indeed.

OAs were promoted into National 2 South last season after, in their own words "with an emphatic play off victory over Old Patesians", they also became County Champions in the same season, so all in all quite a season for the boys from Hertfordshire.
They have started life in N2S well, and their results to date show that the recruitment over the summer has paid dividends. Indeed, with a host of Ex Cambridge players joining them, they have the experience to compete at this level.

Under the leadership of James Shanahan, their newly appointed player/head coach, they have added some steel to their pack, ex Leicester and Saracens number 8, Paul Gustard has been a solid addition, whilst Stefanes Lieenberg at scrum half is proving a handful for all defences!

The Old Albanian RFC – A history

Where we are today seems a far cry from our beginnings when the Club was formed in 1924 by a group of far sighted Old Boys of St Albans School with a mutual love of the game (and doubtless an ale or two as well!) and acquired our first pavilion, a timber WW1 Barrack Hut. Organised rugby was thus established in St Albans and 13 years later, in 1937, OAs became an open club providing Rugby Union for all.

The Club has produced many players who have won representative honours whilst with us, including Barbarians, Gregg Botterman, Darragh O’Mahoney and Steve Pope. We are particularly proud of Geoff Probyn, who started his illustrious rugby career here and, Welsh International Paul Turner who played regularly in OA hoops before finally hanging up his boots to concentrate on his coaching career.

The Saints are very proud of the wealth of talent that grace our pitches and have, over the years, been home to over 10 International Players. Most recently, we have had representation in the England U20 team from Geri Thomas and Millie Fuggles as well as from Megan Williams for Wales U20s. The Saints also have players regularly included in the Super Fours, Regional and County Teams.
OAs in 2010

2009/10 proved to be a brilliant season for all of our teams; the most successful in the proud 86 year history of our Club. Three of our senior sides, including the 2’s and 3’s, topped their respective leagues and the prize for OA Saints was no less than a place at the top table of womens’ rugby.

After seven years of steady progress in London One, the men’s 1st XV seized promotion to the National Leagues with an emphatic play off victory over Old Patesians, thus becoming the undisputed top old boys club in the whole country. Their achievements were capped in being crowned County champions in, fittingly, the very last game to be played at OMTs’ Durrants Ground in May.

So far in 2010, OAs sit in 7th position, 27 points from their8 games, 5 wins and 3 defeats, 238 points for and 179 against. The three defeats have been away at Worthing (25-32) and Lydney ( 22-27), and last week’s defeat at Woolhams by Richmond (26-39) .
They have some solid, notable wins as well. In the road at Dings is no mean feat as we know ( 24-20), and a demolition of the early pace setters Henley Hawks (50-23) made people sit up and take notice of them.

Stand off Richard Gregg is the clubs top points scorer this season, with 68 points, whilst wing Chris May has 6 tries to his name, and centre Terry Adams 5. They sit in the middle of the table when it comes to yellow cards on 6, Southend on top with 10 and Ealing have 3.

Ealing’s skipper Ben Ward is aware that OAs will pose some problems for them. "They have recruited well, and like all the teams that have come up this season, they are making an impression so far. They have players that have played at a higher level so we will have to be switched on from the start. Some things last week didn’t go our way, but that’s rugby. You have to get back on the training field to put them right. You don’t become a bad side from 1 defeat. We are all looking forward to their visit, and hope to get back to winning ways."

Recent games between Ealing Trailfinders and OAs

This is the first game at National league level between the two clubs although we did meet in the London leagues on our way up.
London Division 1

11/11/06 Ealing Trailfinders 64 OAs 16
16/12/06 OAs 27 Ealing Trailfinders 19

REPORT: Exiles 37 – 56 CSSC Barbarians 23rd Oct

Read Stef’s report. Yes details of Chandra playing at fly half, finally after a life long ambition his dreams are realised. 

With only 13 players and no bar open for pre-match Guinness it was always going to be a struggle against an eager home team with several subs.

The match began as a fairly well contested affair but sure enough after a while the opposition found the missing players in our back line and exploited that with some swift movements and got a bunch of tries.

Their forward pack even wanted to play some back line rugby as they did not commit much to the rucks and mauls and spread themselves down the line. Their ploy worked as nine against four is always hard to defend and they ran in a few more good tries.  However their tactic also allowed our forwards to punch up the field when we were on the ball. Jareth in particular found some good gaps on the fringe and ran magnificently.

Barry won quite a few scrums against the feed and the rest of the pack did a magnificent job to secure a clean ball for the backs. Chandra (first time flyhalf) spotted gaps on the blindside and worked those lines like Pete Doherty in a nightclub. It was unfortunate that we did not have the numbers to be able to support Chandra as he ran out of steam.

We went into the break with two good tries and many other opportunities just missed. Put that together with some fine words from Barry at half time, we had all the encouragement we needed to reduce the large deficit. The type of thing David Cameron should take notes from.

The second half started well, we took the ball and bashed it up the field. We made good ground and were rewarded with points fairly quickly. We played some magnificent rugby in the second half, the forwards shuffled out to help the backs which showed in our defence. It and also freed up players for support when we broke their defensive line. We managed to get the ball off loaded during the tackle and when we took the ball to ground we recycled it well.

With about 15 minutes remaining their captain graciously lent us a few players. The benefits of having 15 men were instant and we ran in a few tries in succession. With not long to play and a miscalculation by the ref we were led to believe we were only trailing by 3 points, this fired us up and we managed to get that extra try! Then the opposition got one but that’s not important, it’s a moral victory to the exiles for probably winning the second half and playing some damn good rugby as a team!

Tries / Cons – no idea yet!

 

1)       Ghassan Mattras – ½ match

2)       Barry Cousins

3)       Gautier Henry

4)       Anthony Lynch

5)       John Moore

6)       Tom Laishley

7)       Gautam Teague

8)       Jareth Keenan

9)       Stef McGabe

10)   Chandra Sekar

11)    –

12)   Neal Craig

13)    –

14)   Afe Ogun

15)   Allun Simpson

 

REPORT: Jersey 32 – 18 Ealing Trailfinders

Ealing Trailfinders returned from Jersey with nothing to show for their efforts as a 76 minute try for the hosts by second row Nathan Hannay denied Ealing a losing bonus point in this top of the table clash in National 2 South.

Ealing’s Director of Rugby, Mike Cudmore, had few complaints after the game, although clearly disappointed that his team had missed out on the losing bonus point. "We wanted something to show for it, but having said that it wasn’t a cup final, just one more game out of 30".

Indeed this season whoever wins National 2 South will have a few tricky moments, and it will be doubtful that any team will go through the season undefeated.

The day started with strong winds and showers throughout the morning, and indeed the wind was to prove a vital factor in the days events.

Ealing won the toss, and elected to play into the wind in the first half. An early penalty by fly half Michael Le Bourgeois put the home side into the lead on 8 minutes, and this was extended as new signing David Doherty raced clear of the Ealing defence. Le Bourgeois added the conversion and Jersey were 10-0 ahead after 17 minutes gone on the clock.

Ealing came straight back at their hosts, and their defence held Jersey at bay. Up front Ealing held the much heralded Jersey pack, and were creating opportunities themselves. On 20 minutes a trademark cross field kick by Ben Ward found Phil Chesters, but the flying wing was held up just short of the line.

Ealing’s defence turned the ball over in midfield, the ball was shipped out to Phil Chesters, and he added to his tally for the season on 30 minutes. Neils Hallett’s conversion into the wind was missed. Le Bourgeois added a further penalty just before the break to take the home side into the break 13-5 ahead.

At half time Ealing felt they had played the conditions well. Skipper Ben Ward said "We felt going into half time we were in a good position to turn with the strong wind. However Jersey played the second half well and we underperformed in this period." 

Going into the second half with the wind at their backs, the Ealing forwards would have been hoping to spend a large proportion of the half embedded in the Jersey 22m area. But it was the home side who showed great control of the ball playing into the wind in the second half, and had the majority of possession that meant that Ealing were forced into attacking from deep positions.

Jersey made some changes and looked to play a limited but highly effective game plan going into the second half. Their ball carriers began to apply the pressure, meaning that Ealing defence had to be on their guard continually. A series of drives by the Jersey front five, lead to a scrum just short of the Ealing line, it collapsed for the first time, and referee Andrew Vaughan signalled a penalty try to the home side, and left the Ealing players looking slightly bemused at the decision made so quickly.

Ealing came back strongly and were awarded a penalty for offside, which Neil Hallett struck over to bring the score back to 20-11 after 52 minutes.

A series of drives lead to a defining moment for the visitors, as Ealing wing Owen Bruynseels being awarded a yellow card for coming in at the side. At the re scrum replacement number 8, Nick Thrower crashed over to extend the home side’s lead to 25-11.

Ealing looked to use their pace on the wings and the ball found Phil Chesters, who would have gone the length of the pitch but for the pass to have been adjudged forward by the linesman Mike Wells.

Ealing looked to increase the pressure on Jersey, and after a yellow card was shown to replacement back row Russell Holland for persistently killing the ball, Ealing’s Sonny Kuwana went over for the try, Hallett converted and with 7 minutes remaining Ealing were hopeful of taking something from the game.

The most bizarre moment of the game was still to come, and one that left both players and spectators scratching their heads. From a restart on half way by Michael Le Bourgeois the ball was taken back by the wind, did it go the required 10m? Le Bourgeois didn’t wait to find out, he collected his own kick and going deep into Ealing’s territory, a series of drives by their pack, saw Nathan Hannay cross for the home sides 4 try of the day, Le Bourgeois converted.

Mike Cudmore added "The conditions were very difficult with the wind and rain, and it played a major factor in the game. We played into it in the first half and worked hard and came in at half time eight points behind which considering the conditions we all felt was a good half. We were clear on what we needed to do in the second period but some decisions did not go our way, we did not control the game or manipulate the conditions well enough and Jersey’s exit plays were very good and they took their opportunities well. The team worked hard and gave their all and unfortunately sometimes that still is not enough to get anything from a game. We play thirty games in a season and this is just one of them. I am looking forward to this weeks training and our home game against Old Albanians"

Skipper Ben Ward was philosophical after the game. "As is the way in league rugby it is our jobs to get back to working hard on the training field, put this game behind us and learn from where it went wrong. This Saturday we have to be very switched on to a dangerous Old Albanians team."

Ealing return to Vallis Way this weekend, to face newly promoted Old Albanians. Kick off is 2.30pm.

Ealing Trailfinders

15 – Neil Hallett 14 – Owen Bruynseels 13 – Pete Hodgkinson 12 – Joe Price 11 – Phil Chesters 10 – Ben Ward (C) 9- Ian Martin 1 – Lewis Brown 2 – Jon Moyce 3 – Dinos Alexopoulos 4 – Jack Fishwick 5 – James Winter bottom 6 – Lee Starling 7 – Jay King 8 – Mat Evans

16 – Steve Neville 17 – Sungo Kuwana 18 – Anders Nilsson 19 – Karl Gibson 20 – Paddy Gill

PREVIEW: Jersey v Ealing Trailfinders – National 2 South – Saturday 23rd October

The Channel Islands are calling – Jersey RFC is the destination.

An impressive unbeaten record at their Rue das Landes ground in St Peters that stretches back to 2009 is what awaits the boys in Green and White, so far this season Jersey have beaten Worthing (21-10), Dings (35-15) and Lydney (32-25) at home.

Ealing’s experienced number 8 Mat Evans who joined this season from Cornish Pirates reflected on Ealing’s strong started to the season said “I am really enjoying my time at Ealing. The lads have been fantastic and made me feel welcome coming into the squad. It is still relatively early in our season, but I am happy with our start. We expect to perform every weekend at high levels, and bar periods in certain games, we have managed to achieve this. The next 2 weeks are crucial-if we can get 2 wins against Jersey and Old Albanians, then that will turn a good start to the season to a brilliant start."

Jersey were promoted last season to National 2 South after an impressive championship winning season in National 3, with 18 victories and only 1 defeat culminating in a Twickenham victory over Armthill . Their impressive home victory stretches back to September 2009, and its one that most teams look at in awe!

Jersey succumbed to their first defeat of this season last week against Richmond, and their Director of Rugby, Ben Harvey said to The Rugby Paper, that Richmond were good value for their win. “We didn’t deserve to win. We played badly last week (against Lydney) and won. We played worse this week and Richmond made us pay".

So a backlash could be on the cards for Ealing!

Skipper Ben Ward said, “Jersey have a very impressive home record over last few years and it’s a great challenge to go there and beat them. We have trained well this week, and go there looking to play our own style of rugby, and hopefully keep our defensive record going".

Jersey RFC – A history

Rugby has been played in Jersey since 1879 with breaks for war and the Nazi occupation but the modern era started when the club acquired the land for a permanent home near the airport in 1961; the original wooden clubhouse was built in 1964, its approximate location was in the middle of the Jersey Bowl car park. From the early 1970s, when tourism on the island was at its peak, Jersey attracted many of rugby’s top clubs who could combine a break from their regular fixtures with a game against the JRFC.

This period culminated with a very successful Centenary year in 1979, teams with international players came over to play and help celebrate this event – JPR Williams being one of the most famous! This decade left the club with an unequalled collection of plaques and memorabilia; teams coming from the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia (the beach guard connection) and Holland.

The current clubhouse was opened in September 1994 and corresponded approximately with the start of the leagues; then Jersey could not rely on random visiting sides and had to join the league in Hampshire. Our 1st XV has worked it’s way up to the National 2 South League but the travel costs are very high – JRFC relies heavily on functions and sponsorship to support this commitment.

In the summer of 2010 a new Stand was built between the 1st XV pitch and the Airport Road and an extra Clubhouse, with kitchen and bar, to the east of the main club facilities. This to provide amenities for the increasing number of spectators due to the success of the 1st XV.

Jersey in 2010

Six wins from 7 starts shows that Jersey mean business! They have had 3 wins at home and 3 on the road, and the loss to Richmond last weekend at The Athletic Ground.

The players to watch – Open side Steve O’Brian has 4 tries to his name, while centre Andy Henderson has bagged 3.

Full back Michael Le Bourgeois is their danger man when it comes to collecting points . He is their top points scorer with 74 (12 conversions, 15 penalties and 1 try). They have scored 21 tries so far this season, 11 from the backs and 9 from their forwards.
They are also well up the league table with yellow cards! Just behind Southend with 10, they have 7!

Obviously travelling to Jersey is no easy task as their home record testifies to, but its definitely somewhere Ealing are looking forward to going.

Matt Evans added “As a squad we are heading to Jersey to win a game of rugby. We have worked this week on preparing ourselves for a physical mentally-challenging fixture. There is no reason why we can’t go there and win: our squad, in all honesty, is better than Jerseys. If we believe in ourselves and stick to the game plan put in place I believe we should be coming home with 4, hopefully 5 points in the bag."

Recent fixtures between Jersey & Ealing Trailfinders

This is the first fixture between the two clubs at league level.

 

REPORT: Ealing Exiles 5 – 31 GWR

Ex Cleckheaton RUFC star winger Ian Thynne reports…

Exiles 5 – 31 GWR  Sat 16th October 2010 away game played at home…

Saturdays game saw the the Exiles either have a home game or travel away to their own ground where GWR also play.  It was all a little confusing.  It was a balmy autumnal day with the sun out, just waiting to embrace a game of fluid running rugby.

Then the Exiles turned up.

In fairness though, things got off to a fairly good start. Mark (winger) slicing through the defence to score, followed by Noel (centre / 10) who showed Jason Robinson-esque feet and cantered through to score under the posts. The best effort came from Spike (10) and Ian T.  Spike drew in the defence and a beautiful pop pass saw Ian T run in a simple score. However, the rest of the game of Touch to warm up was a mixture of dropped passes, aimless running and silence.

Sadly the actual game was more akin to shambles than Mark’s arcing, slicing defence splitting run.

The conditions turned just as GWR kicked off with their enormous pack in hot pursuit.It was a bit of a shambles from the start with with no one putting a name on it and GWR coming up with the ball.  That just about set the scene for the rest of the game for the Exiles.  The Exiles had a decent team out, but the backs and forwards were not gelling.  GWR were throwing their big runners at the Exiles but thankfully Ritchie (prop) seemed to be enjoying bringing them down.  It was a bit chess like to start with but it looked more like GWR would make the break through.  Any ball the Exiles had was stuttering and lacked rhythm summed up in one phase of play when after a good series of phases and plenty of yardage, the ball was kicked ahead by one of the forwards for a throw in to them – forwards should never kick – simples.  They cleared and the Exiles had to start again.

GWR were a well organised machine benefiting from their weekly training sessions.  At most break downs they would pack the backs with forwards whilst the Exiles were drawn to the mass of bodies like a fly to dung.  This left plenty of men over which they exploited at leisure. 

GWR scored their try from such a position, nailing an overlap on the right which the Exiles could do nothing to defend.  This was after about 10minutes but the Exiles were confident it was just a lapse.

Then came a devastating blow for the Exiles when Ritchie was taken out by friendly fire.  Alex A (flanker) trod on the calf of the big (he has lost weight though) prop, the scrum went backwards, and their number 8 scooted over for a try.  Ritchie goes off, they score a converted try and things just go downhill.

Their third try came very shortly afterwards following good Ealing play in the GWR 22, but the ball was turned over and moments later, they kicked ahead and the ball was soon bouncing around on the Ealing 5 metre line.  Afe (Fullback) did well to defend the ball, but in the wet conditions the ball squirmed out and their 9 jumped on the ball to score.

Their fourth try was not long in the making.  A break from their 9 who simply switched direction ran around the defence and offloaded to the winger for an easy score.  Too easy.

It was disheartening.  The Exiles didn’t lack effort but the organisation of the opposition were killing them, combined with some panicked decision making when taking penalties and the loss of Ritchie meant they were always making headway.

From the fourth try Ealing kicked off and Fab (hooker) mistimed his tackle on the jumper.  There was no malice, but one of their props reacted like someone had just stolen his favourite sandwich.  He managed to get the penalty reversed. And then out of nowhere Neil (centre) strode about 20 yards to mouth off at the GWR prop and managed to talk himself into a Yellow card.  Not wise.

Half time came round and encouraging words were given but they were not received. 

The second half started in much of the same vein as the first did summed up by one phase of play.  Alistair (winger) held on to a chip kick in the 22, called mark; tapped it; ran forward 5 yards and offloaded to Stef (9) with half their pack in his face – Hospital pass, turn over and lost ball.  Moments later they scored. 

31 – 0. Enough said.

As they started to tire the Exiles got into the game more with Spike playing the sensible kicking game.  Michael (winger – who was definitely at work and not playing Rugby like his missus thinks) showed some excellent pace and made good inroads.  With more ball the Exiles were looking good again, but there was still a distinct lack of cohesion.

Often tap penalties were taken by Stef and it was only after the tap did the discussion occur about who was going to take it.  It was a little bit of shambles. 

However, the Exiles did have the last word though.  A penalty 5 metres out was taken by Eff (lock, second row, the engine) who shimmied like Gavin Henson (rugby Henson not dancing orange muppet) and drove home for a quality score.  The celebrations were immense and were just reward for not giving up.

All in all it was a fairly disjointed show.  GWR were a well organised team, aggressive and solid; but the Exiles made it too easy.  Not enough talking, not enough understanding of the game, and lack of awareness of the opposition and what they were up to.

On the plus side, the scrum was solid throughout, Ritchie was imperious until injured, T was hard working and superb (they did only manage 1 try in the second half when he was on) and Michael (who didn’t play due to work commitments) looks like he will do some damage on the wing – although it would help if he was passed the ball.

Some key players were missing, there was a new 10,12,13 axis yet again, some GWR lads knew our line out calls, and the ball was slightly wet all conspired against the Exiles.

Well done to GWR, and thanks to the Ref who had a really good game and controlled it well – except when Ian T (winger) was adjudged not to have caught the ball on the full having called mark – I bloody well did catch it!

Try:

Eff

Team:

1 Richie Melia

2 Fabio Krasniqi

3 Gautier Henry

4 Antony Lynch

5 Tom Laishley

6 Mark Davies

7 Andy Madden

8 Jareth Keenan

9 Stef McCabe

10 Noel Lavery

11 Mark Rutherford

12 Paul Toolan

13 Neal Craig

14 Ian Thynne

15 Alex Adide

 

16 Ghassan Matta

17 Gautam Tamang

18 Alister Barnston

19 Afe Ogun

20 Michael – T’s mate

 

REPORT: Ealing Trailfinders 47 – 10 Westcombe Park

As Ealing Trailfinders were comfortable winning  this National 2 South encounter at Vallis Way, down the road in Richmond, league leaders at the start of the day Jersey, were on the wrong side of their first defeat of the season, against Richmond 25-14.

Next weekend Ealing Trailfinders travel to Jersey for a mouth watering top of the table clash.

Ealing’s impressive display was built on a solid defence and one that kept Combe at bay for the majority of the game. Head coach Kieran Power was aware that there will be things to work on ahead of the Jersey clash next weekend, he said after the game "whilst it was far from an 80 minute performance, we did create a solid base from our defence which at times was outstanding. From this we were able to play our own game from and the result was some great counter attacking play that bought us 7 tries ".

He added, "Looking to next weekend, Jersey have shown they are a quality side, to come into this league and have just one defeat from seven games doesn’t lie. We will have to go there, build on this performance and correct our mistakes. It wont be an easy trip, but then again that’s what we would expect".

Combe, starting the game with the elements behind them, opened the scoring on 6 minutes by a well taken penalty by stand off Luke Gilles. From there Ealing began to dominate the game. Allowing the visitors no time or space on the ball, the first try of the day went to tight head prop Rob Buchanan, who showing great pace sprinted over from the 22m line . Full back Neil Hallett added the conversion and Ealing were 7-3 ahead, with 8 minutes gone.

Ealing’s second try was scored by scrum half Ian Martin. This was the young scrum half’s first 1st XV league outing of the season after he returned to the Vallis Way club he left in 2005 to attend Sandhurst. After training at Sandhurst, he was commissioned to the Infantry, the Duke of Wellington’s regiment (3rd Yorkshire), and his time has been spent of tours abroad to Norway, Afghanistan and Cyprus. Ian has also represented the Army 1st XV and has now reached the rank of Captain.

Ian said "It is great to back and be a part of something as special as Ealing.  It is a fantastic set up with great coaches and good players.  It has also been great seeing some familiar faces and getting to play again with some of the boys who I have shared so much with in the past.  I look forward to the rest of the season and hope to contribute and build on the successful start that we have had.”

Martin’s first try of the day and Ealing’s second, followed a passage of play which saw centre Joe Price burst through a gap in the Combe defence, the forwards producing quick ball. Martin, spotting a hole near the ruck, darted through side stepping the full back and over he went near the posts. Hallett added the conversion and Ealing’s lead was out to 14-3 after 17 minutes.

On thirty minutes centre Joe Price was in for the home sides third try of the day . He took the ball at at speed and outpaced the defence. Neil Hallett added his third conversion of the day, and Ealing after  playing  into the elements, went into half time 21-3 ahead.

The second half began were the first had ended, as Ealing’s dominance continued. On 52 minutes skipper Ben Ward, scrambled through the visitors defence after quick ball from a scrum under the posts. Hallett adding the conversion, Ealing were 28-3 ahead . 

Ealing made changes as Gethin Davies and Steve Neville came on after 57 minutes. Scrum half Ian Martin added his second of the day ,after great work by the Ealing forwards who  drove towards the Combe line, sucking in defenders,  he went through the gap after linking with flanker Jay King, Martin was put over unopposed. Hallet missing the conversion from out wide.

The visiting Italian referee, Marius Mitea, began to lose patience with Combe. Conceding a string of penalties, he finally showed a yellow card to prop Ben McKinnell, and with that he had a rest of 10 minutes.

Combe then broke out but the superb Ealing covering defence swallowed them up, and from  the resulting penalty on 62 minutes, Joe Price went over for his second of the day, and with the successful conversion by Hallett, Ealing’s lead was out to 40-3.

Young Sam Wardingley came on for the impressive Markus Burcham.

Going into the final quarter of the game, Westcombe Park  got a try of their own as prop Dean Sole was bundled over for a deserved try, Luke Giles adding the conversion and bringing  the lead down to 40-10 to Ealing on 67 minutes. Following this, Lewis Brown and Karl Gibson came on for Ealing, replacing Jon Moyce and Anders Nilsson.

On 80 minutes the game’s final try went to the Man of the match full back, Neil Hallett, converting his own try, and with it, the final score 47-10 reflecting the dominance of the home side’s performance.

Neil Hallett said after receiving his man of the match award from Vice President Andy Killeen , "It is great to get to this stage in the season undefeated. The squad are really beginning to gel, and we are playing some decent rugby. The thing is to be consistent and  to  keep it going. We are all looking forward to next week and Jersey. Without a doubt  it will be test, but one we will front up to."

Skipper Ben Ward echoed Neil’s comments,  "travelling to Jersey this weekend,  in what is on paper a top of the table clash. The difficult thing about this league though is that there are no easy games. We will treat it like all our games, and go into the match looking to perform well. We know if we do this we have a good chance to get the result we want. Jersey have a very impressive home record over last few years and its a great challenge to go their and beat them."

Director of Rugby Mike Cudmore said "I am happy with the win and 5 points. We controlled the game well in the first half but in the second due to some errors we allowed them too much ball at times. Our physicality was of a high level and I was very pleased with the debutants performances on the day".

Next weekend, Ealing fly to Jersey for a 3pm kick off.

Ealing Trailfinders

15 – Neil Hallett , 14 – Owen Bruynseels , 13 – Markus Burcham 12 – Joe Price , 11 – Pete Hodgkinson 10 – Ben Ward (c) 9 – Ian Martin  8 – Matt Evans 7 – Jay King 6 – Anders Nilsson 5 – James Winterbotton 4 – Jack Foshwick3 – Dinos Alexopoulos 2 – Jon Moyce 1 -Rob Buchanan

16 – Lewis Brown 17 – Steve Neville 18 –  Gethin Davies 19 Karl Gibson  20 – Sam Wardingley

The Season So Far – Presentation by Wayne Barnes

Wayne Barnes, the international referee, is visiting Ealing Rugby Club this Tuesday, 19 October, to deliver a presentation and training on "The Season So Far". The evening will start at 7.45. If you are a referee, or training to become a referee, a coach or a player, please come down, support this event and improve your understanding of the application of the laws of the game.

These events are always very interesting. Not only will Wayne provide superb insights into refereeing at the highest level, but he will also answer many questions about refereeing games at the levels we manage on a weekly basis.

The evenings are aimed at referee development, but coaches, players and others who are interested in the intepretations of the Laws will find the evenings illuminating. We are very lucky indeed to be able to welcome such a high profile referee at Ealing so please attend and provide Wayne with a very warm welcome.

 

Charlie Hodder

 

PREVIEW: Ealing Trailfinders v Westcombe Park Saturday 16th october

Following the hard fought win at Clifton last weekend, Ealing return to Vallis Way and face Westcombe Park. Coombe were relegated into N2S last season, and just avoided relegation. This season has been a tough start again for them, and despite their league position, the games they have lost have been a lot closer than the results suggests. They have played 6 games, lost 5 and won away at Lydney 20-21. They ran Henley close as well, taking a losing bonus point off them in a nail biting 27-32 loss at home.

Combe narrowly avoided relegation last season, finishing unlucky 13th. A change of Director of Rugby saw Darron Molloy depart, and Steve Ruynolds enter the lions pit! Coombe also lost a few players to Richmond, including number 8 Tom Hayman, who came back to haunt them last Saturday with a man of the match display in the 33-6 loss at Goddington Road. They have recruited well though, capturing centre Gideon Roux and in the pack they have plenty of experience and wise heads in in John Chance ( Ex Moseley & Newbury ) and Zane Winslade ( Ex Chinnor & Bucuresti ) at 8. Ex Ealing centre Neil Brown joined this year from Canterbury, as well as ex Loughborough centre Nathan Lambden, whilst wing Kieran Leeper joined from local club Bromley and has 2 tries to his name so far this season.

Westcome Park – A history

Every club likes to think it’s a little different to the others or has something special about it’s style of play, traditions or origins. Westcombe Park thinks it is unique in all these aspects. We believe we must be the only Rugby Club founded by someone who never could and never would play the game.

In 1904, a Sunday afternoon bible class at Blackheath was attended, amongst others, by Dudley E Roughton. What set Dudley apart from his peers was the fact that he was crippled and had to use a crutch to walk. Dudley also had a peculiar passion – peculiar for someone with his handicap – he was a rugby football fanatic!

In the summer of 1904 he conceived a plan to form his own team.

Relocation to the present site at Goddington Dene, Orpington took place in 1990 when the club became the major section within the Orpington Sports Club. In 1994, Westcombe Park took over the running and responsibility for the sports club and offered playing facilities, issuing contractual terms, to other sports (cricket, football, tennis and table tennis) as Associated Clubs under the control of Westcombe Park and Orpington Sports Club; a rugby club managed by rugby folk! The club became a limited company, registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 in 1995.

Coombe in 2010

Matt Spelman, ex Bath pulls the strings from 10 for them, whilst full back Luke Giles is the clubs top points scorer with 35 ( 3 conversions, 8 penalties and 1 try to his name. Leeper and Gideon Roux have 2 tries apiece.

Of the 9 tires scored by Combe so far, the split is : 6 from the backs and 3 to the piggies, whilst of Ealing’s 28 , 23 are down to the piano players and 5 to the piano shifters!

Looking ahead to the weekend’s game, open side Jay King said "Despite the expectations when a top of the table team played a team towards the foot of the table, getting it right in training was still of prime importance.

 Everyone would have expected us to go to Clifton last weekend and score a hat full of tries. This just doesn’t always happen and credit to Clifton last weekend. They played well above their league position and created some problems for us. At half time we knew we had to control territory and we did just that. This weekend Westcombe Park will come here and offer something similar. This week at training its been spot on, and we know if we can play our patterns, and look to move them around, we will create chances. We just need to concentrate for 80 minutes to ensure no slip up"

Recent results between Ealing Trailfinders and Coombe

05/12/09 Westcombe Park 24 Ealing Trailfinders 28
08/05/09 Ealing Trailfinders 73 Westcombe Park 6