1871 2nds rue lapses of concentration

On a sunny autumn afternoon, Ealing Trailfinders 1871 2nds held their own in terms of territory and possession, but lost a winnable game against strong opposition by switching off mentally at key moments, notably in the early stages.

Hammersmith and Fulham were the more focused of the two sides at the kick off, and a missed Ealing tackle on the H&F 22 metre line led to a break down the left-hand touch line. A last-ditch tackle prevented a direct try, but the ball was quickly recycled for a try wide out on the left, which was well converted. Ealing went on the attack from the restart with strong forward carries, notably by Ealing man of the match Laurence Troke, but lost possession when a kick towards the corner flag went beyond the dead ball line. From the dropout, Ealing kicked back towards the H&F 22 metre line, where the ball was gathered at pace, leading to a second try scored in similar fashion to the first, again successfully converted. Despite these early setbacks, Ealing were posing problems for the home side, and scrum half Harrison Slater slotted a penalty to reduce the deficit after 15 minutes. After a good period with further probing by Troke, second rows Alfie Cox and Matt Donnelly and others, the Hammers fashioned an overlap to finish under the posts on 22 minutes. On the half-hour mark Ealing knocked on in another forward attack, and the home side quickly turned defence into attack, finishing in the right-hand corner for an unconverted try. Ealing nearly reduced the deficit with the last move of the first period but were just beaten to the touch-down following a deft kick by fly half Alex Gillespie.

The opening of the second period produced few chances for either side, with Ealing enjoying plentiful possession, until good work by Donnelly to secure loose ball set up No 8 Gereint Price for a strong run to the try line from half way. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Ealing opted for a scrum in an advanced position after being awarded a penalty but saw the ball stolen at the base, and against the run of the play the Hammers seized on loose ball 20 metres out to finish under the posts in the last move of the game.

Reporter: Rob Williams

Match Details

Injuries
Clayton Pochop - Hamstring
MotM
Laurence Troke
Scorers:
1st Half 1871 2nd XV / Hammersmith & Fulham
1 minute - Hammersmith & Fulham (try) 0/5
1 minute - Hammersmith & Fulham (conversion) 0/7
7 minutes - Hammersmith & Fulham (try) 0/12
7 minutes - Hammersmith & Fulham (conversion) 0/14
17 minutes - Ealing 1871 - Harrison (penalty kick) 3/14
24 minutes - Hammersmith & Fulham (try) 0/19
24 minutes - Hammersmith & Fulham (conversion) 0/21
30 minutes - Hammersmith & Fulham (try) 0/26
Penalty count
1871 2nd XV - 2
Hammersmith & Fulham - 5
2nd Half 1871 2nd XV / Hammersmith & Fulham
8 minutes - Ealing 1871 - Geraint (try) 8/26
35 minutes - Hammersmith & Fulham (try) 8/31
35 minutes - Hammersmith & Fulham (conversion) 8/33
Penalty Count
1871 2nd XV - 1 / Total = 3
Hammersmith & Fulham - 4 / Total = 9
Final Score
Ealing 1871 2nd XV - 8
Hammersmith & Fulham - 33
Verdict
A very, very sloppy and lacklustre start, with three players so late they missed the warm-up, with one of those only arriving into the 2nd half of the game. All but one of the Hammersmith & Fulham tries were gifts, whereby we did not execute our plays correctly and did not follow-up when we needed. We imploded on ourselves in the first half, with players shouting at each other and arguing, which fed both the Hammersmith & Fulham players and their supporters.
A stern word or two at half time and the players came to life and put sustained pressure on the opposition, where we forced their play and then gained the interception try. Save for the final gift of a try, we were very strong in the second half.
Excellent discipline, albeit the referee was very consistent, as he was generous to both teams on a number of occasions.
A few tough lessons to be had there, but it is clear that there is good stuff in there, as the second half showed and with the performances of both the 1st XV and Exiles.
David Brathwaite