Ealing Trailfinders 1871 turned on the style with eight tries, in a fluent display of attacking rugby that was a pleasure to watch and was clearly enjoyed by the 18 players who took the field, all of whom made telling contributions. While the disappointment of the agonising loss to London Scottish the previous Saturday remains, this emphatic win provides a good foundation for the two games of huge importance in the next two weeks at home to Saracens Amateurs and away to league leaders Cheshunt.

Ealing started brightly and completely dominated the opening proceedings before full back Lewis Steadman opened the scoring, popping up on the right wing to take a scoring pass from brother Josh. Harry Vidler bisected the posts for the first of his seven conversions. Tabard competed gamely throughout, but ferocious 1871 tackling prevented them from building up any pressure, and with 9 minutes gone Ealing doubled their lead. Gereint Price took clean ball at the back of a penalty line-out, and the ball was quickly spun along the line, where Lewis Steadman created an overlap for Ben Pink to score his first try since returning from injury. With 26 minutes gone Vidler sent a well-judged cross-field kick towards the left wing. The Tabard defender failed to gather under pressure from Josh Steadman, who hacked on and won the race to the line.

As the game progressed, Ealing’s superior physicality became an increasingly significant feature, with outstanding tackling by hooker Luke Parry, flanker Toby Holt and fellow flanker Price among others. With the break approaching, Tabard cleared to touch under pressure. Another clean take was followed by powerful maul, and when the ball was released inside centre Ben Parkinson twisted through a tackle to score near the posts in his second game back from injury. With the four-try bonus secured, 1871 held a comfortable 26-0 lead at the break.

Coach Mark Percival pointed out that the game was likely to open up in the second half as the Tabard players tired, and with Abdou Traore, marking his league debut at flanker, Leighton Price and Danny O’Sullivan coming on as replacements there was no let-up in the wave of fluent attacking play. Two minutes after the restart, the Steadman brothers combined to take play close to the try line, 2nd row Nyall Wake was stopped just short and Parkinson was on hand to finish for his second of the day. Three minutes later a dominant maul set up another attack, and Vidler appeared on the left wing where he had just enough space to get the ball down. On 63 minutes Ealing won another penalty, Gereint Price won clean ball at the ensuing line-out, and scrum half Kyle Beck, as so often, threw out a fast and accurate pass, enabling Josh Steadman to pick a great line and finish under the posts. The final try of the day, and the only one by a forward, was scored by loose-head prop Tim Hitchcock, who emerged more or less unscathed from a collision with the goalpost.

After the game, the referee commented that it was the first time he had refereed Ealing 1871 since a game in December 2019 when, memorably, a deficit of 31-0 just before half time away against Watford was turned into a 41-31 victory.