Ealing Trailfinders 1871 bounced back from defeat by a strong Finchley side a week ago to outscore last season’s top-half finishers Chiswick by seven tries to two on a warm late-September day ideal for running rugby.

Ealing were fast out of the blocks, scoring with less than 2 minutes on the clock. The forwards disrupted the Chiswick catch from the kick-off, and after several phases of play the ball was worked out to Josh Steadman on the left wing, who rode the attempted tackle and touched down in the corner. Unfortunately a bang on the head shortly afterwards ended his involvement in the game, necessitating a re-jig of the back line with Darragh Sinnott making an early appearance off the bench. Ealing showed signs of the dominance to come with solid scrums and line-outs, and forced a penalty near the try line which Harry Vidler kicked to put his side two scores ahead. Somewhat against the run of play, Chiswick reduced the deficit to 8-7 thanks to slick handling in midfield, but the 1871 response was almost immediate. Chiswick again lost possession under pressure, tight-head prop Akeem Eubank-Anderson linked up with the back line and returning captain Lewis Steadman injected pace before releasing Louis Aitcheson-Walker to finish near the posts, with Vidler converting. Ill-discipline by Chiswick led to an Ealing penalty at the re-start, and within 3 minutes flanker Ben Thompson had added a third try, again converted. Lewis Steadman secured the bonus point for four tries just before the half-hour mark, and a fifth followed when No 8 Toby Holt picked up at the base of the scrum and fed scrum-half Richard Rhydderch-Roberts, who found Aitcheson-Walker in space on the right, leaving the half-time score at a comfortable 32-7.

Early in the second period Chiswick were unable to replace a front-row player at the ‘second time of asking’, resulting in uncontested scrums for the rest of the game, which took some fluidity out of contest, although Rhydderch-Roberts scored after a long period of 1871 pressure, with a conversion by Vidler. Two penalties by Vidler around the three-quarter mark stretched the lead. A loose kick in midfield by Chiswick was then caught by Sinnott and passed to loose-head prop Leo Codrington-Lambert, who had an outstanding game in the loose, winning him the man of the match award. Quick rucked ball reached Sinnott again, Lewis Steadman and then Rhydderch-Roberts, who launched flanker Gereint Price on a run to the line. Vidler’s conversion took the score to 52-7, but a rare defensive lapse allowed Chiswick to score the last try of the game.

A pleasing statistic from the game was that Ealing conceded just one penalty in the first half and two in the second, while Chiswick gave away a total of 12. Another notable feature was the flawless line-out, with possession won from 15 out of 15 Ealing throws.

Captain Lewis Steadman was pleased with the performance and the momentum it provides for games to come, although he felt that two or three tries had been left out on the field, which on another day might have been significant. Man of the match was Codrington-Lambert, with mentions for Luke Parry at hooker and Reggie Elliot-Jones at second row, along with Ryan Conyard on his competitive debut and Keir Gordon among the backs.

Next Saturday Ealing 1871 aim to maintain progress with a home game against mid-table Welwyn.