Having become the first player in Ealing Trailfinders 1871 history to amass 1000 points the previous week, Harry Vidler contributed three conversions and two penalties, which ultimately proved the difference with Ealing and London Irish Wild Geese both scoring four tries. Roared on by a sizeable crowd after Ealing Trailfinders professional men’s team had beaten Doncaster Knights and the Trailfinders women’s professional side had overcome Sale Sharks on the same pitch earlier in the day, 1871 played some outstanding rugby in a first half in which all their four tries were scored before having to withstand a strong response by the spirited Wild Geese, who secured their own try bonus point and narrow missed on a losing bonus.

In an eventful first two minutes of the game against a club last encountered in the days of Ealing Amateurs in the Zoo Shield before entering the league structure as Ealing Trailfinders 1871, Ealing inside centre George Emmerson sustained a hamstring injury and had to leave the field. A dominant Ealing scrum at the re-start led to a turnover, a kick downfield produced chaos in the Irish defence on their own line and No 8 Toby Holt was on hand to ground the loose ball created by a charge-down.

The 1871 set-piece continued to dominate, forcing a penalty on their own 10 metre line at an Irish put-in with 10 minutes gone. Vidler’s kick took them to an attacking line-out 22 metres out. Quick ball produced a try under the posts for Alex John, who had replaced Emmerson. A similar scenario followed less than a quarter of the way into the game with a penalty kicked deep into the Wild Geese 22 metre area, the difference being that the resultant line-out ball this time was taken on by the forwards, with loosehead prop Leo Codrington-Lambert driven over the line.

London Irish gained more territory as the first half wore on but were repelled by well-organised defence every time they threatened. Two penalties in rapid succession took Ealing down into the 22, and another driven maul was held up only at the cost of a yellow card to a Wild Geese forward. This time the maul from the penalty line-out was unstoppable, and the half was brought to a close by flanker Andrea Cortellari’s try.

Staring down the barrel of a heavy defeat, Irish produced a much-improved performance in the second half and eventually reduced the deficit 18 minutes after the break with a fine try from a jinking run in midfield. Vidler opted to go for the posts with a penalty 2 minutes later with a view to securing the win and opened up a 29-7 lead. The visitors scored again from an attacking scrum before Vidler added another penalty. The lead looked comfortable, but with less than 10 minutes Ealing man-of-the match Josh Steadman, playing at outside centre, was yellow-carded for a tackle offence. Wild Geese made the most of their one-man advantage to add third and fourth tries, the latter concluding the game.

Alongside Steadman, the front row of Codrington-Lambert, Parry and Eubank-Anderson were again a key factor in the win, and the London Irish captain nominated Holt as his Ealing man of the match. Fortress Vallis Way remains unbreeched for two years, and a fifth win out of six leaves 1871 in second place in Regional 2 Thames behind Amersham and Chiltern ahead of a Friday night clash against Belsize Park, themselves defeated just once so far.

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