Championship Round 14 Review
Action and Reaction from Round 14 of The Championship.
After a pulsating round of action which saw Ampthill and Richmond secure local bragging rights, Coventry edge a last-gasp thriller against Hartpury, and Doncaster Knights and Ealing Trailfinders open up a seven-point gap at the top of the table, we put the spotlight on how the action unfolded, as well as the best of the reaction from around the grounds. [photo credit: LNC Images]
Nottingham 21 - 34 Ealing Trailfinders
Pre-season title favourites Ealing Trailfinders were made to work hard against Nottingham under the Friday night lights at Lady Bay. The back row forwards did the damage early on when the prolific Simon Uzokwe stretched over from close range, and the Archers responded with a Carl Kirwan try from a driving maul. With half an hour on the clock, Alun Walker marked his return from a long injury-enforced absence with a score after multiple phases in the Nottingham 22, and the Trailfinders extended their lead further when Simon Linsell crashed over six minutes later. Nottingham had the last say of the half, however, when David Williams latched onto a cross-field kick and flew over the chalk, with Hollingsworth's conversion taking the score to 14-21. Walker bagged his brace from a lineout drive 10 minutes after the restart to bring up the bonus point, but again Nottingham hit back, again through Williams, who finished off an unstoppable maul with Hollingsworth's conversion cutting the gap to just seven points. Ealing shored up, though, and kept the hosts at bay for the remainder of the match, with penalties from Steven Shingler and Craig Willis eventually securing the win, as the Trailfinders keep up the pressure on Doncaster Knights at the top of the table.
London Scottish 12 - 31 Richmond
Richmond made it back-to-back wins against London Scottish this season with a bonus-point victory in the Athletic Ground derby. Back-rower Jared Cardew was first in on the action, slicing through a gap just inside the Exiles' 22 and cruising over for the first score. But Scottish levelled 10 minutes later when Leo Fielding darted under the sticks following a well-executed set-piece at the scrum. Richmond restored their lead soon after the re-start when James Hadfield broke clean through to score, and Mark Bright followed that up five minutes later with a trademark try from the back of a rolling maul against his old club. Owain James brought up the bonus point before the half-hour mark, latching onto a pinpoint grubber from Will Kaye, and Richmond took a 19-point lead into the break. Kaye then turned try scorer five minutes after the re-start, sprinting over from close-range as Richmond opened up a 7-31 lead. Scottish had plenty of bright moments over the next 20 minutes and eventually got their breakthrough in the 64th minute when Harry Sheppard dinked a cross-field kick to Noah Ferdinand, who finished in the corner. Rob Powell's charges saw out the remainder of the contest to secure their fourth win of the campaign, much to the delight of the Richmond faithful at a packed Athletic Ground.
Bedford Blues 10 - 20 Ampthill
In the second of two local derbies in Round 14, Ampthill clinched victory in the much-hyped "Battle of Bedfordshire" in front of 3,431 fans at Goldington Road. Jack Hughes continued his fine try-scoring form, powering over in the corner to get the hosts on the board after just five minutes, but the visitors responded soon after when Jack Dickinson finished off a powerful driving maul to level the scores at 5-5. Paul Turner's men then took the lead when Ospreys loanee Harri Morgan darted through a gap to score on his Ampthill debut, but the Blues hit back on the half-hour mark, once again through Hughes who leapt over the whitewash for his fifth try of the season. With the half-time score locked at 10-10, Ampthill started the second half brightly and, after a period camped in the Blues' 22, forced a penalty which Russell Bennett duly converted. Bedford had plenty of opportunities to score but drew a blank in the second half and were stripped of a losing bonus point when Ben Cambriani darted over in the closing stages and Jack Bergin slotted the subsequent conversion to give Ampthill a valuable win against their Bedfordshire rivals.
Coventry 34 - 33 Hartpury
Coventry banked their sixth win of the campaign with a thrilling last-gasp victory over Hartpury. Captain Ryan Burrows rumbled over to put the hosts in front after 11 minutes and followed that up with a powerful carry that led to a Jonathan Kpoku try seven minutes later. Facing a 14-point deficit, Hartpury struck back with half an hour on the clock through Ciaran Knight, but Coventry extended their lead first through a Fenner penalty and then from a well-worked score from Josh Barton, which Fenner converted, as the hosts took a 24-7 into the break. Hartpury came out firing in the second half, scoring three tries in just five minutes. Ethan Hunt was first in on the action, Robbie Smith then flew over in the corner after Coventry lost possession in their 22, and Toby Venner drew the visitors level with James Williams' conversion edging Hartpury into the lead for the first time in the match. Josh Bainbridge put Coventry back into the lead 10 minutes later, but when Venner scored a fine 40-metre try in the 78th minute, which Williams converted to nudge Hartpury into a two-point lead, the visitors looked odds on for the win. Coventry, however, won a penalty soon after the re-start, which Fenner slotted to give Rowland Winter's side a dramatic late win in front of over 2,000 fans at Butts Park Arena.
Jersey Reds 19 - 35 Doncaster Knights
Doncaster Knights put in a statement performance against Jersey Reds at The Stade Santander to stay top of the table after 14 rounds. Sam Olver put the Knights in front from the tee after 11 minutes and went one better with half an hour on the clock when Mark Best powered over for the game's first try after good work from Thom Smith and Alex Dolly. Smith then burrowed over for a try of his own just before the break as the Knights took a 15-point lead into half time. Olver extended the visitors' lead with a second penalty soon after the re-start, but the Reds hit back just before the hour mark when Eoghan Clarke finished off a driving maul. Olver slotted a third penalty two minutes later, but the Reds again hit back, this time through James Elliot, who cut through a gap to score. The Knights went in pursuit of the bonus point and were rewarded when Edwards powered over from a maul in the 72nd minute. Jersey pegged one back in the 75th minute, but Doncaster had the last word when George Roberts crashed over to put the seal on a hugely impressive performance against one of the most formidable opponents they will face in The Championship. Another bonus-point win for the Castle Park side, who continue to lead the way at the top of The Championship.