Championship Round 18 Review
Action and reaction from Round 18 of The Championship.
Doncaster Knights kept their spot at the top of The Championship table for another week after scraping past Hartpury with the last kick of the game. Ampthill played their first game in three weeks - a tight win over combative Richmond. And Ealing, Pirates, and Nottingham all banked away wins. Here's a look back at how the action unfolded, as well as the best of the reaction from around the grounds. [Photo Credit: Dante K]
Ampthill 13-8 Richmond
Ampthill fought to a tight win over Richmond in the home side's first match in three weeks, and a valuable four-pointer moves them closer to mid-table. Anyone who thought Ampthill’s three-week absence from play would cause a slow start was proved undoubtedly wrong when debutant Wil Partington pounced on Tom Hudson’s grubber kick inside two minutes, after some excellent early pressure from Charlie Beckett and his forward pack. Both teams attempted to play more rugby than the conditions allowed, and it wasn’t until Richmond’s full-back James Kane scored a penalty in the 35th minute that the scoreboard was updated. Kane would have added a second penalty a few minutes later, but Storm Eunice had other ideas and made sure his kick fell short of the posts. Whilst the sun had finally appeared at the start of the second, the wind continued to swirl. Six minutes into the half Ampthill fly-half Joshua Bragman added three points to the host’s lead. Richmond then kicked for touch into Ampthill’s 22, and shortly after Jack Stafford dove over from close range to cut the gap. Kane missed the vital conversion that would have equalised. The decisive action came in the 64th minute when Ampthill’s pack won a penalty just outside the visitors' 22. Captain Beckett pointed for the posts and Bragman made no mistake in extending the lead. Both sides played resolutely in the final 15 minutes but failed to add to the score.
Bedford Blues 12-20 Cornish Pirates
After their heroic victory over Ealing Trailfinders last weekend, Bedford looked set to record another momentous win until a late showing from Cornish Pirates scuppered their hopes. The only score of the first half came from Reuben Bird Tulloch, who grasped the ball within a rolling maul that escaped from the Pirates’ pack. It was one of only a few ventures into Pirates territory for the Blues, who spent the first 40 minutes withstanding nonstop pressure from the visitors with an impressive defence. A minute into the second half Pirates’ flanker Antonio Kiri Kiri was sent to the sinbin, and Bedford capitalised almost instantly. Matt Worley skipped past a challenge to break out wide, before passing to captain Rich Lane to finish. Louis Grimoldby’s conversion gave the Blues a 12-point lead. Pirates’ comeback rally begun when Arwel Robinson kicked a penalty shortly before 50 minutes to finally put them on the scoreboard. 20 minutes later, Kiri Kiri redeemed himself for his earlier carding when he bulldozed over the line from short range. The conversion from Robinson cut the gap to just two. Game on. Robinson’s boot proved vital again, scoring a penalty with 76 minutes played to put his side ahead for the first time in the game. The optimism had been sapped from Bedford, and Cornish’s coup de grâce arrived when Shae Tucker scored in the 80th minute after Josh Caulfield’s steal allowed the visitors to travel up-field and put the game to bed.
Doncaster 11-10 Hartpury University
Doncaster Knights once again won in the dying moments of the game as their 11-10 win over Hartpury kept them top of The Championship table for another week. In Doncaster’s own words, ‘it was a bit of a slog.’ Castle Park had been hammered by the rain for hours before kick-off and it showed, as neither team managed to create much momentum for the first quarter. With just under 25 minutes gone, the Knights struck first after Kyle Evans regathered Sam Olver’s deft chip inside Hartpury’s 22. Hartpury cut Doncaster’s five-point gap to two when James Williams cleanly scored a penalty shortly before halftime. With just under an hour played, Olver once again used his boot to enthuse Doncaster, adding three points and increasing the lead back to five. Hartpury’s first and only try finally came 10 minutes before the final whistle. Olver attempted another chip over Hartpury’s defence, but the ball fell to Ben Foley, who grubber kicked through and chased down to get a hand on the ball over the line, setting the fans at Castle Park up for a nail-biting finish. Doncaster’s determination paid dividends when Hartpury were penalised for not rolling away at the breakdown, and with the last kick of the game Olver sent the ball sailing through the uprights for a win at the death.
Jersey Reds 10-22 Ealing Trailfinders
After a shock defeat last weekend, Ealing’s title hopes were buoyed by a vital win over fellow contenders Jersey Reds. The turbulent wind made an impact from the off, carrying Jersey’s kick-off straight into touch and handing a scrum to Ealing, who subsequently forced a penalty, allowing Craig Willis to slot three points with less than two minutes on the clock. Willis doubled the visitors' lead 10 minutes later with another penalty. The Reds then flipped the momentum with their first real attack of the game. Establishing field position in Ealing’s 22 after a number of penalties, Jersey’s Eoghan Clarke finished after a strong rolling maul. Willis kicked a penalty once more to keep Ealing’s lead intact, but it disappeared on the stroke of halftime when Reds’ centre Jordan Holgate masterfully picked off an intercept pass in Ealing’s 22 to give the hosts a one-point lead at the break. The second half’s commencement mirrored the first half, and an overshot box kick from Reds' scrum-half James Mitchell gave Ealing a scrum, from which they won the penalty and Willis kicked his fourth of the day. Ealing’s first try came after Willis kicked for the corner, and Jan-Henning Campher scored off the maul from the ensuing lineout. Proficiency in kicking was clearly making a difference, and Willis added the conversion to bring his points tally up to 14 for the day. Both sides had isolated chances in the final 20 minutes, with plenty of big hits coming in. But Willis capped an excellent display from the tee with the nail in the coffin in the final 10 minutes, converting a penalty once again and keeping Ealing close to league leaders Doncaster Knights.
London Scottish 24-36 Nottingham
An enthralling encounter at the RAG saw Nottingham beat London Scottish to secure maximum points on the road for the first time this season. The Archers struck first shortly before 15 minutes passed, as Archie Vanes finished off a powerful rolling maul. Scottish returned fire when Harry Sheppard, on his 50th appearance for the club, sent a penalty soaring through Nottingham’s posts. Almost instantly, the visitors hit back when Scottish’s clearance failed to find touch, and the visitors carved their way to the line with winger David Williams finishing the move. Scottish scored their first try when scrum-half Stephen Kerins opportunistically dashed down the blindside after a maul and scored in the corner. Shortly before halftime Nottingham’s Tobias Williams scored after another maul shoved its way over the line. Scottish came out in the second 40 fired up, scoring four minutes in. USA international Paul Lasike offloaded to Cameron King, who made 30m. Quick ball was distributed to Sheppard whose effortless chip kick found Noah Ferdinand in the corner. Scottish looked to be controlling the game, but two tries within 10 minutes for the Archers stemmed the Exiles' momentum. Vanes scored his second from a rolling maul, and David Williams also nabbed his second after a nice passage of play within the backs. Scottish refused to lie down, though, with Alex Gibson bundling over from close range to make it 24-29 with eight minutes to go. The final blow came a few minutes later when Harry Graham caught a cross-field kick and touched down to put the visitors up by 12 with little time remaining.