Winning Ways Continue
Ealing Trailfinders 1871 cruised to a twelve-try victory over Grasshoppers to climb to third in the table after four games, with their third win of the season.
Ealing welcomed Grasshoppers to Vallis Way for the first game between the first teams of the two clubs since the last of 20 keenly contested annual fixtures in 1999.
Ealing were not quite as clinical as in the previous week’s win over Beaconsfield, especially in the opening exchanges, but opened the scoring after seven minutes through No. 8 Toby Holt. He picked up at the base of a dominant scrum and dived over.
Grasshoppers responded strongly. Ealing’s defence kept out a run of penalties close to the 1871 line, but they lost wing Louis Walker to a yellow card after persistent team offending.
Having weathered the storm, Ealing were eventually awarded a penalty of their own and moved upfield to score a second try through centre George Emmerson, who showed good strength to finish in the corner after patient build-up. Six minutes later further forward dominance forced a penalty, and from the ensuing lineout hooker Luke Parry finished to the right of the posts.
With 1871 now dominating all facets of the game, Ealing fielded a speculative kick downfield and attacked at pace. Scrumhalf Richard Rhydderch-Roberts wrong-footed the defence and squeezed over.
With the four-try bonus secured and Hoppers down to 14 with a yellow card, Walker finished in the left-hand corner two minutes later, and within another two minutes fine interplay between forwards and backs ended when tight-head prop Akeem Eubank-Anderson burst through the last line of defence. James Barrow added the conversion to leave his team comfortably placed at 34-0 at the interval.
Coach Phil Smith rang the changes at half-time. Prop Ollie Ireland made his debut, Livai Naga came on as flanker, Jack Hobbs made a welcome return and his 50th appearance on the wing for his first game of the season following injury.
Shortly after the resumption, fullback Pen Pettigrew added his team’s seventh try of the day with a fine weaving run, with a conversion by Barrow. Naga knocked on with the line at his mercy but was not to be denied when another opportunity presented itself a few minutes later.
Grasshoppers’ bad day was compounded by a red card for a dangerous high tackle. Right wing Josh Steadman touched down in the corner shortly afterwards before the visitors registered their only score of the day. Walker, back on the field on the right wing, added his second try of the day, as did Parry with an interception, and the try scoring was completed by Barrow.
Toby Holt and fellow back row Gereint Price were joint players of the match.
Ealing Trailfinders second XV made it three wins from three, with a 38-26 win over Finsbury Park that keeps them second in Counties Middlesex 2.
Dan Clarke and Logan Flint led the way on the day Marquis Daly-Vidal came off the bench to make his 50th 1871 appearance.
Ealing Trailfinders third XV were unable to secure their first win of the season against Finsbury Park seconds, who won 45-31, but the four-try bonus point was enough to claim their first point of the season.
By Rob Williams