Hartpury wilt after Ealing’s three-minute double strike

EALING Trailfinders maintained their challenge to leaders Bristol with a five-try, bonus point win over Hartpury.

Two tries, either side of the break, did the damage to a side who had been competitive for the first half but who have now lost four on the trot.

Buoyed by the threeminute 14-point swing, an improved Trailfinders were able to ease away through the second half as Hartpury struggled to recapture the rhythm they had demonstrated before the break.

After defending well against some early Ealing pressure, it was the hosts who opened the scoring with seven minutes played. A penalty was kicked into the Trailfinders 22 and a powerful effort from the Hartpury forwards saw hooker Will Tanner drive over.

However, the lead was short-lived as Ealing hit back within six minutes, lock Barney Maddison scoring in identical circumstances.

It was nip and tuck for a while, and it stayed level until the final action of the half when, after a spell of Hartpury pressure, Trailfinders worked themselves close enough for ex-Hartpury lock Harry Casson to bundle over.

Things got worse for the hosts early in the second half, when Ealing flanker Dan Temm was allowed to much space and hooker Alun Walker went over wide out.

This ushered in a scrappy period of play when neither side could control the game sufficiently to build sustained pressure.

The game was over as a contest when Ealing collected their bonus point in the 65th minute. Home skipper Rhys Oakley was carded for interfering at the breakdown and, from the penalty kicked to touch, the inevitable catch-anddrive saw Walker collect his second try of the half.

Hartpury did rally and might have had something from a big midfield break by debutant Tom Seabrook, but it was Trailfinders who had the final word when Rayn Smid scored with ten minutes to play.

Trailfinders rugby director Ben Ward said: “If I’m being honest, Hartpury probably had the better of the first half and I felt that we weren’t working hard enough.

“In the second half we came out with a complete performance. We talked at half-time about mixing our play a little bit more. We were able to apply pressure and that forced the errors from them.”