We can still beat Bristol to title insist Trailfinders
RAYN SMID bagged two tries and laid on an impressive all-action display as Ealing maintained pressure on leaders Bristol with a hard-fought win.
Frankly, the scoreline flattered Ealing, who were subjected to a fierce Yorkshire onslaught after half-time as the visitors threatened a shock result.
However, with South African flanker Smid in the vanguard, Ealing recovered their composure to consolidate second place, with additional tries from Will Harries, Piers O’Conor and Peter Lydon sending their raucous support home happy.
Smid said: “It took a while to get on top and Yorkshire. They said they were going to come for us and believed they could win, so it’s good to grind out a result like that.
“Once we had sorted out our defence and got on the front foot we were able to take our chances and we still believe we can get above Bristol.”
An impressive Yorkshire start, led by Will Homer, Ollie Stedman and Mike Myerscough, pinned Ealing back. However, the home side struck first when Will Davis and Seb Stegmann made inroads and Lydon finished a sweeping move.
Yorkshire were rocked again soon after when Joe Munro put Stegmann into space. Ealing recycled for Smid to send Harries clear and he produced an outrageous dummy, leaving Chris Elder and Steve McColl for dead on his way to the line.
Yorkshire responded with heavy pressure and a series of lineout drives, the fourth of which produced a penalty try and a yellow card for Ealing’s Harry Casson.
Visiting joy was shortlived, though, as 14-man Ealing came again and Lydon slotted a penalty before Smid crashed over from Barney Maddison’s smart pass.
Undaunted, Yorkshire’s forwards went to work and, after props Marc Thomas and Elliott Millar-Mills had carried impressively, Homer found McColl and he sent Elder roaring in, McColl converting as Ealing led 24-14 at the break.
Ealing forced a scrum penalty from the restart which Lydon converted. However, Yorkshire’s pow-