Luke Carter try helps Ealing to B&I Cup victory
IT WAS billed as the biggest game in Ealing’s history and the Trailfinders duly delivered in spades to quell the spirited effort of Leinster A and lift the last ever British & Irish Cup.
Leinster were not helped by two yellow cards in the second half but Ealing’s three tries to one winning margin pleased their director of rugby Ben Ward after a scrappy opening quarter.
He said: “The first half was a tactical battle and we probably played too much rugby in the first 20 minutes and Leinster A certainly won the aerial battle in the first-half and won every scrap.
“However, we won every scrap in the second-half. Our half-backs were outnerves standing – as was Mark Bright in his final game for the club. Seb Stegmann won everything in the air on his wing before a bit of magic by James CordyRedden helped set-up the second try.
“The two yellow cards coughed up by Leinster helped. However, we were the dominant team in the second-half and I would venture to suggest that even if Leinster had 17 on the pitch, we would still have won.”
It was Bristol-bound fullback Luke Daniels who got Ealing off the mark with a penalty after Leinster were penalised for not rolling away.
However Leinster came roaring back and a knockon followed by an offside gifted the visitors a tasty position close to the line and, following a series of pick up and gos, Conor O’Brien forced his way over.
Ealing changed their tactics and although it took a while to penetrate, they were eventually rewarded when a 5m scrum wheeled slightly and the ever-alert scrum-half Luke Carter sniped over from close range to alleviate home in the form a slender 10-7 half-time lead.
The second-half was no contest as Ealing took charge and the fortess Vallis Way, which has yielded 16 home successes from 17 this season, became an impenetrable thicket for Leinster.
Successive Leinster sinbinnings within the space of five minutes around the hour mark preceded both Ealing tries. First Peter Dooley was sent to the cooler for not retreating 10 metres, soon followed by Tommy O’Brien for foul play.
A neat scrum move brought James CordyRedden off his wing and a tidy carry and off-load set up centre Joe Munro.
Worse was to follow for Leinster. By now reduced to 13, the Irish visitors had to endure the full force of an Ealing forward drive bearing down on them, before the excellent Bright picked his spot and forced his way over.
There was no way back from that for an increasingly error-prone Leinster, as Ealing ended in style to finish their B&I Cup run with a flawless nine wins from nine.
Leinster coach Trevor Hogan said: “We gave 100 per cent and I’m really proud of the lads. We put ourselves in a great position in the first-half. However, a couple of things didn’t go our way in the second period and Ealing showed the quality of their all-round game.”