Mackay converted, and the great comeback was on. Weston piled the pressure on, and the hosts defended well until a wayward kick out of the twenty-two metre area was fielded well by full-back Chris Young whose mini-break allowed Maslen to go over for his second. Mackay again converted to reduce the deficit to only four points. The visitors' tails were now well and truly up, and they soon took the lead after a long left to right pass by Mackay saw wing Huw Morgan gather to cross wide out. Weston now had a one-point advantage, and the visiting supporters were now in fine voice, which became even louder when the try of the match and perhaps the season happened. Another period of pressure by the forwards allowed Mackay to put Tom Sugg through the tightest of gaps. With the skipper at full throttle, he timed his pass to Academy’s Dylan Power to perfection.
Pearce converted that try and McFarlane’s second after when Weston lock Callum Kingscott joined Carpenter in the bin. Things were looking bleak for the visitors now three converted tries behind, but a penalty on the stroke of half-time kicked by Mackay proved to be a morale booster. The second period began with a mountain to climb for Weston, but only three minutes in after Bristol Bears Senior Academy back row Macenzzie Duncan had replaced Jacob Cox, Weston won a scrum against the head, which eventually led to outstanding prop Sam Coles crashing over.
The honeymoon is over: 5 things we learnt from Hartpury v EalingHartpury were beaten 31-7 by Ealing Trailfinders and have now lost four Championship games on the bounce. There were some positives for Hartpury and certainly lessons to take away from the defeat. Rugby reporter Ellis Lane looks at the things we learnt from the defeat. Iain Grieve carries for Hartpury against Bedford Blues (Image: Rod Wetton) Ealing are contenders They are second in the Championship at the moment with only Bristol ahead of them. They will need to keep up their good form if they are going to catch big-spending Bristol but they have the quality.
However, this only added to the excitement. Launceston kicked off down the slope with elements in their favour and were immediately on the attack when Weston knocked on near their posts. The visitors managed to escape this threat and fought their way upfield. But another knock-on allowed the hosts to kick back down the slope, and Weston could not escape this time with the Launceston prop James McFarlane crossing for the opening try, which was converted by left wing Dan Pearce They increased their lead five minutes later when hooker Levent Bulut went over from a catch and drive. Weston rallied, and good go forward by number eight Ben Tothill allowed fly-half, James Mackay, to feed Maslen to cross to cut the deficit. This seemed to spur the home side to greater efforts, and with Weston hooker Gary Carpenter becoming the first to be carded, Launceston repeated their earlier try with another catch and drive with scrum half Adam Collins dotting down.
Howard and Craig Hampton then both tested the defence before the telling break from Angus Kernohan left prop Lewis Thiede with the simplest of finishes. Ealing’s level of efficiency saw them collect the bonus point try when Simon Linsell finished from 20-metres. Hartpury hit back when another Jordan lineout win was converted into points by the strong running of Harry Short – and they did receive further encouragement with 25 minutes to go when Venner raced in from 60 metres to score. With time still in the game and deficit now reduced to 14 points, there was still a chance that Hartpury might not remain empty-handed.
The Trailfinders were excellent at times against Hartpury and in the second-half especially. The London side certainly have the quality to make Bristol work for the Championship title. Impressive forwards In the past it has been Hartpury’s backs that have got them over the line and really stood out. This is certainly not the case anymore with the forwards stealing the show. The backline never really fired with them starved of possession with a poor kicking game. However, in the first-half especially, Hartpury’s pack played very well with good set-piece work getting them a foothold in the game. Charlie Chapman playing for Hartpury Kicking game needs drastic work Hartpury’s fans are used to a swashbuckling brand of rugby having seen the side rise through the ranks. So, there are groans around the Gillman’s Ground when a kick goes up.
Hartpury cannot win games in the way they have previously without kicking, so fans need to accept that. That said, the kicking needs to be far, far better. Both outside-half James Williams and scrum-half Harry Cochrane were guilty of some poor kicking. In the second-half they lost that battle and it saw them pinned deep in their own half of the pitch. In a rut It is now four defeats on the bounce in the Championship.
There are plenty of injuries currently for Hartpury and the British and Irish Cup could come to their aid. The college side have already disregarding the B&I Cup and will look to rest players with the Ulster double-header coming up. The two weeks away from Championship action should allow more players to return from injury and really boost the side going into Christmas. Hartpury take on Bedford Blues The honeymoon is over Hartpury made a flying start to life in the Championship with impressive displays and a few wins.
But the Ealing pack had other ideas when replacement prop Will Davis powered over to complete the scoring. Tribute South West Premier Launceston 29-34 Weston-super-Mare Dylan Power scored and Macenzzie Duncan featured off the bench as the Seasiders came back from being 26-8 down at half time to take maximum points from their Tribute South West Premier match away to Launceston. In a game with more twists than an Agatha Christie plot, Weston emerged victorious after 80 minutes of the most enthralling rugby you could ever wish to view and a result that strengthens the Seasiders' hold on fourth place in the table The encounter at Polson Bridge produced an incredible six yellow cards, four for Weston and two for the hosts in a game that was not at all niggly.
The honeymoon is over: Five things we learnt from Hartpury v