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Championship Review – Round 2

@JudgeRugby

As the dust settles on a thrilling day in the Championship, we look back at some of the key moments and the best of the reaction from Round 2.

DONCASTER KNIGHTS 36 – 7 LONDON SCOTTISH

Steve Boden’s Knights got back to winning ways with a solid second-half showing against a gutsy London Scottish side. The hosts took three minutes to get off the mark, winning a penalty at the scrum for Sam Olver to convert, but Scottish took the lead with 15 minutes on the clock, when Sam Hanks grubbered through the Doncaster defence, collected his own kick and flew over for the first try of the game.

The Exiles held out until the 36th minute when Doncaster were awarded a penalty try for a high tackle on Kyle Evans, which saw Leo Fielding sent to the sin bin, and the hosts went into the break with a three-point advantage.

George Edgson extended Doncaster’s lead seven minutes into the second half from a driving line-out and followed that up 10 minutes later with a try from Guido Volpi, who burst through a gap to score the hosts’ third of the afternoon from 30-metres out.

Henry Paul secured the bonus point with seven minutes left to play, following more good work from Volpi, and sealed the victory with a last-minute score from Jack Spittle, who jinked around his marker to score, with Olver’s conversion wrapping up a solid second-half performance from the Knights.

London Scottish, who – due to injuries – finished the game with a makeshift back line that included two forwards, will take positives from this trip to Castle Park, and will now be targeting next weekend’s fixture at home to Ampthill as a chance to secure their first points of the campaign.

HARTPURY 37 – 18 CORNISH PIRATES

Hartpury pulled off a stunning win against a highly-rated Cornish Pirates side, scoring four tries to secure their first win of the season.

The visitors struck the first points of the afternoon from the tee with just 15 seconds on the clock, but Hartpury showed attacking intent from the outset and eventually got their reward when co-captain Will Crane crashed over from short range just before the 20-minute mark. Pirates responded through skipper John Stevens who crossed under the posts after an electric turn of pace from Callum Sirker.

James Williams and Arwell Robson then traded penalties before a lapse in concentration saw Pirates lose possession on the halfway line as Charlie Foley hacked on the loose ball for Robbie Smith, who flew over to restore Hartpury’s lead. The hosts continued to turn up the pressure and had time for one last score before the break when Williams struck a penalty from in front of the posts to take the half time score to 20-13.

Hartpury carried on where they left off in the second half, with substitute Harry Short dotting down from a rolling maul to score on his debut, and Williams’ conversion, followed by a penalty, giving Hartpury a 17-point lead with 25 minutes left to play.

Sirker narrowed the deficit with a try in the corner to give the Pirates a glimmer of hope, but Short rumbled over for his second and Hartpury’s fourth to put the result beyond doubt. Hartpury saw out the closing stages of the match to bank a memorable bonus-point win at the Alpas Arena.

JERSEY REDS 40 – 28 BEDFORD BLUES

Jersey marked their return to The Stade Santander International in style with a six-try win against Bedford Blues. After a cagey opening 15 minutes, Jersey broke the deadlock with a well-worked try, as Guy Thompson broke and found Lewis Wynne, who passed to Dan Barnes to score. With 25 minutes gone, Bedford got their first points of the season as Rich Lane collected a Jersey kick and fed Pat Tapley, who flew over in the corner.

Jersey restored their lead through a penalty try as Oli Stedman was sent to the sin bin and extended their lead further when Reds flyer Ryan Olowofela darted over for Jersey’s third against his old club. With seconds remaining in the first half, the Reds wrapped up the bonus point, with hooker James Flynn crashing over from a driving maul to put Harvey Biljon’s side into a commanding 26-7 lead at the break.

Bedford responded 10 minutes into the second half when Matt Worley finished off a slick move involving Stedman and Heffernan, and then followed that up minutes later with a third try when Tapley was dragged down just short of the line and Stedman stretched over to finish off from close range. With 20 minutes left to play and Jersey holding onto a five-point lead, the hosts elected to kick to the corner, a gamble that paid off when Eoghan Clarke powered over from the resulting driving lineout.

Bedford never gave up and were rewarded when Jack Hughes crossed to secure a try bonus point after Louis Grimoldby had kicked the visitors into an attacking position from a penalty. The last word, though, went to Jersey, when Clarke barreled over from another lineout drive with five minutes to go to seal the win and put the Reds at the top of the Championship with two wins from two.

RICHMOND 27 – 24 NOTTINGHAM

Richmond produced the fightback of the season so far, coming back from 21 points down to secure a dramatic last-gasp win at The RAG. Sam Hollingsworth got the first points of the day, latching onto a well-placed chip to score and then converting his own try.

James Kane got Richmond on the board with a penalty in the 22nd minute, but Nottingham extended their advantage just after the half hour mark through outside centre Elliot Creed, with Hollingsworth’s conversion putting the visitors into a 3-14 lead at the break. Within seven minutes of the second half, Nottingham had almost doubled their advantage through a penalty and a David Williams try to take the score to 3-24.

But Richmond were far from dead and buried and responded with two trademark Mark Bright tries in five minutes, with the former London Scot powering over from driving mauls to bring Richmond back into the game. Two missed conversions meant that Richmond were chasing an 11-point gap with 20 minutes left on the clock, and the deficit narrowed when Bright hit an offload at pace and charged over for his hat-trick.

Kane’s conversion brought Richmond to within four points to set up a nail-biting finish, and the decisive moment came in the 79th minute when lock Will Carrick-Smith crashed over on his debut to secure a memorable win for Richmond and wrap up an epic contest in south west London.

AMPTHILL 21 – 19 COVENTRY

Coventry outscored Ampthill three tries to none at Dillingham Park, but it was the hosts who came out on top, guided to victory by the sniper-like boot of Russell Bennett.

Coventry piled on the pressure in the first half and produced plenty of free-flowing rugby but gave away penalty after penalty, with Bennett slotting five from five to give Ampthill a 15-0 lead at the break. Bennett continued where he left off in the second half, striking another three points from the tee, but the pressure from the visitors’ pack eventually paid off in the 57th minute, when Senitiki Nayalo stretched over from a ruck and then again in the 66th minute through Ewan Ashman.

With the game entering its closing stages, Smith hit a penalty for Ampthill to take the score to 21-12, but Coventry responded almost immediately when Ashman darted over for his second. Tom Curtis’ conversion made it a two-point game with five minutes to play, but Ampthill held their nerve and saw out the dying minutes of the game to take four points from a tough assignment and secure their first win of the season.

Headline Image: @AshSportsPhotos

Via ChampionshipRugby.co.uk

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