Plymouth Albion
Match report Ealing .v. Albion
By HitR
November 9 2013
Anyone living and working in London on Friday could have told you that it wasn’t ideal weather to play rugby. The rain started at about 10:30 and got steadily heavier as the day progressed. And it was cold. Not cold enough to worry brass monkeys too much, but the damp chill that gets deep inside and numbs the fingers. Come 7:45, and at least the rain had abated. But the faithful supporters knew they weren’t going to see the ball ping-ponging around in the new, slick handling, Albion style. Ealing isn’t a well supported club. An attendance of 568 for a Championship match, even on a Friday night, just isn’t very encouraging. On the other hand, they are a true community club with a strong minis and juniors section and levels all the way up through to the professional squad. Not many Champ’ sides could boast that!
Controlled and efficient is the best way to sum up Albion’s endeavours at Vallis way. From as early as the 5th minute, when Gareth Evans pierced the heart of the Ealing defence and ran like a gazelle before offloading to Tom Bowan to score under the post it looked as though Albion had control. An easy conversion and it was 0-7. Three minutes later, Declan Cusack had the opportunity to add another 3 points when Ealing transgressed and from 40m out, he made no mistake. 0-10
Albions movement continued to put Ealing under pressure, and while Ealing looked competent with the ball in possession, they rarely made ground and resorted to kicking for position to make any headway. Albion though, continued to go forward with ball in hand and SMS, Ien, Gareth and Gracy made hard yards before the ball was moved out to Declan and Toby who continued the movement. On 15 minutes, Ealing found themselves offside at a ruck and referee Greg Macdonald had no hesitation in penalising them. Declan added the 3 points. 0-13.
After this, the game rather went off the boil. The players gave no little effort on both sides, but promising moves were punctuated by little knock-ons, off-sides or forward passes. Ealing did have some opportunity to break; both Phil Chesters and Tom Wheatcroft made mini breaks, but unlike Nat 1, when their breaks were decisive and rewarded with multi-try victories, the Championship is a whole different ball game and they were cut down by some ferocious Albion tackling.
As if to emphasize the gulf in physicality, THB, on 19 minutes snuffed out a promising Ealing move by driving back the ball carrier so far and so hard he must have wondered what had hit him. Never mind three Shredded Wheat; this was a four Shredded Wheat tackle and the Albion supporters expressed their approval in the usual boisterous fashion
Ealing did have chances to trouble the scorer but Wheatcroft missed with his penalty efforts on 20 and 40 minutes. As Albion supporters know all too well from last season, you can’t leave points on the field. HT 0-13.
The second half was generally more of the same: Albion playing a controlled game but without looking as though they would tear Ealing apart. Ealing, in fact, started the brighter and an early penalty gave them good field position from which they exerted considerable pressure. But Albion were superb in defence and on 50 minutes were deep in Ealing territory and a penalty to come.
The following passage of play was to seal the victory for Albion. Following a yellow card for Ealing’s Sam Wilkes, after sustained Albion pressure on the try line, a succession of penalties from which Albion opted for a 5m scrum, led to re-set after re-set and I was beginning to wonder if the pressure would A: eventually tell and lead to a try, or B: Mr MacDonald would tire of the mounting penalty count against Ealing and award a penalty try. In the end, the ball squirted out from the back of a rather scrappy scrum, was flipped to Lewis Warner who skipped through the Ealing defence and under the posts. The conversion was an easy one for Declan. 0-20.
Thereafter, set piece, on both sides became a little unreliable with penalties shared equally between Ealing and Albion for minor and technical infringements. The temperate dropped a little more and handling errors became more frequent as tiredness and numbness started to exert their insidious influence over the game.
Around the 65 minute mark, Shanahan began with his series of replacements and, as usual, he does try to get every benchman game time. Shanahan himself came on a treated the Albion faithful to a little cameo with a wonderful little step and dummy combined with 10 meters of acceleration that would have Usain Bolt agog. But inevitably, in the conditions, with Albion looking to stretch Ealing, an over-ambitious handling move saw the opportunity for a third try slip away.
Ealing had the last say; three consecutive penalties allowed them a line out 5m from the Albion line from which they executed a very well drilled driving maul which gave Josh Elliott his first try for the club. The resultant conversion was missed which meant that Ealing missed, in total, 11 points from the boot. It wouldn’t have won them the game, but it would have given them their first Championship point.
FT 5-20
As a post-script: if points were on offer for effort, Ealing would be mid-table. But they’re not. I cannot see them gaining one win this season. Away games are going to be awfully hard and home games are going to be closer, but no cigar. If/when they go down this season and can keep the squad together (and why not) the likelihood is that they’ll be back again the following season. But this time they’ll know exactly what they have to do and would, most likely, by a different proposition. We’ll have to wait a couple of years to find out.
As for Albion; in the bar afterwards there was some disappointment that Albion didn’t make it a 5 pt victory. Perhaps it should have been. But speaking to Shanners afterwards, given the conditions and the fact the Ealing were at home scrapping for their lives, a controlled 4 pts was more than satisfactory.
Now, where is that banana skin…?
Ealing: Andrew Henderson, Billy Robinson, Ronald McLean-Dents, Tom Wheatcroft, Ben Ward (capt), Morgan Thompson, Ryan Storer (Steve Neville 64), Sam Wilkes (Josh Elliott 74), Tim Brockett (Conor Carey 74), Adam Preocanin, Matt Evans, Ed Siggery (Josh Elliott 55-68, Steve Pape 74), Tom Anderson (Alex Bradley 74), Sam Hocking.
Albion: Chris Elder, Tom Bowen, Ben Woods (Heath Stevens 70), Toby Howley-Berridge, Lewis Warner, Declan Cusack (James Shanahan 64), Ruairi Cushion (Paul Rowley 64), Ben Rogers (Martin Rice 62), Gareth Evans (Davy McGregor 70), David Morton (Lloyd Fairbrother 55), Harrison Tovey, Ien Ascroft-Leigh, Sean-Michael Stephen, Eoghan Grace (Rob Langley 37), Rhys Oakley (capt).
Referee: Greg MacDonald (RFU)
Scorers: Ealing: Try: Elliott
Albion: Tries: Bowen, Warner; Cons: Cusack 2; Pens: Cusack 2
Cards: Ealing: Wilkes
Albion: None
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09/11/2013 10:30
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Semper Sersum.
Have to wait for the scan...
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013:11:09:17:29:59 by HitR.
Well done boys.
Plymouth Bred , Plymouth Born .
C'mon Albiiioooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
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