EALING TRAILFINDERS ‘took the wind out of the sails’ of Jersey Reds with a composed second-half performance to come from behind and keep their promotion dreams alive.
The Londonders overturned a 10-9 deficit to beat Jersey for the 12th time in a row in the Championship, with fly-half Craig Willis kicking 17 points in a 22-10 victory.
Eoghan Clarke and Jordan Holgate had given the hosts a half-time lead at St Peter but they failed to make the most of the blustery conditions after the break and slipped to fourth in the table as a result.
Reds head coach Rob Webber said: ‘First half we were very good against the wind. Our ill discipline allowed them to get kicks at goal, but we worked really hard to score two tries.
‘We can’t control the elements and the rain lifted and the wind dropped for them [Ealing], but we didn’t achieve what we set out to do.
‘We wanted to play the game in the right areas and pin them back deep in their own half.
‘Instead, we were caught out far too often and a great team like Ealing will meet you in the middle and make you pay.
‘I thought our phase defence was excellent but, ultimately, pressure tells. It is a phrase we talk about all the time and they applied too much of it.
‘Ealing have edged us in both games this season, but we’ve pushed them pretty far. If they’re honest, they’ll say they got a good game.’
Inside centre Holgate was on hand to steal a short Ealing pass on the stroke of half-time, following three kicked penalties from Willis.
Holgate said: ‘We were feeling great heading in at the break. The conditions were brutal and I think we managed the game perfectly.
‘Second half, we just fell off slightly and really didn’t make the most of having the wind on our backs.
‘They [Ealing] wore us down during that second period, spreading the ball very well and holding onto possession. It felt like every time they had the ball, they would go through 15 phases at a time.
‘We were defending for much of the half and I think that started to wear us down and Ealing took advantage.’
He added: ‘The box-kick is such a dangerous weapon for us, especially in wind. When we think we are losing momentum, we prefer going in the air and having a 50/50 with the opposition, or backing our work-rate to get the ball back.
‘Unfortunately today, they were the better side at that 50/50, which allowed them to continue building momentum.’
