Southend 27, Ealing Trailfinders 28
SOUTHEND were hugely disappointed with the result against Ealing in their National Two South game this weekend and the standard of refereeing.
In a game eagerly awaited by players and supporters alike they played some of their best rugby of the season particularly in the first half. Their incisive running, ball retention and positive rugby paid dividends with three extremely good tries.
The first fell to Simon Hoult in the twentieth minute. It followed sustained pressure by Southend that Ealing had been defending successfully until then. The ball was won well in the scrum and recycled through several phases until eventually being spun wide along the backs. Sid Hoult, supporting from full back, raced through and touched down. He followed up with the conversion. 7 - 0.
Southend continued to press, playing some great running rugby despite a mounting penalty count against them. Ealing fly half Morgan Thompson had missed one early on but play was regularly disrupted. Despite the frustrations Southend continued to attack until finally they were rewarded with their second try.
The ball was won again from a scrum. The possession retained, mauled and rucked forward until being picked up by fly half Phil Ellis. His smart inside pass was collected by Chris Vaughan and touched down between the posts, Hoult converted and the score moved to 14 - 0.
Ealing restarted with a towering kick, despite three of their players being in front of the kicker play was allowed to continue. It fell to Mike Stanley to gather, unfortunately it bounced out of his grasp went backwards awkwardly into a gaggle of players from both sides. Somebody seemed to get a boot to it sending it bouncing toward the Southend try line, Ealing's Owen Bruynseels won the race and dived on it close to the posts. Thompson converted and against the run of play Ealing got their first points on the board. 14 - 7.
Not unduly dismayed Southend continued with their flowing rugby, Ealing only ever getting into their half as the result of the continuing penalty kicks to touch. It was not long until Southend's positive rugby was rewarded yet again when another fine attack was finished off by Phil Ellis when he scored a smart try under the posts. Hoult conversion sailed through the uprights moving the score to 21 - 7.
Play had moved into first half overtime with Ealing finally deep in Southends half and pressing. The referee saw an infringement and awarded them their ninth penalty of the half. They opted for a scrum the packs went down the Southend front row stood up, the referee immediately awarded a penalty try. With the successful conversion from Morgan Thompson, Ealing went into half time only seven points behind having been comprehensively out played for the entire half.
The second half saw a slightly subdued Southend, they seemed to have lost the flow and rhythm of the first half and were soon undone by one of Ealing's trade mark cross field kicks. Picked up by Bruynseels he just beat Hoult's covering tackle and got the ball down in the corner. Thompson missed the difficult conversion but the score went to 21 - 19.
Ealing sensed a come back and were even more encouraged when yet another penalty was converted by Thompson ten minutes later. 21 - 22.
Hoult converted a penalty of his own, Thomson replied but when Hoult got another one it looked as though Southend had done enough at 27 - 25. But that man Thompson hadn't finished and he won the game for Ealing with a smartly taken drop goal in the seventy sixth minute. They went home with this one point win keeping them in the hunt for a play off place.