Ealing 51 Yorkshire Carnegie 35: Redpath suspects complacency behind Carnegie defeat

Yorkshire Carnegie head coach Bryan Redpath admitted his side may have got complacent as they let a healthy lead slip to lose 51-35 at Ealing Trailfinders in their opening British & Irish Cup pool game.
Yorkshire Carnegie's Bryan Redpath.Yorkshire Carnegie's Bryan Redpath.
Yorkshire Carnegie's Bryan Redpath.

They may still wonder now just how their unbeaten start to the campaign came crashing down as it did on Saturday given they were 28-12 ahead early in the second period.

However, some lax handling from the visitors, who had won all six Championship games so far, gifted Ealing two interception scores.

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“I thought in the second half we were poor,” said Redpath, who made 14 changes and saw centre Tom Casson yellow carded.

“At 28-12 we should have closed the game out from there but we didn’t. We didn’t perform well after half-time and that is what happens.

“Maybe there was a element of a lot of the players hadn’t played much and then, when we got in front, maybe they got complacent.”

Ealing went ahead inside just 90 seconds after captain Chris York intercepted a Carnegie pass.

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Will Magie added the first of his five kicks but Carnegie responded when, after forcing a turnover in their own 22, Andy Saull kicked ahead to see the ball bounce perfectly for Oli Goss who collected and scored.

Warren Seals slotted the first of his four goals and converted again when flanker Ollie Stedman scored on 27 minutes.

Carnegie failed to clear from the restart, meaning prop Sam Rodman could reply for Ealing, but when the hosts were reduced to 13 men, Redpath’s side capitalised.

Ross Graham scored his first try for the club to make it 21-12 at and Mike Mayhew secured a bonus point try just two minutes after coming on for his debut.

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However, when back to 15, Ealing rallied through tries from Phil Chesters, Sebastian Nagle-Taylor and Josh Davies before Rhys Crane intercepted again to run the length of the pitch and score.

Davies got his second in the 72nd minute and, even though Lee Imiolek got a try back for Carnegie, Magie rounded things off with his own effort in the final seconds.

Ealing Trailfinders: Crane, Wilson, Jones, Peters, Chesters, Magie, Davies; Lancuba, Lawrence, Rodman, Andrews, Jones, Bradley, Nagle-Taylor, York. Replacements: Cornish, Gibbons, Penny, Pailor, Cordy-Redden, Carter, Ward.

Yorkshire Carnegie: Georgiou, Goss, Forsyth, Casson, Prell, Seals, Green; Beech, Graham, Thraves, Whetton, Sanderson, Saull, Walker, Stedman. Replacements: Mayhew, Imiolek, Parker, Preston-Routledge, Beck, Fox, Wright.

Referee: Veryan Boscawen.

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