Wharfedale lose out to seven-try Ealing

If their superiority was less commanding than their excellent flawless win at the Avenue it still contained patches of clinical play, pace and intensity and cutting-edged finishing power.

The home side run in seven tries, three of them in a 10-minute spell just after the break to extinguish Wharfedale’s fleeting challenge. Thereafter, bolstered by their powerful bench, the Yorkshire side rallied to end the game pressing powerfully near the home line.

They owed such a position to consecutive tries from flanker Dan Solomi taking his top-scoring tally to 11 for the season, but a late blitz at the line just failed to add a penalty-try to the one the Green pack had secured in the opening half.

Wharfedale began with the benefit of gusty wing behind them, enough to send two long-distance Tom Davidson penalties off course. But good possession work was vitiated by poor wide defensive play which allowed the hosts to run in three early ties from set-piece ball.

Typically it was wing Phil Chesters who opened the scoring after space created by excellent full-back Peter Hodgson who himself went over minutes later.

Wharfedale’s attacking pressure accounted for both a yellow card to lock Matt Evans and a follow-up penalty-try from a five-yard scrum to keep a toe-hold in the game even though 19-7 down at the break thanks to a further Ealing try by centre Sam Wardingley.

Any semblance of further Wharfedale challenge soon evaporated. Scrum-half Morgan Thompson profited from powerful line-out play score close to; Chesters was put clear for his second; and Jack Clifford finished a powerful drive before celebrating again with his second and his side’s final seventh try. Fly-half Ben Ward negotiated tricky wind conditions to add four expertly-judged conversions.

Though out-manoeuvred and somewhat out-paced, Wharfedale will still be disappointed with the frailty of their own defensive display. But they did at least end on a positive note with a bustling energy which just nearly snatched a bonus point.