Robbie Stapley pummels the London Irish Development Team’s defence. Pushing three men back at a time, Rams fight over the Home side’s try line. Hit by hit, a pack made up of James Baker, Matt Weller and Ben Henderson set up for a gut punch try by Stapley and a confident lead for the Reading men. A final score of 28-13 shows Rams as the assertive side and provides their first League win of the season.

It’s big tackles from Rams all round. Huge hits from Steve ‘Scuba’ Bryant cement the team’s defensive line and pitch-spanning runs from Jak Rossiter support the away side’s place on the scoreboard. It’s hard not to be intimidated by a team who, at one point in this game, managed to tackle the lift blocks off of a player’s legs.

Constant rainfall provided sloppy conditions for the two teams. Fumbled passes were common and the majority of turnovers were the result of open play and loose ball. Rams chose to lock offensive play down in the forwards and fight the game meter-by-meter. Members of the pack went on to score all three of the Reading side’s tries.

Jacob Atkins intercepts a London Irish pass and goes on to make 30 meters. A perfectly timed offload provides second-row Oliver Taylor with 5 points for Rams. Their lead extends with Stapley’s rapid-fire assault and a penalty try awarded after Irish fail to contain Rams’ rampant pack. With 15 minutes left on the clock the score is set at 28-3.
A further two tries are stopped on the London Irish try line. A contestable forward pass from ‘Scuba’ Bryant voids a try from Tom Vooght. Another attempt is held up by the home side and Rams are unable to extend their lead and gain their 4-try extra point.
Play from London Irish Wild Geese is hampered by their pack, who cannot compete with the away side’s high pressure. While bursts of fast-paced offensive moves come from Seb Rodwell and Ben Kitching, Irish found few opportunites to break Rams’ defense. With 10 minutes to go, the Home side manage to close the point difference with unconverted breakaway tries from Rodwell and Matt Killeen.

The closing scoreboard displays Rams’ victory at 28-13. This season’s first league victory is a welcome one and a result that Rams will attempt to replicate next week at their home match against Henley Hawks.

Article by Matt McCrory
Images by Tim Pitfield