After a big week at the club which saw the Women*s Blues extended their winning streak, the Men*s Blues hosted a strong Ealing Trailfinders side, who currently sit in second place in the Championship.
The first 10 minutes of the match were hotly contested, with both sides bringing high physicality. The Blues made multiple breaks into the Ealing 22, but were ultimately unable to finish them off. As time went on, Ealing began to show their class and a few well executed tries saw them gain a healthy lead over the Blues toward the end of the first half. However, the Blues fought back and a scrum near the half-way line gave the backs the chance to execute a clever move which put Wolfe Morn through and under the posts. Harry Bridgewater slotted away the simple conversion and this left the score 7-24 in favour of Ealing coming towards the end of the first half. Ealing dotted down another try on the stroke of half-time after the Blues failed to clear their lines, leaving Ealing up 7-31 going into the sheds.
The start of the second half saw Ealing come out the stronger side. A mix of their speed and precision with a few defensive errors from the Blues, saw the away side continue to add to their score. Still, the Blues showed fight and a tidy lineout led to a series of pick and go attempts culminating in Mike O'Donnell going over for his first try in a Blues shirt. Bridgewater again added the extras. Ealing continued to turn the screw, scoring a couple more tries before the final whistle. The game ended 14-64 in favour of the visitors.
The Blues will take a lot of learning points from facing such a strong and well-orchestrated side which will help improve the side going forward.
Luke Wyllie's side next take on the Crawshays at Iffley Road next Friday night where they look to bounce back and continue on their campaign. 7.15 KO, Gates open 6pm.
Full Match Photos available here courtesy of Steve Karpa:
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