Outstanding game management, precise game plan execution and the unerring boot of Harry Vidler saw Ealing 1871 home to victory over fierce rivals Brunel University in a physical but fast encounter the referee considered more typical of the speed of Level 6 than Level 7. A large crowd for a game that kicked off at 5 pm following Ealing Trailfinders’ demolition of Ampthill earlier on the same pitch was treated to fine entertainment in a pulsating battle between two teams with ambitions for promotion from Counties 1 Herts & Middlesex.

Ealing started well, regaining possession from their own kick off and pushing deep into Brunel territory, but had the ball ripped away in the tackle, and with 9 minutes gone Brunel broke down the right-hand touch line, where danger man Jack Thorn at full back took a scoring pass, although there was some suspicion of a foot in touch shortly before the ball was grounded. Thorn, who had landed a massive drop goal at a key moment in the equivalent fixture in Counties 2 last season, was unable to add the extras. Six minutes later, 1871 mounted an attack inside the Brunel 22 and narrowly failed to score with the referee signalling advantage. The option of a scrum was taken from the penalty, and bolstered by Tim Hitchcock at loose-head prop the green-and-white pack shunted their opponents over line, where No 8 Will Day touched down. Vidler’s conversion gave his side a 2-point advantage. With just under a quarter of the game gone, the visitors gained good possession from their own scrum put-in in an attacking position, but a pass went astray in the centre under pressure. In the blink of an eye Josh Steadman, moved to inside centre for the day from his usual position at wing or full-back centre, with brother Lewis outside him, scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 70 metres to finish with a dive under the posts, comfortably outpacing his pursuer. Ealing’s plan for this tough encounter was to build the score over the course of the 80 minutes, so when they were awarded a penalty around the opposition 22 metre line, they took the option of kicking for goal. Vidler’s kick bisected the posts for a healthy 17-5 lead.

Although Brunel had plentiful possession, with a stream of quality ball from the lineout, 1871 always looked dangerous on the counter-attack, and Josh Steadman was prevented only by a despairing tap tackle from adding to his tally. Soon afterwards, from quickly recycled ball Lewis Steadman spotted an opportunity for a cross-field kick towards the right wing. The weight and direction of the kick were perfect for Jack Hobbs to stretch out a hand and apply pressure on the ball as it crossed the line and bounced away from the Brunel defender, before Brunel reduced the arrears just before the break after a sequence of pick-and-goes, with Thorn converting.

With a 10-point advantage as the second period began, it was important for Ealing to keep the scoreboard ticking over at every opportunity. Three minutes after the break an astute cross-field kick towards the left-hand corner by Vidler led to an Ealing lineout. The ball was lost but then regained and fed back to Vidler, who kicked a crucial drop goal. Flanker Carlos Duarte left the field with an injury, and with 57 minutes gone Brunel eventually turned pressure into points with an unconverted try in the corner after a penalty kicked to touch. Excellent defensive organisation then kept Brunel at bay, and a fine move started by Keir Gordon at full back with a searing run by Josh Steadman followed by hard yards by Akeem Eubank-Anderson nearly produced a try, but a penalty was conceded at the breakdown. However, a dominant Ealing set-piece scrum soon afterwards drew a penalty 4 metres inside their own half, from where Vidler landed a superb kick to increase the margin to 11 with 12 minutes of normal time remaining. Brunel went back on the attack, leading to a yellow card for Eubank-Anderson for a collapsed maul, and scored in the corner immediately afterwards to set up a tense conclusion.

1871 weathered the storm despite being a player short, and Vidler pushed the gap out to 7 points with another long-range kick before stretching the lead still further with a 40-metre penalty. Brunel continued to ask questions of the Ealing defence and moved to within 5 points when big second row Joe Baccarini picked a straight run to the line. The rushed conversion attempt was missed, and 1871 were able to see out the remaining time to record a win to wild celebrations after three league and cup defeats by the same opposition in the 2023-24 season.
With three tries to Brunel’s five, Ealing 1871 gained four league points to their opponents’ two, and stay among a cluster of teams battling for second place behind early pace-setters Finchley. Speaking after the game, captain Lewis Steadman conceded that two league points was the least the students deserved, but praised the squad of 18 for their performance over 80 minutes and said they left everything out on the pitch. Coach Phil Smith felt his side had looked dangerous whenever they were in possession and had executed what they had talked about at training in the last two weeks.
Next Saturday sees a coach trip to Datchworth in Hertfordshire before a week’s break from league action.