Ealing U16’s Win Over Sligo 22-20

On a lovely sunny (but very windy) morning Ealing u16s hosted a touring side from Sligo in Ireland. To ensure everyone had a balanced game we agreed to field our strongest 15s in the 1st half with more blended sides in the 2nd. After a cagey first 15 minutes, as both sides adapted to handling conditions in the strong wind, Ealing finally broke the deadlock and ran in 2 tries in quick succession.
Some lovely slick passing in the backs set up Joe Foley for a wonderful individual try down the left wing. Then from the restart, strong carries from Ealing centres Ollie Isherwood and Will Squire got us quickly back into their 22 before a well-weighted cross-field kick from fly half Alex Coombes allowed Finn Garvie to score in the corner. Another dominant run from man-of-the-match Foley set up field position once more before strong rucking on the Sligo line saw flanker Rory Williamson pick and go for Ealing’s 3rd. The half ended 15-0 with the wind scuppering any chance of conversions.
A renewed Sligo side emerged at half time and, despite some excellent defence from Ealing, crossed the line for their first try following a penalty under Ealing’s posts. Sligo dominated possession for much of the half and despite very committed tackling, notably from Owen Rose, Robert Power, Fionn Egan and Sean Cottrell, ran in 2 more tries from very strong carries. Ultimately the game was sealed though by a moment of individual brilliance from scrum half Egan, collecting the ball from his own chip kick to score under the posts. The resulting conversion from Power giving Ealing the narrow victory.
A wonderful match played in a great spirit, the Sligo lads and coaches were a real credit to their club on and off the field and we hope we can have a return fixture next season.