The Review: Feel-good factor returns amid a thrilling Round Nine

Round Nine delivered dramatic comebacks, last-gasp winners and impressive victories as some sides rediscovered their winning touch. (Photo Credit: Rowena Burridge).

National One

Dings Crusaders (10th) climbed out of the relegation places after coming from behind to beat Sheffield (13th) 43-38 at Abbeydale Park.

George Rogers and Dings’ Will Hendy opened the scoring before Sheffield seized the initiative through Rhodri Campbell and Josh Redfern.

Chris Hooper added Sheffield’s fourth, in between two Dings tries, to give the hosts a 28-17 half-time lead.

Hooper’s superb second try extended their advantage to 16 points, but Tom Foot and Glen Gammell both crossed before the hour to cut the deficit to 33-31.

Peter Hudson-Kowalewicz’s unconverted try was answered by Will Papp’s converted effort to level the scores, before Harry Rowson snatched victory for Dings two minutes from time.

Bottom club Cambridge (14th) suffered a ninth successive defeat as they went down 66-21 at Rosslyn Park (6th).

Park had built a 21-7 half-time lead, but five tries before the hour from Arthur Ellis (2), Luc Smith, Charlie Coe and Conor Byrne put the hosts firmly in control.

Chris Mills and Ben Ritson responded for the visitors, but further scores from Jack Matthews and Coe wrapped up a second home victory of the season for Park and condemned Cambridge to another defeat.

Rams (12th) have slipped into the bottom three alongside Cambridge and Sheffield after losing 35-21 to league leaders Plymouth Albion (1st).

In front of more than 2,500 at Brickfields, Albion raced into an early lead with three tries in the opening seven minutes from Iwan Jenkins, Jarrad Hayler and captain Huw Taylor.

Jake Clemson’s try shortly after the interval secured the bonus point for the table-toppers, with Noah Fenton also grabbing one. Rams did respond through Henry Kirwan and Pete Austin (2), but the damage had already been done.

Second-placed Tonbridge Juddians (2nd) remain four points behind Plymouth after seeing off a determined Bury St Edmunds (11th) 41-27 at The Slade.

After their 100 per cent start was ended in Round Eight, Jordan Turner-Hall’s side returned to winning ways, racing into a 24-5 lead thanks to doubles from Will Holling and Shadyn Osgood.

But Bury fought back through unconverted tries from Euan Rees (2) and Clark Macfarlane.

The returning Nathan Earle and Matt Hicks exchanged scores to make it 31-27, but Connor Lloyd’s try and penalty ultimately sealed the points for TJs.

Camborne (3rd) and Leeds Tykes (4th) both maintained their momentum with home bonus-point victories.

The Cherry and Whites beat Bishop’s Stortford (9th) 66-35 at The Recreation Ground, with the visitors having Austin Pope sent off in the first half.

After falling 14-0 behind inside the opening 10 minutes, tries from Joe Brock and Alex Gilham brought Stortford back into the contest. However, a brace from Ben Priddey restored Camborne’s advantage.

Then came the flashpoint. Pope was shown a red card for a headbutt, while Camborne’s Sam Matavesi received a yellow.

Stortford nevertheless struck next, with Jack Biard racing over, but Camborne took control after the break.

Frankie Nowell crossed straight from the restart before Josh and Sam Matavesi both touched down. Barnaby Elderkin and Priddey, who completed his hat-trick, also got in on the act.

Stortford did secure their try bonus through Fraizer Kiff, with Theo Mannion also crossing, but Camborne had the final say as Priddey grabbed his fourth try of the afternoon.

As for Leeds, a superb first-half display laid the foundations for a 33-19 victory over Birmingham Moseley (8th).

Tries from Ben Bailey, Ben Turpin, George Worthington and Max Farrell gave the Tykes a deserved 26-7 half-time lead.

Moseley hit back after the interval through Austin Nevitt and Ben Pogson to reduce the deficit to seven, but Matt Salisbury’s score just before the hour ultimately settled matters for a Leeds side who have now won their last four matches.

And last but certainly not least, a thriller at The RAG went the way of Sale FC (5th), who edged London Scottish (7th) 45-40.

Alex Earnshaw gave Scottish the lead, but Sale hit back as Nev Edwards, Wills Austin and Andy Hughes crossed to establish a 19-12 half-time advantage.

Arthur Scarse extended Sale’s lead, but tries from Oscar Yandall and Connor Moyse moved Scottish 26-24 in front.

Hughes and hat-trick hero Moyse then exchanged scores before Pete Vickers and Jake Spurway did likewise, leaving Scottish 40-38 ahead with 10 minutes remaining.

However, this breathless second half had one last twist. Joe Green crossed for the 13th and final try of the afternoon to clinch the victory for Sale.

National Two North

Wharfedale (13th) moved off the foot of the National Two North table after an excellent first-half display laid the foundations for a much-needed 34-29 victory away at Huddersfield (11th).

Tries from Joe Fawcett, George Hedgley and Joe Charnley, alongside nine points from Callum Trees’ boot, gave Wharfedale a commanding 24-5 half-time lead.

A second penalty from Trees and a try from Sam Taylor extended their advantage before Huddersfield sparked into life.

Liam Stapley, Tom Hainsworth and Callum Thompson all crossed, while Will Milner added a late penalty as the hosts salvaged two bonus points despite spending much of the afternoon chasing the game.

Wharfedale are now just three points behind Billingham (12th), who were beaten 47-21 by an in-form Sheffield Tigers (7th) at Dore Moor.

Leading 21-14, the Tigers secured their bonus point before half-time through Ben Crowe before pulling clear in the second half.

Tries from Miles Dodsworth and Slias Talbot, who had both scored in the opening 40, alongside an effort from James Norman, wrapped up a fourth successive win for the Tigers. Ben Stockdale’s late score was merely a consolation for Billingham.

Heath (10th) returned to North Dene and claimed a third win of the campaign after coming from behind to beat Harrogate (8th) 34-33.

Trailing 26-14, Zach Baker’s try on the stroke of half-time sparked Heath’s fightback. Two Chris Johnson penalties, either side of Harvey Keighley-Payne’s score, saw the hosts move 34-26 in front by the 53rd minute.

Amrit Sharma’s fifth try in his last two games cut the deficit to a single point, but Harrogate could not find another breakthrough as Heath held on for successive home victories.

Towards the top, Tynedale (3rd) emphatically continued their winning run, thrashing Chester (5th) 59-12 to make it six victories in a row.

Having beaten second-placed Darlington Mowden Park in Round Eight, Chester had no answer to their latest North-East opponents, with Tynedale running in five first-half tries through Charles Smith, Archie Rattray, Tom Campbell, James Lythgoe and Joe Hanning.

Jack Appleton and Smith then extended Tyne’s lead to 49-7 by the 50th minute. David Jones did get one back for Chester, but a Cam Grant penalty and Appleton’s second put the icing on the cake for the hosts.

There were also healthy victories for the rest of the top four, with leaders Sedgley Park (1st) making it nine bonus-point wins from nine after beating Fylde (9th) 52-27.

The table-toppers raced into a 19-0 lead inside the opening 21 minutes via Joe Bedlow, Beltus Nonleh and Freddie Ferguson, but Fylde hit back through a brace from Leo Gilliland.

Sedgley responded with two more tries of their own as Bedlow and Alex Minozzi crossed to give the hosts a 33-10 half-time advantage.

Both sides added three tries in the second half as Sedge maintained their perfect record.

Darlington Mowden Park (2nd) remain in second place after a comfortable 36-12 victory over Otley (14th), who have slipped to the foot of the standings.

Neil Young and Darren Fearn’s side established a 24-0 half-time lead before Bruno Brown and Max Allen-Paver extended their advantage to 36 points.

Tom Howard and Chris Jackson crossed in the final 14 minutes for Otley, but they could do little to prevent a sixth successive defeat.

And Hull Ionians (4th) climbed into fourth after a 48-14 success over Preston Grasshoppers (6th).

Following their defeat at Billingham last week, this was the response Maliq Holden and his men were looking for. However, after a scoreless opening 35 minutes, the sides were locked at 7-7 at half-time, with Ben Stephenson replying to Sam Freeman’s try.

Hoppers had Jacob Browne yellow-carded shortly before the break, and Hull Ionians made them pay after the restart, running in three quick tries through George Hotchen, Zenden Rozenbroek and Will Metcalfe to move

Metcalfe then completed his hat-trick to make it 36-7 before Oliver Arnold and Brayton Taylor rounded off the scoring for the I’s at Brantingham Park.

National Two East

A last-gasp try from Chester Owen snatched a 26-19 victory for Oundle (1st) away at Jersey (13th), as the league leaders battled to a ninth successive bonus-point win.

Travel disruption for Oundle meant kick-off was delayed by an hour, but it was the home side who flew out of the blocks at CoinShares Park.

Freddie Earnshaw finished off a break from scrum-half Harry Cochrane to give Jersey a 7-0 lead after nine minutes, before Jack Macfarlane helped double their advantage.

But the league leaders fought back to level the scores before the break, with George Patten and Ben Brownline both profiting from Oundle’s driving maul.

Brownlie grabbed his second in similar fashion after the restart, but Jersey responded strongly.

Their efforts were rewarded in the 69th minute when Rhys Thomas capitalised on Harry Morley’s yellow card to make it 19-19.

Lochlan Brown then saw yellow for Oundle, and Jersey looked the more likely to snatch victory. Somehow, though, the visitors had the final say, with Owen sneaking over at the death.

Oundle’s late escape kept Esher (2nd) in second place, with the EEEs making it eight wins in a row after overcoming  Henley (10th) 38-27 at Dry Leas.

Esher led 14-10 after 30 minutes before two quick-fire tries from Alex Gribbon and Pierre Thompson sent the visitors into the break with a 16-point advantage.

Callum Jones and Will McKenna exchanged tries, but a surging score from Henley’s Tom Molhoek and a superb line and finish from Jones cut the gap to just six points with 15 minutes remaining.

However, Esher had the final say as replacement hooker Lewis Pickford rumbled over two minutes from time.

Third-placed Old Albanian (3rd) also secured maximum points in Round Nine after coming from behind to beat Leicester Lions (12th) 40-26 in the Midlands.

OAs trailed 12-5 at half-time, but a yellow card for Leicester’s Mitchel Sandikci after the restart proved costly for the hosts.

A penalty try, followed by scores from Alex Mason and Charlie Fleckney, put OAs in front before Jacob Appleyard extended their advantage. Albert Horne then added a sixth try shortly after the hour.

The Lions did cross twice in the final quarter, with Sam Harding’s effort securing a try bonus point, but OAs had done enough to claim their first away victory since Round Three.

Dorking (5th) saw their six-match winning run come to an end as Colchester (8th) produced an excellent display to secure a 36-33 victory.

Mike Haywood’s men were 19-15 behind shortly after half-time following tries from Dorking’s Finn Osborne, George Head and Tom Newman.

After play was halted to allow referee Philip Russell to be replaced because of a groin injury, Colchester came roaring back. Quick-fire tries from Bayley Eden and hat-trick hero Ashton Webb moved the hosts 29-19 ahead.

A yellow card for Dorking’s Lamar Sinclair provided another opportunity for Colchester, with Jack Daly stabbing a lovely kick through for Benji Mills to touch down.

However, despite building a 17-point advantage, the hosts were made to sweat in the closing stages as Tom Bloomer and Oli Rawlinson crossed. Colchester, nevertheless, held on for their fourth win of the season.

There were also engrossing contests involving Guernsey (4th) and Canterbury (6th), with both sides eventually coming out on top.

After three consecutive defeats, Guernsey returned to winning ways as Bryce Stockton’s late try clinched a 36-28 victory over Havant (9th).

Havant had fought back from 26-14 down to lead shortly after the hour. Angus Southon crossed before yellow cards to Gwyn Parks and Stockton were punished by Sam Trodd.

Discipline looked set to be Guernsey’s undoing once again, after boss Jordan Reynolds had bemoaned his side’s penalty count in their previous home outing against Esher, but three points from Parks’ boot and Stockton’s late try ensured the Raiders returned to the winners’ circle.

As for Canterbury, they battled past London Welsh (12th) in a pulsating 39-34 victory at Old Deer Park.

The visitors had battled back from 12-0 down to lead 17-12 before Buster Wilkins barged his way over to level the scores.

Canterbury then took control through tries from Garry Jones and Presley Farrance before half-time, while a penalty from Oliver Ashley-Jones gave them a 15-point cushion.

In a match punctuated by cards, London Welsh back-row Robert Edginton was shown a second yellow for a tackle in the air on 43 minutes, before Canterbury’s Riley Thomas and Max Campbell were both sent to the sin-bin.

Despite the sending off, the hosts roared back thanks to tries from Kieran Perkins and Iwan Humphreys, cutting Canterbury’s lead to 32-29 with a quarter of the match remaining.

A seventh yellow card of the afternoon was then shown to London Welsh’s Cass Gorshaw, and Canterbury’s Jesse De Vries took advantage to ultimately secure a fourth win in their last five matches.

Finlay King did finish off a lovely move in the corner to set up a tense finale, but the Exiles had to settle for two bonus points.

And Barnes (7th) made it four victories in a row after overcoming a spirited Westcombe Park (14th)  31-21 away from home.

Three first-half tries from Connor Cross, Jasper Cameron and Jacques Birch gave Barnes a 19-0 lead before Cameron crossed again shortly after the interval to secure the bonus point.

A penalty try and a yellow card for Brandon Baker brought Westcombe Park back into the contest, before Nicholas Sydorowitz powered over from a driving maul to cut the deficit to 12 points.

However, Cameron responded in kind to complete his hat-trick, while a second penalty try late on proved little more than a consolation for Westcombe Park.

National Two West

Cinderford (6th) inflicted a second successive defeat on Redruth (4th), as Tom Samak’s late try clinched a 22-16 victory at Bell Sports and Rugby Park.

Tries from Brendan Llewelyn and Round Eight Player of the Week Andrew Smyth moved Cinderford 12-3 ahead, but Rohan Ewels’ close-range effort reduced the deficit for Redruth.

Joe Winfield’s penalty ensured Cinderford held a five-point lead at the break, before opposite number Joe Cummins landed his second penalty of the afternoon.

Redruth then began to dominate territory but struggled to find a way through. Cummins eventually settled for another penalty eight minutes from time to put the visitors ahead, with Cinderford’s Jake Bailey also shown a yellow card.

However, Cinderford roared back. A break from Kyle Harris and Llewelyn ended with Samak scampering over to put the hosts back in front.

With the clock deep in the red, Redruth continued to push for a winner, but Clive Stuart-Smith’s side stood firm to secure an impressive victory.

That result dropped the Reds to fourth in the standings, with Luctonians (1st) moving to the summit after a comprehensive 53-7 victory over Barnstaple (11th).

Back-row James Mear claimed a first-half hat-trick, while the returning Ben Link also crossed the whitewash.

Charlie Grimes, celebrating his 150th National League Rugby cap, was among the second-half scorers alongside John Kelly, James Wheeler, Ben Randell and Owen Randell.

Clifton (2nd) are level on points with Luctonians after fending off a spirited Exeter University (13th) to secure a 35-29 victory at Station Road.

After establishing a 28-7 lead inside 34 minutes, Exeter hit back through Ben Smith and Harry Woodman, who scored either side of the break to move the visitors to within a converted score.

Harry Johnson’s try added to first-half efforts from Max McCarthy, Harry Hone, Hayden Main and Conor Thomas to give Clifton some breathing room, but Exeter responded once more through Christy Quirke.

A penalty from Woody Walker two minutes from time set up a tense finish in Bristol, but Clifton held on for their fifth successive win.

Hinckley (3rd) were also made to work hard for an eighth consecutive victory, coming from behind to beat Lymm (8th) 36-15 at Leicester Road.

Tries from James Hampson and James Pitcher, alongside a Tom Shard penalty, gave Lymm a 15-5 lead.

A yellow card for Rory Vowles didn’t look like it would help Hinckley’s cause, but Sam Read’s try on 37 minutes provided a timely boost for Alex White’s side.

Back to their full complement, Hinckley took control after the interval, with Oscar Harper, Sam McNulty, Read and Will Callan all crossing as the third-placed side scored 24 unanswered points in the second half.

Old Redcliffians (5th) continued their excellent form, making it five wins in a row with a 31-14 victory over Taunton (7th).

After falling behind to an Alfie Johns try, Old Reds hit back through Tom McLean, Harrison Murphy and Jamal Hamilton to establish a 19-7 half-time lead.

Gabe Mead and opposite number McLean, now the division’s leading try-scorer, exchanged scores before Murphy sealed the victory with the final play of the game.

Elsewhere, Loughborough Students (9th) claimed a 54-26 success over bottom club Devonport Services (14th).

Five tries in the opening 35 minutes set Loughborough on their way to a third consecutive home victory, with Will Peart-Smith, Henry Black, Emmanuel Shanu-Abu and Jeke Bulanauca among the scorers.

Sam Bunch and Bulanauca then added tries six and seven for the African Violet before Devonport Services responded with three scores in the space of seven minutes to secure a try bonus point.

Tom Davies, Elliott Pocknell and Charles Groves all crossed, but Loughborough had the final say through Charles Nunn’s close-range finish.

And Hornets (10th) bounced back from last week’s 47-31 defeat at Lymm with a 57-17 victory over Bournville (12th).

The scoreline only began to take shape after the break, with Hornets having led 19-12 at half-time despite seeing both Corey Baker and Tom Bailey yellow-carded before the interval.

Joe Jenkins’ third try in two games brought Bournville to within two points, but Hornets responded with three tries in 10 minutes from Ashley Lockwood, Baker and Sonny Davis.

Josh Sheppard then added the gloss, completing a hat-trick in the final 13 minutes to secure back-to-back victories at The Nest.