A triplet of tries from Bryant, Rossiter and Atkins closed the first half of Rams’ home game against Barnstaple RFC. The visitors appeared overtly outclassed in the first forty minutes, suffering to a fast and aggressive defence from the Reading side. Rams maintained the majority of possession and pushed play firmly into Barnstaple’s part of the pitch, eventually awarding Rams with the win and a final score of 31-20.

Despite being on the back foot throughout the opening half, Barnstaple were the first to put points on the board with a penalty scored by Petherbridge. The visitors enjoyed a fleeting moment of leading the game before they were subjected to half an hour of Rams’ ruthless attack.

Almost all of the first half took place at Barnstaple’s try line. Rams’ offense was clear and controlled. The visitors did well to repel big runs by Rossiter and Bryant and to evade conceding when faced with onslaughts by Henderson, Hoy and Stapley, all of whom come within inches of scoring.

Even after two of Barnstaple’s players were sin-binned, the visitors maintained their iron-clad defence. Rams managed to cross the Barnstaple try line on two occasions only to have their opportunities held up by the away side.

It was only in the final moments of the first forty minutes that Reading side asserted their dominance. Rossiter racked up Rams’ first points with the help of Stapley’s post-scrum pick-and-go. This was followed by two tries under Barnstaple’s posts; the first coming from Atkins after U’Chong sprinted the span of the pitch and perfectly timed his offload; the second from Bryant, who received the ball from a vicious Vooght.
Atkins converted his own try as well as Bryant’s, giving a comfortable half-time score of 19-3.

Play recommenced with a quick try from Henderson for Rams, successfully converted by Atkins. This marked the game’s most pronounced lead for the home side.
The second half saw Barnstaple step up their aggression and establish a more level playing field. This was allowed by Rams, who conceded their first try after Barnstaple’s Brock traversed the entire length of the pitch with almost no opposition to hinder his progress. This slip-up signalled a change of pace and Rams were subjected to 5-minute rallies of constant attack, Barnstaple doing well to maintain continuous play and fight for the pitch inch-by-inch.

Despite break-out moments from Dan Sanders and Sean Mcdermottroe, the home side spent more of the second half on the defensive. Barnstaple’s scrum ramped up the heat, leaving Rams with a yellow card for Mcdonnell-Roberts and eventually awarding the away side with a penalty try after repeat offenses.

With a far tighter score difference, Barnstaple saw an opportunity to pick up a losing bonus point. A successful penalty kick at 77 minutes bought them within range with a score of 26-20.

However, with only minutes left on the clock, Rams dashed Barnstaple’s dreams. After the Rams’ pack made 20 metres of ground with a megalodon maul, Sam Guttridge finished the game with a long pass out to Atkins who scored his second try of the game to the sound of the closing whistle. A final score line of 31-20 gives Rams their second victory of the season.

Next week will see Redingensians Rams away at Exmouth.

Report by Matt McCrory
Photo by Tim Pitfield

Team List:
15 - Atkins
14 - Rossiter
13 - Bryant
12 - Sanders
11 - McDermottroe
10 - Chandler
9 - U'Chong
1 - Weller
2 - Henderson
3 - McDonnell-Roberts
4 - Hoy
5 - Bryson
6 - Kharbouch
7 - Vooght
8 - Stapley (c)

Replacements:
16 - Crame
17 - Marris
18 - Taylor
19 - Hopkins
20 - S. Guttridge