Rampant Rams comfortably reeled in second placed Brixham, the Trawlermen, at the Old Bath Road ground last Saturday to open up a six point gap at the top of the National Div. 3 South West table.
They blasted out of the box with a penalty after just three minutes and averaged a point a minute to go 32-14 up after 32 minutes before adding a further 17 second half points.
Even being down to 14 men for 20 minutes of the game due to yellow cards for fly half Luke Flower and, on the stroke of half-time, flanking skipper Andy Amor, had little effect.
The win pushed their points total to 153 in their last three unbeaten games and with only one defeat in 11 outings is, surely, promotion winning form.
As try-scorer Amor commented afterwards: “We really showed what the teams all about today and, in the first 15 minutes, we played some of the best rugby seen up here all season.
“We thought the game would be a challenge but, I think, we showed just how good this Rams side really is. Credit to Brixham for coming back at us and starting to challenge at the end of the first half but, I think, our sides performance really came through at the end of the half.”
He also had a special word of praise for his own forwards who never gave an inch in the set-piece while also showing their skills in open play around the park.
He said: “The pack was again fantastic with the front-row of James Baker, Ben Henderson, Jack Steadman and Matt Weller, when he came on, all fantastic and to score a push-over try from 15 metres out was a great credit to them.”
Rams were in front after just three minutes when the visitors were caught offside at a ruck and scrum half James Brooks was on target with his penalty kick. And he was at it again, after just six minutes play banging over his opening conversion following the first of Rams six tries. It came after a great drive from the pack that ultimately set-up the backs to clear the path for full back Joe Duffelen to steam in under the posts.
Brooks did, however, miss with a 41 metre penalty shot minutes later but, almost immediately, was back in action after a slick Rams build-up was rounded off neatly when fly half Luke Flower and centre Dave Massey combined superbly to put skipper Amor in for his fifth try of the season and, with Brooks conversion, give Rams a 17-0 lead.
And within three minutes they had try number three in the bag following a line-out steal from lock James Hughes that sent outstanding flanker Azza Hopkins on a scorching run from inside his own half and to leave the visitors left-wing for dead before finding lock James Hughes on his inside and who sprinted in under the posts from 10 meters out.
Again Brooks added the extras for a 24-0 lead but with fly half Flower yellow carded and Hopkins needing treatment on the touchline the visitors took their chance to whittle down Rams lead with two converted tries in two minutes. First prop Declan Sexton bundled over in the corner bringing out a magnificent wide-angle conversion from fly half Ben Lovell who also added the extras to an immediate second touchdown, from centre Tom McLean, and narrowing the gap to 24-14.
Stunned Rams responded almost instantly forcing a penalty that Brooks banged over and, four minutes later, some great Rams play up the wing saw centre Steve Bryant racing over in the right-hand corner which, this time, went unconverted but with Rams leading 32-14 going into the second half.
A storming start to the half from the visitors saw them reduce the deficit after a Lovell penalty and it wasn't until the 61st minute that Rams again extended their lead with a penalty in front of the posts from Brooks who also converted a penalty try awarded against the visitors by referee Chris Newton, some six minutes later, to stretch the lead out to 42-17.
Their final try coming in the last few minutes when, after their flanker Sam Thomas had been penalised and yellow carded for tripping, Rams opted for the scrum some 15 meters out.
Brixham, tired and demoralised, had no answer to the Rams shove and they were driven back over their own line for No.8 Jamie Guttridge to grab his eighth try of the season and which was well converted by Brooks.
There was still time, however, for one last try from the visitors when left-wing Matt Crooscombe danced through the Rams cover for an unconverted touchdown.
One man who's really finding his feet in the Rams front-row that performed so well on Saturday is new loose-head prop Jack Steadman.
He admitted afterwards: “The scrums going really well. I've enjoyed the last few weeks and we've just got to keep building and building.
“I'm really enjoying the club, the boys are really friendly and it's good to have some wins on the bounce.
“We're starting to put some performances together that will hopefully take us through a tough patch of the season and into new year. There's some tough matches coming up but hopefully we'll get through them.”

Rams : Duffelen; Poole, Bryant, Massey, Dampies; Flower, Brooks; Steadman, Henderson, Baker; Bryson, Hughes; Amor (c), Hopkins, Guttridge. Reps all used – Weller, Jeffreys, Swadling.

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