Two tries inside the opening 10 minutes from skipper Andy Amor and wing Olly Foxley
underpinned National 3 South West table-toppers Rams 21st win of the season away to relegation haunted Weston.
A late penalty try, converted by scrum half James Brooks, his third of the match, finally ensured Rams rocky victory as title rivals Exmouth cut their lead to nine points in beating Oxford Harlequins, 66-8, and to add even greater emphasis to Rams tussle with the Devonians at the Old Bath Road ground on Saturday week (Apl. 11).
“It was a tough game down here today,” admitted Rams skipper Andy Amor afterwards. “We knew that it was going to be a battle and, right up until the 79th minute, there was nothing more than a couple of points in it and we're really pleased to get the victory.
“They are a good side and it's always a difficult place to come to and we were on our line under pressure for some time but the boys soaked it up and we came away with the win.”
Weston kicked off and immediately won a penalty as the visitors got caught offside only for home fly half Glen Dickson to miss the target and send his kick out over the dead-ball line.
He didn't, however, miss with a second attempt, just two minutes later, as the visitors again strayed offside and Weston were 3-0 ahead.
The visitors, however, addressed the balance immediately following the games first scrum and after a great break from centre David Massey and a drive off the resulting ruck from lock Owen Root, on his first start in 15 months, ended with Amor latching on to a perfectly weighted kick to the right-hand corner from fly half Luke Flower to crash over.
Brooks conversion attempt from the wide angle sailed neatly between the posts to put the visitors 7-3 ahead and, five minutes later, he was back in action.
This time thanks to a sustained period of pressure in the home sides half with Flower heavily involved along with hooker Ben Henderson, prop James Baker, Amor, flanker Azza Hopkins, and No.8 James Guttridge all lending a hand before Flower finally sent wing Olly Foxley flying in under the posts.
The conversion was easy meat for Brooks but, despite his side enjoying the better of possession it was to prove to be Rams only points of the half.
In fact it was the home side who added the only further points of the half when, following a further period of Rams pressure, Weston again burst out of their half and the visitors gave away a penalty in their desperate defence and Dickson again bisected the posts to put his side within eight points of the visitors who led 6-14 going in to the break.
While Rams always looked in control of the scrums and were a yard faster in application it was Weston's spirit, following three successive league wins, that was causing their visitors the problems and which they carried over into the second half.
Rams again found themselves under pressure from the start and Weston's reward came in the 48th minute when they were penalised by referee Ian Bibey for not rolling away in the tackle and Dickson banged over his third from the spot.
And, for a while, Rams were under the cosh, particularly from the unerring and powerful Dickson boot while when Brooks missed a penalty chance at the other end for Rams Dickson again struck on 61 minutes to put his side within two points of the visitors, 12-14.
But, with replacement prop Matt Weller and No.8 Gus Davies now on the field, Rams finally began to take the heat out of the home sides fervour and dominated the final minutes.
A penalty to Rams, for holding on in the ruck, allowed Brooks to bang his kick into touch in the home 22 and with a big drive from Amor they were held-up over the home line.
But the referee pulled them back for an infringement and from the re-set five-metre scrum a huge shove from the Rams pack had to be illegally stopped by Weston and the referee immediately awarded a penalty try that was comfortably converted by Brooks to end the match.
Rams backs coach Seb Reynolds summed up afterwards: “We always knew it was going to be a tough one down here as they are a very good side at home and they've had a good run of results recently and so we were under no illusions about how tough it would be.”
He also admitted: “We got a little bit too confident in ourselves and a bit nervous as well but apart from that they gutsed it out and got a good win.
And what about facing Exmouth at home on Saturday week (Apl, 11)?
"Well that's the big one isn't it!” he admits. “These boys have worked so hard all season and it's a credit to them for putting themselves in this position and now they have the chance to do the business at home and take the title against a very strong Exmouth side.”

Rams - Duffelen; Poole, Barnes, Massey, Foxley; Flower, Brooks; Steadman, Henderson, Bakerter of possession ; Root, Bryson; Amor (c), Hopkins, Guttridge. Reps: Weller, Davies, Clark.

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