MATCH REPORT: RAMS ROAR BACK TO BEAT BLACKHEATH

A FABULOUS second-half fightback helped Rams keep their National One title hopes alive with a 33-25 home win against Blackheath on Jak Rossiter's 150th appearance.

The visitors made a fast start, Tom Ffitch slotting a penalty inside a minute after Rams were caught off-side having failing to deal with the kick-off, and their backs then showed their class to send Jake Lloyd over in clubhouse corner.

Ffitch defied a gusty wind to land a terrific touchline conversion, but the hosts hit back as James McRae made a mini-break before man-of-the-match Dan Swain stretched under the posts for a try added to by skipper Fraser Honey.

Yet Club replied from the restart, the ball shipped down the line before Leo Fielding’s inside ball sent Jake Hennessey in on the left.

Things got worse for Rams almost immediately, Blackheath’s slick backs again combining before flanker Noah Sloot finished the move out right.

A Swain charge-down nearly allowed Calum Scott to score on his first start, the back row unable to cling onto a pass with the line at his mercy, but Rams came into the contest during a scoreless second quarter which saw Club’s Markus Burcham yellow-carded for a sin-bin in midfield.

The hosts needed a fast start to the second period, and they got it within three minutes as the precocious Charlie Robson fielded a kick from deep, McRae made further yards and Ollie Monye was on hand to just about reach over for the second try.

Honey added the extras, and he repeated the trick to give his side a one-point lead after Robson danced his way past three would-be defenders to touch down under the posts.

Rams continued to come on strong as a sizable crowd became more vocal, and they secured the bonus-point when the excellent Ellis Jones cut a lovely line in midfield before crossing the whitewash.

The conversion attempt drifted just right of the uprights before Blackheath came again, former Ram Paul Schroter dotting down at the back of a maul to reduce the deficit to a point with seven minutes remaining.

Any nerves among the home crowd were swiftly calmed, however, a powerful Jones carry and superb off-load enabling Zach Clow to race under the posts for the decisive try, Honey completing the scoring with simplest of conversions.

Rams have a week off before travelling to Plymouth Albion on Saturday, April 6.

Final Score: Rams 33–25 Blackheath (HT 7-20)

Scorers:

Rams:

Tries: Swain 8 Monye 43, Robson 55, Jones 67, Clow 75

Conversions: Honey 9, 44, 56, 76

Blackheath:

Tries: Lloyd 5, Hennessey 10, Sloot 15, Schroter 72

Conversions: Ffitch 6

Penalty: Ffitch 1

Star Man: Dan Swain (Rams)

Referee: Ben Rayner

Attendance: 987

Rams

(15-9, 1-8) Makepeace-Cubitt, Clow, Jones, Grundy, Robson, Honey ©, Monye; Harris, Hayman (vc), Lomas, C Stapley, Swain, Scott, Atkins, McRae

Replacements: Marris, Baker, Hoyt, Rossiter, Hoadley.

Blackheath

(15-9, 1-8) Hennessy, Lloyd, Burcham (vc), Cooke, Fielding, Ffitch, Daly; Davis, Harding, Holland, Everard, Stradwick, Taylor ©, Sloot, Baldwin

Replacements: Walliker, Boye, Schroter, Denham, Clark-Leonard