Ampthill travelled to second placed Coventry looking to bounce back from a 50-point defeat on the The Olney Field last week and having never won at The Butts Park Arena in the Championship!
A first minute yellow card for Aidan King didn’t help and Coventry used the man advantage to put the first points on the board with a try finished by Trotter after quick ball through their backs.
King’s return for the sin bin had an immediate impact, Ampthill securing a lineout on the hosts 22 and working the ball the full width for Josh Barton to finish in the corner. A successful conversion from Johnson off the touchline bringing the scores level.
Coventry hit back with an end to end try – Hutler making significant territory before chipping the ball forward for the wing to chase and score under the posts. 14 v 7 on 17 minutes.
Another well worked Ampthill set piece provided the platform for the second try – line out secured and the maul trundled close to the line where Brackon fed Harvey Beaton who crashed over. Another successful conversion brought the scores level.
Coventry third try again came from a turnover of an Ampthill attack and again they score under the posts 21 v 14
A yellow for Imi Qorowale gave Coventry a man advantage for the final ten minutes of the first half and Coventry took advantage of a series of Ampthill indiscretions to score their bonus point try on 36 minutes – Trotters second of the game. Conversion missed 26 v 14.
Ampthill had an opportunity to reduce the arrears on the stroke of half time, playing with advantage Johnson kicked wide for Va’enuke to chase but Coventry intercepted the referee called play back and Strachan gestured to the posts. Johnson’s penalty kick went just wide into a strong wind but effective time management from the Mob to see out the half with a man in the bin.
A rousing half-time talk from James Tirrell in the absence of sick Paul Turner got Ampthill fired up, and restored to fifteen men and playing with the wind the Mob set about their hosts with intensity.
Four minutes later Tino Mapapalangi broke the line and crashed through to score for the fourth game in a row – the big Tongan obviously looking to impress new Head Coach Dave Ward watching from the stands.
Ampthill continued to throw everything at their hosts, only an impressive Coventry defence and occasional forced errors preventing the next Ampthill score for nearly twenty five minutes – the vocal Mob supporters driving their team on.
With eight minutes to play the Mob finally drew level. Opting to scrum from another penalty in the Coventry 22, Rory Morgan went down the blindside and fed Oran mcnulty who beat his man and dived over in the corner. Johnsons third conversion made the scores 26 v 26.
Neither side seemed happy to accept the draw and the Ampthill defence held its nerve and discipline to prevent Coventry further scoring opportunities before curating their finale.
When the Mob were held up on the try line on 79 minutes, the goal line drop out gave us possession back – the forwards making territory and drawing the Cov defence in before Rory Morgan fed the ball to Louie Johnson who drew a couple of defenders and set up Brandon Jackson to beat the last defender and he made no mistake in beating Trotter to score in corner and secure Ampthill’s first ever win away at the BPA!
Following the game, Director of Rugby Mark Lavery said “We were a bit loose in the first half and found ourselves on the wrong side of some decisions but in the second half we grew into the game and played in the right areas to ultimately keep Cov away from the score board and score seventeen unanswered points. We will need to be good next week against a rapidly improving London Scottish side arriving at Dillingham Park on Easter SaturdayÂ
Team:
1 Harrison Courtney 2. Rhys Marshall (vc) 3. Harvey Beaton 4. Aidan King 5. Kaden Pearce-Paul 6. Tino Mapapalangi 7. Charles Rylands 8. Nathan Michelow 9. Charlie Bracken 10. Louis Johnson 11. Imi Qorowale 12. Fraser Strachan (c) 13. Sione Vaenuku 14. Brandon Jackson 15. Josh Barton
Replacements
16 James Issacs 17. James Flynn 18. Callum Norrie 19. Kennedy Sylvester 20. Syd Blackmore 21. Rory Morgan 22. Evan Mitchell 23. Oran McNulty
Try Scorers: Barton 14, Beaton 25, Mapapalangi 44, McNulty 72, Jackson 80
Conversions: Johnson 15, 26, 73
Man of the Match:
Tickets for London Scottish are available now from TicketCo . We still have two tables available in hospitality for Ladies Day.Â
