Championship Round 16 Review
A look back at how Round 16 unfolded.
Saturday saw just four matches after the postponement of London Scottish v Ealing Trailfinders due to positive COVID-19 cases in The Exiles' playing squad, but the eight teams involved delivered plenty of talking points. From upsets and fightbacks to last-minute drama, here's a look back at how the action unfolded in Round 16.
Jersey Reds 29 - 13 Richmond
Jersey Reds and Richmond kicked off the action on Saturday, with the hosts rallying late in the game to clinch a bonus-point win and move within three points of the top of The Championship. Will Brown got the Reds up and running with a score in the corner after 13 minutes, but Richmond levelled through Jared Cardew, who applied the finishing touch to an unstoppable maul. Tim Grey then darted over from five metres out to restore Jersey's advantage, but the hosts were unable to add to their lead before the break. Richmond hit back 10 minutes after the restart through Jake Caddy, who intercepted a loose pass on the halfway line and sprinted to the whitewash to cut the deficit to just two points. With the game finely balanced, Jersey kicked for the corner in the 64th minute, and Eoghan Clarke rumbled over from the lineout drive for his 11th try of the season, but Richmond refused to give up and cut the gap to four points when James Kane slotted a penalty after the Reds were caught offside. Jersey piled on the pressure in the closing stages of the match, though, and crossed twice in the final seven minutes; first through Brown, who registered a second score in the corner, and then through James Mitchell, who finished off a goal-line scramble to seal a late bonus-point win for The Reds.
Doncaster Knights 19 - 13 Ampthill
Doncaster Knights overcame a spirited Ampthill performance but missed out on a bonus point and now sit one point behind Ealing Trailfinders in the table. It took 23 minutes for either side to break the deadlock, but it was a score worth waiting for as Sam Olver, playing at full back, unleashed Joe Margetts for a slick opening try from the Knights. Mark Best then extended the lead with a score in the corner after good work from skipper Sam Graham, but Ampthill struck just before the break when Joe Goodchild capitalised on a fumbled ball to take the halftime score to 12-5. The visitors pegged away after the re-start and were rewarded in the 63rd minute when Jac Arthur barged over in the corner to bring Ampthill within two points, but Doncaster crossed for the game's decisive score with five minutes to play when Olver fed Kyle Evans who cruised over for a clear run-in, with Olver's successful conversion putting the Knights nine points ahead. Ampthill did hit one back when Russell Bennett struck a 79th-minute penalty, but it was too little too late as Doncaster held out for a hard-fought win at Castle Park.
Bedford Blues 10 - 34 Hartpury
Hartpury bounced back from a fortunate draw against London Scottish in Round 15 with arguably their most complete performance of the season: a 24-point win at Bedford Blues. The visitors started brightly, although it was the hosts that struck first through a ninth-minute Louis Grimoldby penalty, and registered their first points when Toby Venner unleashed Robbie Smith for the game's opening try. Hartpury went on to dominate large swathes of the first half but failed to add to the scoreline before the break. Seven minutes after the re-start, Dean Adamson scored a long-range try - his 90th for the club - with Grimoldby's conversion edging the hosts into a three-point lead. James Williams levelled the scores from the tee soon after, and from there on, it was all Hartpury. With almost an hour on the clock, Venner sliced through and under the posts for their second, before Cam Jordan finished off a period of forward pressure with a close-range score. James Williams extended the gap to 17 points with a late penalty, and the Hartpury pack crashed over in the dying stages of the game to clinch a bonus point and put the seal on a fine performance on the road.
Coventry 21 - 31 Cornish Pirates
Cornish Pirates overturned a 10-point halftime deficit against Coventry to take a late bonus-point win at Butts Park Arena. The Pirates started brightly and took an early lead through the boot of Arwel Robson, but Coventry responded two minutes later when Josh Barton darted over the chalk to put the hosts in front, and added to their lead seconds after the re-start when Matt Johnson crashed over for a second try. Pirates hit back with an unstoppable maul which saw Tom Channon power over, and a Robson penalty cut the gap to one point, but Coventry widened the gap before the break with three Tony Fenner penalties in the space of 12 minutes. Pirates hammered away after the re-start, but it took 20 second-half minutes to register on the board when Robson slotted a three-pointer from the tee. Jack Andrew then snuck over, with Robson's conversion levelling the scores at 21-21. With five minutes left to play, Pirates forced a penalty and opted for the corner: a decision which paid off when Tom Duncan barrelled over from subsequent lineout drive, and then brought up the bonus point from a ferocious rolling maul with seconds left on the clock to complete the fightback and move within three points of first-placed Ealing Trailfinders.