Jersey Reds v Ealing Trailfinders Saturday 4th February 2023, 2:00pm

Chairman’s Welcome

This week, it is a return to Championship Cup rugby for the month of February. The 12 teams have been split in to 3 pools of 4. Each plays the other teams home and away for a total of 6 Cup games. At the end of the pool games, the 3 pool winners and the best 2nd placed team will advance straight to the semi-finals.

The Reds’ pool comprises Ealing, Hartpury and Nottingham. Jersey won 2 of their first three games, losing narrowly away to Trailfinders 22-13 back in November. As a result, they sit 2nd behind undefeated Ealing. However, they are also currently the best-placed 2nd team, so will be looking to hold on to that position over the next 3 weeks.

The two teams come to this fixture off the back of very different outcomes last weekend. Ealing lost their second Championship game of the season, surprisingly going down at home to a fast-improving Coventry team. Meanwhile the Reds had travelled down to Cornwall where they took all five points on offer for the first time ever at the Mennaye. It was a very strong all round performance and one that has taken them one point shy of Trailfinders going in to the Cup break.

While these 2 teams always have a great battle, it is very much the London side that has been on top for a number of seasons now, so Jersey will certainly be looking to steal a win.

Come on you Reds!

Today's Opposition

January can seem like the longest month of the year for many people, and the staff and supporters of Ealing Trailfinders are probably in decent company in being pleased to see the back of it.

It may not have been an entirely dry January for the Londoners, but two wins from four Championship outings was a jolt to the system for a side who’d won 21 straight competitive games across the last 10 months of 2022.

On the first Saturday of 2023, Trailfinders made the trip to the Wirral for a re-arranged match with Championship new boys Caldy, who took full advantage of playing against 12 men in the dying stages following an early red and two late yellow cards for their opponents. Louis Beer crossed for a try in the last play to make it 26-24, sparking beer-with-everything celebrations for the Ravers.

After winning 35-24 at home to Ampthill and 13-26 at Hartpury, Ealing took on Coventry at Vallis Way last weekend, encountering fired-up opponents who were determined to claim the scalp of a higher-ranked side after narrowly failing to beat the Reds two weeks earlier. There was little to choose between the sides throughout the match, but the visitors had the edge and eventually won by 19-22.

Prior to the start of this year, Trailfinders had last tasted defeat in a competitive match on the final weekend of February 2022, when they were turned over at home by Doncaster Knights. From that point onwards they racked up 21 straight wins, claiming both the Championship and Championship Cup titles and rounding off the year with a 43-22 win against the previously-unbeaten Reds on Christmas Eve.

The festive fixture marked the continuation of a poor record for the Reds over their rivals. The two sides have now met 16 times in league encounters at level two dating back to 2013, with the 35-7 win on home turf in December 2015 the lone Jersey win, added to a further victory from four Championship Cup encounters.

During last season, the Reds gave a good account of themselves at Vallis Way when the two sides met in November 2021, leading narrowly at half-time before eventually going down 35-29 and having to settle for two bonus points. February’s return fixture at Stade Santander International also saw a narrow lead for the Reds at the break, but Jan Henning Campher’s try and 17 points from the boot of Craig Willis enabled the visitors to eventually take the spoils by 10-22.

Relations between the sides dates back to the 2010/11 season in National 2 South, when Ealing were promoted as champions, followed by Jersey soon afterwards as play-off winners. The rivalry continued the following year in National 1, when it was the Reds who took the title and were first to reach the ‘promised land’ of the Championship.

In this season’s Championship Cup, just four tries were scored at Vallis Way in November – the lowest figure in any of the Reds’ competitive games so far this season. Ealing scored three of them, including two in the second half to overcome a half-time deficit (for the third game running in the series) and win 22-13.