Eastbourne RFC tonk Trinity

After the Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex fixture had previously been postponed due to an unplayable surface, Eastbourne were chomping at the bit to have a run out on home turf.

The Eastbourne side offered a blend of youth and experience, with the return of Leon Wood and Dylan Viles after a mid-season ski holiday and wise heads Vincent Morse and Jake Howe returning following the births of their respective sons.

Both teams showed early intent to play running rugby. Eastbourne were first to strike after working their way up the pitch.

Howe crashed over from short range, making the most of his sturdy build since swapping gym sessions for night feeds. He converted his own try to take Eastbourne 7–0 up.

It didn’t take long for Trinity to respond, scoring their own try out wide to make it one apiece.

Captain Aaron Hossack knew the importance of keeping the scoreboard ticking over and Eastbourne added a penalty through Howe.

Eastbourne continued to dominate possession and territory throughout the first half but struggled to convert this into further points. The team’s scrum dominance kept Trinity on the back foot and gave the Eastbourne backs a platform to attack from.

After numerous attempts, Eastbourne finally crossed the try line out wide, with Stuart Baker touching down for their second try of the match. The half-time whistle sounded with Eastbourne leading 15–5.

The second half saw Eastbourne find their attacking form and the scoreboard began to reflect their dominance. Viles was the first to score, touching down after a well-worked team move up the pitch.

From there, the forwards took controland this began to show on the scoreboard. Big Brandon Foot was next to cross the line, powering over from a whole metre out. His second-row partner, Eddie “Newick” Wrench, was next to score for Eastbourne – his first try for the 1st XV.

A storming run from Konrad O’Neill saw him break through a couple of tackles to score Eastbourne’s sixth try of the afternoon. It was great to see O’Neill back in the front row, running his signature hard lines.

The final try of the afternoon was scored by crowd favourite Paul Smith. Trinity learnt that it is impossible to stop a former strongman when he takes the ball at pace, slicing through the defensive line like a hot knife through butter.

Howe found his kicking boots to convert the final try – an uncharacteristic day off the tee, having only converted the first and last tries.

Eastbourne ended the game 42-5 winners. MoM was awarded to O’Neill for his dominance at set-piece and his barnstorming runs.

Next, Eastbourne travelled to undefeated league leaders Cobham and gave them a scare before losing 38.35.

Eastbourne, fifth in the table, are next in action on Saturday week (Feb 28) at home to Weybridge Vandals.