A THOROUGHLY professional performance from Rams saw the visitors earn an excellent 26-5 bonus-point victory at Birmingham Moseley.
The away side started strongly and took a deserved lead early on as a slick backs move took them into Birmingham territory, before they patiently worked their way through the phases at close range before hooker Max Hayman burrowed over.
Rowan Grundy made no mistake in adding the extras, and Rams continued to enjoy the better of the play before moving further ahead during the third quarter.
A surging rolling maul was stopped short of the Birmingham line, but again some patient build-up was finished as Tom Vooght fought his way over on the right, Grundy’s wind-assisted conversion attempt unfortunate to strike the right post.
Birmingham rallied towards the end of the half, but were left to rue a knock-on from a line-out five metres out with the final play of the first 40 minutes, Rams heading into the interval 12-0 to the good.
The hosts came out firing at the start of the second period, but a crucial 90 seconds saw Rams take complete control of the contest.
Firstly Moseley looked certain to score as they smashed their way towards the line, only for the visitors’ irrepressible skipper Robbie Stapley to somehow hold the ball up.
His side then immediately went down the other end of the pitch, and some slick handling from the excellent Ollie Cole enabled Kieran Leicester to feed an inside ball to prop Ant Marris to dive over for the third try and his maiden score for the first team.
Grundy converted for 19-0, but the home side got on the board shortly after as a long miss-pass from scrum-half Jack Coombes found Seb Nagle-Taylor to cross on the left.
The home side enjoyed something of a resurgence, but Rams’ excellent defence held them at bay before they struck the killer blow.
Having kicked to the corner as they went for the jugular, the visitors got the rolling maul going again and man-of-the-match Hayman – who produced yet another all-action display all round the park – peeled off the back before diving over for his second try.
Grundy’s kick from the 15-metre line on the left was good, and with 10 minutes to play, the game was all but up for the home side.
They continued to give it their all, though, and could have scored a second try only for some magnificent cover defence from wings Henry Bird and Charlie Robson, albeit the former received a yellow card for his efforts.
Yet Rams repelled a final attack from Moseley as they picked up a fourth win in five games since the turn of the year, remaining in sixth place but closing the gap on the chasing pack behind Rosslyn Park.
By Richard Ashton
