Rams learn hard lessons after fourth defeat in a row

RAMS boss Seb Reynolds hopes his young players will learn from their mistakes after the side suffered a fourth consecutive National One defeat for the first time, going down 47-33 at home to a superb Plymouth Albion, writes Richard Ashton.

The visitors benefitted from an ill-disciplined Rams display to make it nine wins on the spin as they moved level on 71 points with their opponents — both teams are now 12 points adrift of table-topping Richmond.

Two early Tom Putt penalties got Albion on the board before Zach Clow crossed for Rams, a yellow card for Ben Atkins and two converted Plymouth tries from Harry Wilkinson and Jago Sheppard making it 20-5 to the away side.

Rams responded brilliantly, though, the outstanding Axel Kalling-Smith and Solodrau Radianirova touching down. With Fraser Honey slotting two conversions, it was a one-point game at the interval.

Plymouth, however, made a blistering start to the second period as Jake Bond and Angus Hodges went over for converted scores, Kalling-Smith’s second and the boot of Honey reducing the deficit to 34-26.

However, Putt knocked over another penalty, and then with Mikey Duda in the sin-bin, man-of-the-match Jack Oulton’s beautiful inside ball sent Shea Cornish under the posts before Putt added the extras and another three points thereafter.

Returning Rams skipper Max Hayman — tremendous throughout — grabbed a late consolation to tie Clow on 12 tries for the season, but Albion were worthy winners as Reynolds acknowledged, while rueing his team’s high penalty count.

He said: “Plymouth deserved the win and played some great rugby, their maul got going and they had some lovely moves off that as well.

“They were very good, and Jack Oulton was superb in helping them attack off it.

“Discipline is one of those things you learn as younger players – it will come. We had a more youthful core, and they’ll learn, but playing 20 minutes with 14 men and a penalty count in the high teens, you won’t win National One games like that. “There might be a naivety of youth — I love them to bits and they’re developing nicely, they bring an incredible energy to the group — but there’s an understanding in those moments of what keeping your discipline means. It takes time to learn.

He continued: “There are improvements to be learned from what happened at the start of the second half.

“We should have taken what we did at the end of the first and instead it swung their way — again the penalty count, two in our half, it lets them get territory from which they score and then a freakish moment coupled with some fine play and they go again.

“That was ultimately decisive.”

Despite his side’s poor run dropping Rams to fourth in the table — level on points with Plymouth — the director of rugby was pleased with some aspects of his team’s performance.

He explained: “The sun came out, the crowd were fantastic and saw a high-scoring game of rugby, but we’re gutted not to win – you can’t take anything away from Plymouth.

“I was pleased with a lot of stuff we did, we attacked well, there was good physicality, and we take that, but we didn’t deserve to win.

“I thought Max was brilliant and he’s become a better leader in his time off.

“He’s conducted himself with class around the group while not being overbearing, and to come back and do 80 minutes is a testament to the hard work he’s put in. Axel was also superb and probably deserved a hat-trick — there were maybe a couple of times in the second half we kicked rather than putting it through the hands, but he was brilliant.

“It’s difficult at the moment, but we’ll look forward to Sedgley Park next week, then Blackheath, and two more home games when we hope to have more big crowds and to give our supporters the wins they deserve.”

Rams travel to Sedgley Park tomorrow, kick-off 2.30pm.