OWEN Root was pleased with a ‘good evening’s work’ as Rams Development beat the Royal Air Force 47-17 under the Old Bath Road floodlights.
An ebb-and-flow first half saw the visitors take the lead through Adam Ford, only for Max Brown and Harry Bicknell to score via mauls, Andrew Lamb converting the first.
The RAF cut the gap to two points before the break as Ben Wilson crashed over, but the game was in the balance heading into the final quarter as Rams originally pulled clear with a Liam Elston seven-pointer before Josh Peacock responded.
Yet a rapid three-try blitz from Sam Bowen, Barney Thomas and Alex Mannhardt, all converted by Lamb, put the game to bed before Bicknell doubled his tally late on.
With the average age of the Rams squad just 21 and including no-one older than 24, there was plenty to like for the future against a dangerous Services outfit.
And the forwards coach said: “It was a real test and a great game of rugby played at some speed, especially in the opening exchanges against an industrious RAF side.
“It was very physical, but our guys were fantastic throughout. They worked to get a strong foothold in the game with a great set-piece and then the conditioning, work-rate and intensity late on allowed us to pull away.
“For both of us as coaches and the players who are having to be patient, it’s extremely rewarding.
“They’re frustrated not playing first-team, but to prepare and perform the way they did was superb – everyone came together as a side and worked flipping hard for each other.”
He continued: “From a forwards’ point of view there were several individuals who caught the eye.
“Liam as captain ran the line-out very well, you can see the experience Harry’s gaining on loan and he must take the credit for that because of how hard he’s worked.
“He’s a local lad who came through the London Irish Academy system, we got eyes on him and then going back to Windsor last season, now Oxford Harlequins, he’s very impressive.
“(DoR) Seb (Reynolds) is fantastic at seeing this young talent and it shows how effective loans can be, guys given the chance to get competitive rugby and exposure to lots of different situations.
“It can help you grow and Harry’s been fantastic to work with, while (prop) Obi (Nwachuku) was great off the bench – his work at the final maul was phenomenal and he can be a major force for us.”
While performances across the board were outstanding, there were also notable impacts from several current Reading University students including Paddy Jackson, Mannhardt, Thomas, James Gilman and Isaac Tokura, alongside recent alumni Elston, Archie Downing and Phil Poppy.
And Root beamed: “The Uni guys are excellent and comes back to the fundamentals we have – there are values we expect and it helps the performances play out.
“These players coming in have enjoyed a pre-season with us and are developing nicely, but again, it comes primarily from hard work and humility.”
After a week off, Rams first XV return to National One action at Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday (3pm).
