Irish overpowered as Clifton open up
London Irish …12
Clifton…34
A FOUR-TRY performance from Clifton after the break earned them a bonus point victory.
Irish were just three points down at half-time but Clifton’s dominance up front gave them better second-half territory and possession.
After a scrappy opening quarter, Jo Touma finished a flowing team move under the posts to give Irish the lead, Ben Kitching converting.
James Newey cut the deficit with a penalty and five minutes later scythed through to score and convert for a-half-time lead.
Harper scored just after the break to extend his side’s advantage, and the floodgates opened for Clifton as three tries followed in 18 minutes put the game to bed.
An unstoppable rolling maul led to Max Woodward touching down in the 51st minute, Newey’s conversion making the score 7-22.
John Hawkins secured the bonus point with a try under the sticks, Newey again converting, before Spence completed the tryscoring five minutes later, dotting down at the back of another dominant scrum.
Matt Killeen provided a consolation score for the Irish five minutes from time, but it was too little too late for the struggling Wild Geese who now lie just one point clear of relegation.
TEAMS
LONDON IRISH WILD GEESE: Kitching, Turner, Meeson, Cunningham, Killeen, Hodgkinson, Adamson, O’Sullivan, Gibson, Connor, Hagget, Moore, Rowland, Bush, Touma Replacements: Atkinson, Livett, Drye, O’Duffy, Richards
CLIFTON: Clark, Sharp, Wells, Newey, Pomphrey, Barnes, Spencer, Warster, Wheeler, Giltrow, Hawkins, Harper, Uren, Woodward, Chesters
Replacements: Booley, Bullimore, Edwards, Luxton, Harrison
REFEREE: Alexis Manley
ATTENDANCE: 150
Star man
James Newey – Clifton
