Rams win at first attempt on road
Cambridge……32
Rams……………36
RAMS returned to Reading with all five points following their first foray in the National One as Cambridge failed to fire until the last fifteen minutes of a scrappy afternoon.
Ben Penfold's 42 metre penalty put the hosts ahead 3 minutes in, but Rams forced their way into the game 5 minutes later via Andrew Denham before Joe Tarrant on debut put the Blood & Sand in front.
Ellis Jones and Henry Bird, though, saw the visitors ahead by 22 points to 11 at the break, with Alex Seers and Ben Penfold trading penalties.
From the restart, Denham looked to have put the game beyond the hosts before Alex Rayment looked to start a comeback with a score.
Bird touched down for his second and Rams' fifth – Rayment barrelled over again and at the death James Martin got the try bonus point for Richie Williams' side, which, had they not coughed up the restart, could have won an unlikely and underserved victory on the day.
The visitors dominated the set piece and the line out and put the home defence under pressure that befitted a team with 28 wins last season.
Two points won, then, for the hosts, but Rams held on for a fairytale start to life post-promotion.
Cambridge, seemingly still have work to do as they bed in new signings.
TEAMS
CAMBRIDGE: Tarrant, Petrides, Henderson, Hema, Martin, Penfold, Adamson; Rukhadze, Mayhew, Langley, Bretag-Norris, Conquest, Moore, Sloot, Mc- Cloud
Replacements Rayment, Peck, Rawlings, Creighton, Brown
RAMS: Bird, Corrigan, Jones, Humberstone, Denham, Seers, Moates; Kidd, Henderson, Mc- Donnell-Robert, Taylor, Stapley, Guttridge, Vooght, Stapley
Replacements: Moffitt, Steadman, Etete, Hayhow, Cole
REFEREE: Nick Wood
ATTENDANCE: 478
Star man
Andrew Denham – Rams
