Plymouth Albion came back from the break with a bang as they beat Blackheath 28-15 on Saturday.
A closely contested opening 12 minutes, a scrum penalty took Albion into the heart of Blackheath’s 22, from where a strong drive saw Ramaz Rukhadze power over. Fly-half Phil Jones added the extras as the hosts drew first blood.
That lead lasted around 10 minutes when Archie Holland drew over from a strong drive of Blackheath’s own. Matt Dalrymple levelled the scores with the successful conversion kick.
It looked as though the first half would go the way of the London-based side, but patience right at the end of the opening 40 minutes saw Sam Daly drive over, with Phil Jones taking Albion into the break four points ahead.
The start of the second period was full of intensity from an Albion point of view; twice Blackheath worked hard defensively to keep them out, but persistence eventually paid off when Daly went over again. Albion took advantage of their momentum when Jones produced a sublime break, setting up Jack Oulton to put more fresh air between the teams.
An impressive Blackheath break allowed Leo Fielding to pull one back during awful conditions as huge volumes of rain hit the Brickfields.
Albion overcame the elements though and controlled the final 10 minutes magnificently, securing the bonus point win.
Line-ups:
Plymouth Albion:
Ramaz Rukhadze, Harry Wilkinson, Dan Pullinger, Hallam Chapman, Dan Collier, Angus Hodges, Torin Clarke, Sam Daly, Jack Oulton, Phil Jones, Robin Wedlake, Archie Hill, Seta Raumakita, Pita Ratukadreu, Craig Duncan
Replacements: Gabe Mead, Jenson Boughton, Jack Wickham, Morgan Stone, Jesse Lowe
Blackheath:
Archie Holland, Billy Harding, Jack Owlett, Paul Schroter, Ed Taylor, Steve Clark-Leonard, Ronan Foley, Tom Baldwin, Jack Daly, Matt Dalrymple, Leo Fielding, Markus Burcham, Shae Tucker, Jake Lloyd, Jake Hennessey
Replacements:
Alex Witchell, Andrew Boye, Finley O’Sullivan, Alex Noot, Sam Hill
