Eton Manor 23  Ipswich 10

 A strong finish against league leaders Eton Manor didn’t disguise yet another error-strewn start for Ipswich on Saturday.

The visiting side, still hampered by injuries to key players, couldn’t take advantage of the territorial dominance over the larger London side but scored the last try in the 23-10 loss.

New South African import Cristoffel Blom was barely off the plane when he was whisked onto the replacement bench before coming on to score the Amber-and-blacks’ only try.

With Eton Manor’s gargantuan pack intimidating the Ipswich forwards, the visitors conceded ten points in the first ten minutes, with a knock-on giving the home side a scrum from which they crashed over from the second phase. The conversion and an earlier penalty kick gave the home side a 10-0 lead.

Inside centre Drew Locke slotted three points from a penalty in the 26th minute but almost immediately conceded another three points when penalised for not releasing the ball in the tackle.

Ipswich spilled another ball and give the hungry Manor pack a scrum from which they scored out wide, leaving the visitors 18-3 adrift at the turnaround.

Encouraging words at halftime from captain Alex Briggenshaw sent Ipswich out in a better frame of mind but the possession and territory did not breed points.

An Eton Manor clearance kick caught Ipswich in two minds and they again conceded a penalty for failing to release in the tackle. From the resulting lineout the powerful pack drove over for an unconverted try and Ipswich were staring down the barrel of a 23-3 deficit.

New flanker Blom’s aggressive play made an impact when he came off the bench and he thrust and spun through the desperate defence to earn Ipswich’s only try on his debut.

Man-of-the-match Tom Aylott fronted up to the oversize home pack from hooker and Kiwi outside centre Fraser Pratt combined well with his youthful and talented backline.

With fellow loose forwards Gert Rossouw and Sean Murphy returning from injury in the coming weeks the selection dilemmas will be a welcome headache for coach Jeff Searle, who will just be glad to have a full squad training together free of injuries.

The positive atmosphere after the match, despite their second league defeat of the season, will encourage Ipswich as they prepare for the visit of Campion this weekend.

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