Loan Watch and Academy Roundup

13 Senior Academy players, plus two more Exiles, were in loan action over the past weekend, with the Bishop Wand ACE side also looking to wrap up a strong ACE league showing.

Loan Watch

In the RFU Championship, prop Mikey Summerfield continued his impressive showings in the second tier for Hartpury University when the Gloucestershire side took on Jersey Reds.

The 20-year-old played all 80 minutes, initially as John Barnes’ selected tighthead before completing the match at loosehead at the ALPAS Stadium.

The unbeaten Reds took another victory back over the Channel in a 10-point, 27-17 win to situate them second in the division and Hartpury 10^th.

Calum Scott, hooker, injected some energy into the Richmond-based Exiles, playing out the last 20 minutes of London Scottish’s reverse on the road to Cornish Pirates to finish 32-0.

Down a tier in National League 1, the high-flying Rams continued a 100% start to the campaign with Senior Academy contingent Lucas Brooke, Ollie Allan and Michael Dykes making an impact of the replacements bench.

A high-scoring affair in Reading saw the Rams take a 50-25 win, each Exile playing out the final half hour with Allan (scrum-half) maintained his reputable box-kicking capabilities as well as his ruck speed.

Brooke busied himself as a loose forward in contact and with bustling carries, outside back Dykes’ vigorous carrying and foresight seeing the 20-year-old gain a try assist with a kick into space for Jak Rossiter to take Rams to half a century of points.

Monty Bradbury was awarded a full 80 minutes for local side Rosslyn Park in a closely-fought, 24-22 defeat at home to Cambridge doing so with strong distribution and smart touch finders.

Irish had another trio of National League 1 representatives playing for Esher against Cinderford, Jack Walsh (wing) earning a starting berth and impressing in a 50-minute cameo before an early injury withdrawal.

The versatile back’s handling led to progression up the field for Esher, with Afolabi Fasogbon (prop) adding a try late on for Esher as a replacement, with Ben Atkins (back-row) also contributing an action-filled 50 minutes of his own.

Esher lost on this occasion in a 25-42 loss in south-west London, the Club still searching for their first win of 2022/23.

National League 2 East Club Barnes utilised first year Senior Academy talent George Makepeace-Cubitt (full-back) and Louie Kirkham (back-row) for another gameweek, travelling to Tonbridge Juddians.

After a 35-22 result in favour of the Juddians, both Exiles played out a full 80 with Makepeace-Cubitt adding a conversion in his only goal kick of the game as Barnes still sit third in the rungs.

In the HALBRO Raging Bull Shield Division 1, Esher’s second side hosted Hallam Chapman (back-row) and Oran Murphy (prop) in a 76-9 triumph over Maidenhead II, whilst centres Connor Cross and Jake Shortland lined up for Henley seconds.

An injury suffered by Shortland at the end of the first quarter meant a premature end to his afternoon, Cross then covering for his Clubmate at 12 for the game’s remainder as Henley last to Blackheath’s seconds 31-35.

First team contributions

Despite no Senior Academy involvement in Irish’s narrow recent defeat to Harlequins, seven Academy graduates played their part in taking a point away from the Stoop.

All starters, Chunya Munga, Josh Basham, Ben Donnell, Caolan Englefield, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Ben Loader and Tom Parton took on the west London rivals in the eighth-round, 26-24 loss to Tabai Matson’s men.

Donnell and Hassell-Collins touched down for their Club, whilst Basham registered the most tackles of the round (23) as Irish lost in agonising fashion, George Head scoring off a maul in the final play of the game.

ACE

London Irish’s ACE side Bishop Wand school will wrap up the South Group phase of the RFU ACE League on Wednesday (2^nd) evening against Exeter Chiefs’ ACE outfit, Truro and Penwith College.

Having confirmed their top four placing in the ACE South Group last week in a 31-12 win over SGS College (Bristol Bears ACE), Irish will find out their next opposition in the campaign following the conclusion of the matchup at Hazelwood.

Bishop Wand team:

15 Kian Norval, 14 Sam Rockley, 13 Theo Williamson, 12 Ben Bysouth, 11 Ciaran Meechan, 10 Louie Heard, 9 Rourke Flecker-Lister; 1 Kamron Greenaway, 2 Martin Chalmers, 3 Tom Milham, 4 Mario Ikuomola-Andre, 5 Ollie Agar, 6 Fin Worley Brady (c), 7 Ciaran Thomas, 8 Ed Bachelor.

Replacements

16 Charlie Holyer, 17 Milo Bourginon, 18 Archie Cleeve, 19 Michael Morgan, 20 Ben Littlefair.