Jackson in for hat-trick as the Rams stay on track

The Rams picked up the try bonus point before halftime, coming out of the blocks quickly and startling their hosts with an array of blistering running rugby. As was hardly surprising given the conditions, the Rams elected to play a lot of ball in hand rather than attempt to kick for territory, so they had to be precise and clinical with the ball.

With that in mind, they played some brilliant rugby in the first half and took the game away from Alcester as a contest by the midway point. Four tries before the half-hour mark saw Shipston secure the bonus point before Alcester went over with the last play of the half.

After the restart, Shipston were soon back on the attack, kicking for territory well and making good use of the conditions to turn Alcester around time and time again. The home side worked tirelessly and made it as difficult as possible for Shipston to get the quick ball that they were after.

But Robbie Faulkner bagged a try early in the half for Shipston to cap off an excellent individual performance before he dislocated a shoulder, so a re-shuffle in the back line saw Rob James move to fly-half and Tobi Faulkner come back onto the field.

A further two tries were scored for Shipston, including Harry Jackson completing his hat-trick. Alcester battled hard in the remaining minutes and picked up a deserved brace of tries of their own.

There were a number of excellent performances with Simon Baldwyn and Ben Summers providing an solid base up front in the pack while Tom Corby and Robbie Faulkner impressed in midfield. Jackson’s hat-trick of tries and a solid defensive display capped off an outstanding game for the centre.