Waterloo... 13 Ealing... 20 WATERLOO were eliminated from the EDF Cup in a third round match against a side from a division below them after an encounter they will certainly wish to forget. The worst feature, of course, was the weather, which enveloped everyone in strong wind and heavy rain for most of the time and which the visiting Ealing side used very much to their advantage. They employed a well co-ordinated forward drive so efficiently that it produced all their three tries, each one scored by flanker David Essian, who was driven forward at least 30 yards on each occasion, as the side were sunk 20-13. Waterloo’s pack was well below full strength, with two reserve props and only one genuine second rower, but their failure to find a way of stopping a fairly conventional move illustrated not only their lack of genuine size, save in the person of lock Alistair Davidson, but their inability to match their opponents’ play. Davidson looked impressive and was rewarded for his hard work with an excellent try midway through the second half, but there were few good combined efforts and an apparent lack of constructive ideas. Coach Chris O’Callaghan obviously appreciated the difficult conditions and agreed the visitors deserved to win, but I suspect he was really annoyed with his players’ lack of imagination and adaptability and will be making them work extremely hard this week. Essian was driven over for his first try after only four minutes, when his co-ordinated drive caught Waterloo completely by surprise. He was able to repeat his feat just before the interval, and then strike for a third time in the 53rd minute. Fly half Ben Ward converted the first try beautifully from quite a long way out, but missed the other two, though he did manage to land a fairly straightforward penalty near the end. Waterloo stand off Alex Davies hit back with an early penalty and then scored an excellent try after 28 minutes, following a fine break by centre Jason Duffy. There were only four points in it at the interval, which suggested Waterloo might be able to escape defeat. However, Essien’s third try early in the second half effectively clinched things, despite Davidson’s fine try for Waterloo, with Ward adding a late penalty. | 
