Barnstaple 12 Taunton Titans 24

Taunton Titans made it back-to-back wins to open their National 2 West campaign, securing an impressive 24-12 victory at Barnstaple in front of a strong travelling support.

The Titans started brightly and dominated possession and territory during the opening 15 minutes. Their pressure was rewarded with a penalty, which Tom Putt kicked into the corner as Taunton looked to put Barnstaple under pressure.

From the resulting set-piece, a well-executed catch and drive saw Ewan Guy crash over for the opening try. Putt added the conversion to give the Titans a 7-0 lead after 24 minutes.

Taunton continued to look the more threatening side, with their backs providing an excellent platform for the forwards to build from. Schuster-Wood produced a powerful run deep into the Barnstaple 22, but a knock-on brought the attack to an end.

The Titans continued to apply pressure, with Barham held up over the line on two occasions as Barnstaple defended doggedly to keep themselves in the contest.

Despite Taunton controlling much of the first half, Barnstaple's resilience ensured there were no further additions to the scoreboard before the interval, with the Titans taking a 7-0 lead into half-time.

Taunton continued where they left off after the restart and, on 45 minutes, scrum-half Scott Gibson made his presence felt once again with a telling break. With captain Conor Vickery in support, Gibson's run created the opportunity for the skipper to cross underneath the posts and score his first try for his new club.

Putt made no mistake with the conversion, extending the Titans' advantage to 14-0.

Barnstaple responded strongly and began to put Taunton under pressure. After a series of mauls, the home side eventually drove over the line on 54 minutes, reducing the deficit to 7-14.

The Titans were conceding a number of penalties as Barnstaple continued to threaten, but their defence held firm when it mattered.

With four minutes remaining, Taunton were awarded a penalty and Putt once again stepped up, calmly converting to restore some breathing room and make it 7-17.

The closing stages became increasingly frantic. The Titans were reduced to 14 men after receiving a yellow card on 77 minutes, and Barnstaple took advantage two minutes later, scoring in the corner to bring the home side within five points at 12-17.

However, Taunton responded in impressive fashion.

With Gibson once again involved, Alfie Johns spotted an opportunity and picked up to score an opportunist try underneath the posts — his first for the Titans. Putt added the simple conversion to complete the scoring at 12-24.

It was a hard-earned victory for Taunton, who showed both attacking quality and defensive resilience to secure a second consecutive win and maintain their perfect start to the National 2 West season.

The Titans are away again next Saturday, September 19th, when they travel to Exeter University.

Barnstaple 12
Taunton Titans 24

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