Mistakes Cost the Titans

The score line doesn’t really represent the performance from the Titans with every player producing a physical game however, if you gift the league leaders 19 points then no matter what the performance you are always going to struggle.

Taunton started the game brightly and took the game to the Rams and the home side didn’t touch the ball for the first 5 or 6 minutes. The Titans made a mistake and their hosts pounced.They made their way down to the try line only for Taunton to turn them over.With their attacking mind set Taunton must have spotted an opportunity to attack but a stray pass in windy conditions was scooped up by the Rams and they scored in the corner through centre Andrew Humberstone.

Soon after a couple of missed tackles allowed Rams winger Andy Denham to score under the posts. Taunton skipper Lewis Webb forced his way over on the 20 minute mark and with Gary Kingdom adding the extras and the Titans were back within one score. Again, the home side were the beneficiary of the Titans sloppiness when Ellis Jones went in under the posts when Taunton threw a pass in the wind and never went to hand. Alex Seers converted and added a penalty at the end of the half to givethe Rams a 22 – 7 lead.

The Titans needed to score first to have a chance to claw back the deficit but the hosts extended their lead with a try from number 8 Jamie Gutteridge. Seers converted and added the extras a few minutes later when the Titans who were throwing the ball around on their own line before Humberstone collected to claim his second.

Taunton then had their best period when they really went at the Rams and scored two converted tries, one from Matt Jess and the other for Max Woodward with Kingdom converting both.With the Titans on the ascendancy a mistake at the kick off allowed the home side to extend their lead with a penalty before the Rams finished the game off with a try on the final whistle scored by Conor Corrigan after a deflection into his hands allowed to dot it down in the corner.

The pleasing thing from the Titans coaches point of view is that the renowned pack of the Rams didn’t get any driving tries and the Taunton pack certainly matched them up front, with Sam Prior having a great game carrying time and time again into the Rams defence and along with Ben Oliphant-Thompson and Milo Reynolds and the rest of the pack who all carried and tackled well but they will always wonder what would have happened if they hadn’t gifted the soon to be league champions those points, but that’s sport and that’s the difference between league leaders and those aspiring to be.

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