As talk of ringfencing the Premiership grew last weekend, Ealing Trailfinders sent out a loud proclamation of their credentials to sit at English rugby’s main table. With a 28-27 victory over the three-time European champions Saracens, the club that was competing on the game’s fifth rung as recently as 2009 lent their voice to the discourse.
“Of course we’re against ringfencing,” Ealing’s 28-year-old South African skipper tells The Rugby Paper. “We’re not happy lingering in the Championship. We’ve shown we can compete against bigger clubs. We’re only getting started.”
Smid’s 80 minutes at the Trailfinders Sports Ground was one of several standout displays by the men in green and white hoops. His own performance was further amplified by the fact that his opposite number was England’s battering ram Billy Vunipola.
“To play against Billy was special but we weren’t overawed in any way,” Smid says. “We were all eager to put him on the floor as soon as he got the ball. Every time he touched it we had two guys on him.
この記事は The Rugby Paper の January 24, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は The Rugby Paper の January 24, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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