Two yellow cards in the first half left Tabard facing an uphill struggle at London Nigerian – one they ultimately couldn’t surmount as they lost 48-12.
Playing a man short for half of the first period, Tabard turned round trailing 31-0 on the all-weather pitch in Hounslow.
The surface meant a fast-paced game, one which suited the hosts much better than Tabard, and they duly took advantage scoring five tries.
But Tabard, starting with a new front five, grew into the game and got the second half off to a good start with Mark Salteras’ tenacity allowing Jonny Aguila to score in the corner. Jack Reilly added the conversion.
A try-saving tackle by Harry Gough gave Nigerian a scrum, which soon became seven points with a penalty try, and they scored another from the restart.
But Tabard finished positively and after forcing penalty after penalty with Reilly to the fore, Gough went over in the corner.
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