Head coach Alex Codling believes Ealing Trailfinders' Championship play-off semi-final last week was a reality check following their success throughout the season.

Jonah Holmes scored two tries in two minutes to put Carnegie in the lead.

Fly half Joe Ford scored 14 points with penalties and conversions.

Ealing regained composure following tries from Will Harris and Curtis Wilson.

Rory Clegg also scored two penalties.

Mr Codling said: “We’ve got nothing to lose, we can't go up anyway. It was just a real learning curve as you go up the ladder.

“We’re in a very healthy place. 12 months ago we were all but relegated to level 3, we finished third in a very competitive league.”

An early penalty from Rory Clegg put the first points on the board.

However, Jonah Holmes was too ferocious down the blind-side wing and the conversions from Joe Ford meant Carnegie were steadily rising into position.

Carnegie’s Alex Davies intercepted a slow ball and found gaps from the 45 metre line to find touch.

Carnegie opened up the cylinders but Ealing held onto set line-outs and well-set scrums to push back against the visitors. 

Sloppy play and fumbled balls from Ealing put Carnegie up 23-3 at half-time.

Ealing looked calculated going into the second half with Will Harris scoring a phenomenal try from the half way line.

Ealing began applying the pressure and Curtis Wilson brought the home-side back to the table to 27-16.

Ealing got back into their stride, stretching the Carnegie wings to each breakdown.

Tired legs began to set in and the slick astro-turf meant Ealing had to maintain the pressure to claw back from defeat.

This was stopped short however as Carnegie’s Captain Ryan Burrows scored the last try four minutes into injury time to seal the deal.

The closing moments saw the Ealing’s Curtis Wilson denied a second try.

The win means Yorkshire Carnegie go into their second game against Ealing with an 18-point first-leg advantage,

Ealing’s Flanker Kieran Murphy said: “Credit to the boys second half, I thought we dug in.

“We just got to be a bit more clinical. Be a bit more accurate and just tighten up and have a go next week.”