RAMS head coach Seb Reynolds hailed his side after a 28-10 victory at home to Redruth put them within one win of National Two South title glory on Saturday, writes Richard Ashton.

The hosts secured the try bonus-point midway through the second half before their Cornish opponents rallied, but Reynolds was delighted to pick up maximum points and believes it shows how far the club has come.

He told the Chronicle: "It was job done today. I said to the guys afterwards it was four years ago in our first game at National Two level we played Redruth at home, and they gave us such a lesson in playing at this level. "They ran us round the pitch, they were physical, but if you fast-forward four years, we're here against a very good Redruth team who came to slow us down and did a very good job of it, but I'm very happy with the five points.

"They're an established National Two outfit not used to losing many matches, and they made it a bitty game. They've got guys who can get them over the gain line, but we dealt with it well."

Rams made a dream start when a Jamie Guttridge charge set-up Miles Lloyd to go over under the posts in the opening minute, Alex Seers adding the extras.

The home side continued to dominate both possession and territory throughout the opening half, but it took them until the 30th minute to double their advantage, Niall Kidd crashing over after multiple phases. Seers knocked over a testing kick to make it 14-0 at the break.

Rams continued to dominate in the early stages of the second stanza, and they grabbed a third try when the outstanding Guttridge powered over from close range on 47 minutes, Seers maintaining his perfect record from the tee.

The bonus point arrived in spectacular fashion on 56 minutes, wing Jak Rossiter sprinting the length of the field for a magnificent solo try, with Seers' conversion making the score 28-0.

With the game settled, Redruth showed tremendous character not to fold in front of a large crowd, wing Dean Bonds grabbing two tries to reduce the deficit by the end of the game.

It was far too little, too late, for the visitors, though, and Reynolds was delighted as his side moved to within three points of the title with another composed performance.

He commented: "Someone said to me earlier is it 'squeaky bum time' and I said it has been all year. There's pressure, but we welcome and enjoy it. We've never been in this position, but the guys play with smiles on their faces and our play in the last few weeks has been really good.

"We've relied on our ability to keep the ball alive and be really positive."

Despite missing captain Tom Vooght and losing flanker Louis Wolf to injury early on – replaced by the returning Josh Collis – Rams dominated the contest and Reynolds also paid tribute to the crowd.

He said: "We had a couple of guys missing, but Craig Nightingale came in and captained the side really well and we played some good rugby.

"Josh has been out for quite some time having played some fantastic rugby at the start of the season, and it's great to have him back.

"The crowd are really getting behind the team and I think that's because they've seen these guys have been at the club from a very young age or playing in the area, and it's not a manufactured team.

"It's been built over many years and we have friends and families and little ones who come to support that.

"We want to create a family and welcoming atmosphere, which can only be positive for the area."

Rams can seal championship glory when they travel to Clifton this Saturday, and while Reynolds said it would be a proud moment if they are victorious, he issued a warning when saying: "Clifton are a very good side. "We were 19-0 up against them earlier in the season and they came back to level, and we only managed to win the game in the last 10 minutes.

"This is by no means an easy side. Not many teams get a result at Clifton, so that's a challenge in itself, but the opportunity to make history for this club is great.

"This has been a long time building for this club, but we've got solid foundations and it means much more to win things with your friends than to buy success. It's been about youth development, boys from the Reading area playing some fantastic rugby with their friends, and that means so much."