Enfield Ignatians slumped to a 34-0 defeat at leaders Chelmsford in London Two North East on Saturday.

After winning the toss and playing up the slope, Ignatians were certainly upbeat at the break as they repeatedly frustrated Chelmsford and limited them to a solitary Sid Hoult penalty.

Although they failed to trouble the scoreboard, Ignatians dug-in as an out of sorts Chelmsford missed a couple of kicks at goal and they also did very well to keep the Essex side at bay from an attacking scrum in dangerous position when the penalty was eventually reversed.

It was certainly a huge boost for Ignatians and with flanker, Jet Masere, in superb form, the visitors had every right to look forward to the second half.

But the leaders in the Chelmsford side took over and, with Ignatians seeing very little of the ball, the home side ran in five tries via Jamie Ash, Josh Cavey (two), Miles Tett and Jack Acorn.

Three Hoult conversions added to the scoreline and consigned the blue and golds to a heavy defeat.

Coach Emile Hertz said: "I thought that we played some clever rugby in the first half and Jet Masere was outstanding for us. I thought we had a really good chance in the second half playing downhill but, instead, we hardly saw the ball and conceded five tries.

"We were certainly guilty of ball-watching for the first try and it all went pear-shaped from then on. We picked up a few injuries and a yellow card after the break, but words can't adequately express how disappointing our second half performance was."

Ignatians take on Hammersmith & Fulham in the semi-final of the Middlesex Cup at Donkey Lane on Saturday.