In conditions which fluctuated wildly between pleasant spring sunshine and monsoon-like downpours which left the pitch resembling a paddling pool, Hornets and Loughborough students played out a 28-all draw in a game which was way more entertaining than the crowd had any right to expect. Hinckley were behind from the first minute and spent the rest of the afternoon playing catch-up to a Students side that were lively in the loose but overwhelmed in the set piece. It was only in the 75th minute that Hornets managed to get back on level terms with a penalty try which also delivered the bonus point.

There was a sense that Hornets were naïve in their game management, often trying to play the Students at their own game when conditions would have suggested that they should looked to play ten man rugby, particularly as the circumstances dictated that they were required to start with a stand-in fly-half in Josh Leonard. Hinckley will perhaps feel they should have won the game but there was perhaps some justice over the season when one thinks back to the reverse fixture in the September sun when Hornets were fourteen point down with less than ten minutes to go and came back to snatch a draw in added time. That said, it could have been a different story had the referee, not for the first time this season, consistently failed to enforce the offside law.

‘A draw feels like a bit of an anti-climax,’ commented DOR Chris Campbell after the game, ‘but, after a disrupted week, it isn’t a terrible outcome. I thought Josh Leonard and Matt Guilfoyle who shared the fly half duties today, neither having played first team ‘10’ before, did a good job of helping us to control the areas and, although with a little bit more game sense across the team we could have won it, it’s a game from which we can learn a lot.’

‘The conditions were as bad as I have seen them at Leicester Road today and to be honest, I don’t think we could have complained if the referee had called the game off. Both sides deserve credit for keeping going and I think with another 5 minutes we would have won it.’

It was a dreadful start for Hinckley which should perhaps have served as a wake-up call for the men in black and amber. Hornets were trying to run the ball from their own half only for Students’ left wing Oscar Daniel to pick off a loose pass and run the ball under the posts for a try. Tom Smith converted.
The deficit almost became fourteen from the restart when Students almost ran the ball length of the pitch. No. 8 Tomi Agbongbon, who was again outstanding throughout, was hauled down just short.

Then the heavens opened leaving the players all making passable impersonations of drowned rats. It didn’t stop Students extending their lead however as the game entered the second quarter. The referee awarded a free kick to Students on the Hinckley 22m. Smith took a quick cross field kick which Hornets dropped into the path of the oncoming Daniel who collected and crossed for the score. Smith added the extras and Hornets were in trouble.

The response though came quickly. Hornets won a scrum penalty on the Loughborough 22m which was kicked to the corner. Andy Weaver claimed the line-out ball and the pack drove it over with Dale Bowyer claiming the score. Callum Dacey, given the kicking responsibilities in the absence of a regular kicker, slotted the conversion on his way to a perfect three out of three record for the afternoon.

Having got back within a score, frustratingly, Hornets then knocked on at the restart giving Loughborough a scrum around the 22m line. Inexplicably in the context of the game, Loughborough were then awarded a penalty for a scrum offence. The ball was tapped quickly and James Moreton finished up pulling down his man who was heading for the line within 10m of the offence and was carded for his trouble. Smith slotted the penalty to take it to 7-17.

With the half coming to an end, Hornets did manage to pull back another try from a line-out. The catch and drive from 15m was held but the ball was released to the backs and Shae Nixon broke the defensive line for the score. Dacey’s conversion meant that the Hornets were within three at the break.

That, however, became six immediately after the break when Smith slotted another penalty and matters started to look ominous for Hornets when Students grabbed a third try with just seven minutes of the half having been played. A poor kick out of defence was fielded by Students and a neat chip to the wing found wing George Barber who crossed in the corner for the score.

Hornets pulled it back again with a score after winning a penalty at a line-out in the Loughborough 22m. Unsurprisingly given the scrum dominance the Hinckley pack had established, they opted to scrum. The scrum was driven to within 5m of the line, then released. Several phases later, Matt Guilfoyle chipped to the wing where Sam Everitt was lurking to catch and claim the score. Dacey converted and it was back to within a score at 21-25.

Smith though slotted another penalty to extend the Students lead once more but with the Hinckley pack now dominating proceedings it was no surprise when they secured a penalty try with 5 minutes left on the clock from a scrum in front of the posts which was only halted when Loughborough illegally collapsed.

Smith did go for a killing score in attempting a quick restart but only succeeded in winning a penalty inside his own half when a Hinckley player running back for the restart interfered with his attempted kick. Smith opted to go for goal. In the conditions, it was something of a forlorn hope but it mean Hornets were attacking from within their own 22m. Both sides spent the remaining few minutes trying to engineer an opportunity but it was the conditions that won. After such a dreadful start, Hinckley would have been content to walk away with three points which strengthens their grip on fourth place in the division.

‘We have Luctonians next week,’ continued Campbell afterwards. ‘They have been going brilliantly in the last few weeks, and are a ‘proper’ Club very much like ourselves. We’re looking forward to going over there with both our Firsts and Staghounds next Saturday.’

Nick Robinson