Hornets recorded their fifth victory of the season, and their third away from home, against an Exeter University side that had yet to lose at their Topsham home on Saturday, and climbed to fifth in the division, leapfrogging their opponents in the process.
The contest was a classic match-up of strength against mobility as Hinckley sought to grind their opponents into the dirt while the Students looked to their greater mobility to find gaps in the Hinckley ranks. It was a complete change of approach for Hornets, who to date have looked to play a more expansive game against less mobile opponents, and the game plan was largely successful as Hinckley breezed into a 29-12 lead with just 20 minutes left on the clock. But the final quarter proved somewhat traumatic as Hornets appeared to forget the game-plan and presented the Students with the opportunity to get within three points with twelve minutes still on the clock. In the end, Hinckley managed to wrestle their way down to their opponents 22m and spent the last five minutes picking and driving near the line before Rory Vowles, with the clock having expired, booted the ball into the crowd for what in the end was a deserved victory.
DOR Chris Campbell was justifiably pleased with the result and saw it as vindication of the change in approach, but he was not without criticism. ‘We came into the game with a plan, having looked at the weather forecast and the way Exeter like to play. At 29-12 we should have been comfortable but from that point our game management was poor and we let them back into the game. That said, I was really pleased with the way we managed the last few minutes. We kept our heads and our discipline when it would have been so easy to make a mistake. We have been working on our key decision makers to taking the right options in individual situations but players can get a little too excited, given our preferred expansive style, and there were one or two instances today when we did not make the correct decisions. But winning is a e habit, and we have now won four out of the last five, with one draw. It feels good!’
What is also becoming a habit for the Hornets is starting strongly. For the second time in two weeks, Hinckley scored a try in the first two minutes. Oli Povoas made a break from his own 22m and Rory Vowles chipped towards the Students line. Students fly-half Sam Walker carried the ball over presenting Hornets with a scrum on 5m. The Hinckley eight then pushed Exeter back over their own line with ease and Alex Salt dotted down for the first of his two tries. It was to be the recurring them for the afternoon. Vowles then declined the opportunity to kick the conversion, presenting debutant Kristian Powell the chance to add the conversion for his first League points for the Club.
Hornets wasted a chance to extend the lead a few minutes later when the forwards looked set to drive over a 5m catch and drive but Ben Pointon took the ball from the back of the maul only to be turned over.
It gave Students the chance to come back. They almost scored from a 10m line-out before Vowles was penalised for stealing the ball in an offside position but they made no mistake from the second penalty. A tap and go was eventually driven over by lock Joe Bailey. Walker added the extras to tie the scores.
Hornets responded with a try of their own from a short lineout after the pack had secured a penalty when driving the Exeter eight deep into their own 22m. From the catch and drive, Dale Bowyer came up with the ball to claim the score.
Students weren’t going to lie down though and winger John Searle got on the end of an enterprising move to go over in the corner. All square after 26 minutes.
Sam Everett almost got on the end of a Vowles chip behind the line but an unfortunate bounce hit his hand for the knock on as he was about to touch down. It was therefore left to the pack to nudge Hornets in front again when they pushed the Exeter pack off their own scrum ball 5m from their own line shortly afterwards. Oli Povoas pounced on the loose ball over the line for the try. Powell converted to give Hinckley a 12-19 half-time lead.
The third quarter was undoubtedly Hinckley’s. Another Hinckley 5m lineout was forced over the line for the bonus point try, with Henry Povoas this time the beneficiary, and then the pack again drove the Exeter scrum over their own line for Salt to claim his second after Hornets had opted for a penalty scrum 5m out. Both conversions were missed but it didn’t seem to matter as Hornets seemed in control.
But inexplicably Hornets lost their composure. Everett dropped the restart kick allowing Students to reclaim possession and, eventually, Walker found Tom Tribe with a deft little kick out wide and the winger had only to fall over the line for the try with not an amber shirt in sight. When Walker converted, a sense of unease seemed to spread in the Hinckley ranks.
That said, it didn’t take a tactical genius to work out that Hinckley had simply to kick long and use their forward dominance to pin Students deep in their own half to play out time. It therefore seemed inexplicable when Hornets attempted to run the ball out of their own 22m only for a forced pass from Vowles to no-one going loose, allowing Students to hack the ball on with centre Oscar Gleave winning the chase to touch down. Walker kicked Students to within three.
Fortunately, sanity returned thereafter. It was tense and one always had the feeling Students could break away for the score, but Hornets were able to properly control the rest of the game and play out time for the victory.
Nick Robinson