After last week’s frustrating display against Luctonians, Hinckley turned in their first victory the new campaign with a bonus point win against near neighbours Loughborough Students. It was a long way short of some of the resounding victories Hinckley recorded at the back-end of last season but it was an improvement on last week’s performance. Students are a very different side to Luctonians but it would be wrong to assume that Hinckley’s win was a racing certainty. They too are still settling into the new season but there were signs that they will surprise a number of sides this season.

That said, although the final score might suggest otherwise, Hinckley, although never in complete control, never really looked in danger of losing, and there were a number of positives to take from the game. The scrum was utterly dominant throughout with Chad Thorne again outstanding at tight head, and the overall penalty count was much reduced. The defence, despite conceding three tries, looked more solid, and Man-of-the-Match Ed James showed why his arrival at Leicester Road was greeted with such excitement. That said it was a far from perfect performance. There were too many turnovers, on a number of occasions players found themselves isolated on the break, and there was a frustrating lack of continuity in Hinckley’s play. The signs are there that the team is coming together but they are not there yet.

Head Coach Alex White was guardedly optimistic after the game. ‘After the disappointment of last week, it was great to get 5 points away from home. We worked hard and deserved the win against a talented Loughborough side.’

‘We played very well in parts, which is really encouraging, but in truth neither team will be happy with the number of errors and turnovers. This resulted in a bit of a set piece dominated game, which naturally suited us more than them.’

‘Ed James was a deserving man of the match. But Matt Smith and Riley Gilbert had very good games too, showing what they are capable of at this level. And it was also good to see Alex Catcheside get over for a score - another young player with huge potential.’

Hornets drew first blood after five minutes when the action started. Students failed to clear their lines deep in their own 22m and Rheims Handford was able to win a penalty on the Students’ 5m for not releasing. Predictably they opted to scrum and Ed James picked up at the rear and forced his way over under the posts. Matt Smith converted.

But it was Students who notched the next score ten minutes later. Hornets were penalised for off-side on their 10m line and the ball was put into touch on the Hinckley 22m. Students claimed their own ball and sent it down the line. Several phases later Loughborough wing Chris Temperley found himself in a bit of space outside and went over in the corner for the try.

The start of the second quarter saw Hornets in command. A couple of penalties saw Hinckley secure an attacking scrum on the Loughborough 20m. The ball went wide but a deliberate knock-on by the Students’ defender saw him invited to take a ten-minute break in the bin, and gave Hinckley a penalty on the Students’ 5m line. Hinckley opted to scrum and a score seemed virtually inevitable given their scrum dominance. James duly delivered picking up at the back of the scrum to wriggle over the line. Again, Smith added the extras to make it 5-14.

That ended the scoring in the first half and the score remained the same throughout what was a largely disappointing error-strewn quarter for both sides. That man James broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. Turnover ball 30m from the Hinckley line gave the Hornets an opportunity to break. Will Callan made it to within 15m of the Students’ line before being hauled down, James took it on and eventually forced his way over under the posts for his hat-trick and to give Smith a simple conversion.

Five minutes later, Hornets effectively killed the game off. Loughborough conceded a scrum penalty on their 15m line and Hinckley this time opted to go for the catch and drive in the corner. The ball was duly secured and the drive went over with Alex Catcheside coming up with the ball.

That wasn’t the end of the story though as Hinckley frustratingly conceded two tries in the final ten minutes. First, Loughborough stole a line-out ball on halfway and broke for the line. With the Hinckley defence scrambling, Zac Finch was able to force his way over out wide for Students’ second try.

And in the final minute, after Hornets surprisingly conceded a scrum penalty on halfway, Students kicked to within 15m. The line-out was secured sent down the line and Students made the breakthrough though there was a strong suspicion it was assisted by a degree of obstruction by the players in front of the scorer. However, the conversion went over and the referee duly blew for time.

It wasn’t a great spectacle but it was a win on the road for Hinckley on which they can build. Next up, Bournville at Leicester Road … a great chance for Hinckley to really kick-start their season.

Nick Robinson