1st XV
Matches
Sat 12 Oct 2019  ·  National 2 North
Sedgley Park
34
29
Hinckley Rugby Club
1st XV
Tries: M Lamb (3), J Wilson, R VowlesConversions: J Wilson, J GloverYellow Carded: M Lamb
Sedgley Park Tigers 34   Hinckley  29

Sedgley Park Tigers 34 Hinckley 29

Nick Robinson14 Oct 2019 - 09:25
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Hornets thwarted by poor discipline

There were signs on Saturday that this Hinckley side could still mount a promotion challenge this season despite their poor start. Against a team sitting third in the division who will undoubtedly be ‘in the mix’ at the business end of the season, Hornets out-scored their opponents five tries to four and dominated the second half, almost snatching a victory which had looked impossible at 27-5 early in the second period. It was far from all doom and gloom. Mitch Lamb scored a hat-trick, and Rory Vowels looked lively behind a pack which arguably had a slight edge. Hornets also managed to break the habit of conceding an early try and did come away with two points which some may have settled for before the game.

That they didn’t come away with a five point haul was down to poor discipline, particularly in the first half. Joe Glover did not have his best day with the boot landing only one of five attempts, but that would not have mattered if collectively Hornets had not conceded so many penalties giving away both territory and possession on a regular basis. It was no coincidence that, after the referee eventually tired of Hornets persistent off-side and invited Mitch Lamb to take an enforced 10 minute break, Sedgley scored two converted tries and effectively took the game away from Hornets.

DOR Scott Hamilton reflected on the good and the not so good after the match. ‘When we had the ball we looked good, very good, but you can’t score points when you don’t have the ball. Our discipline was poor, particularly in the first half when we gave away maybe five or six offside penalties and as a result had very little possession. The strange thing is, other than the penalties we defended well. We came back after the break and were the better team but 27-5 is just too big a gap to overhaul. Overall, we showed improvement but discipline let us down.’

It may not have been a try but Hornets again conceded the first score, when Tigers’ Steve Collins, who was a commanding presence all afternoon, slotted a penalty after four minutes following a high tackle 10m out in front of the Hinckley posts.

Hornets did notch the first try though on 18 minutes. Hornets had fly-hacked a loose ball deep into the Sedgley 22m for a rare incursion into Sedgeley territory and a Sedgley knock-on set up a Hornets scrum 20m from the line. Alex Tansley picked up at the back, was brought down short but recycled the ball which found Rory Vowels to cross the line.

The lead was short-lived, however. A poor defensive kick from Hornets gave Sedgley winger Leon Simpson the opportunity to scythe through the Hinckley defence. He was brought down 10m out but Hornets were yet again caught off-side and Collins slotted the kick.

The referee lost patience with Hornets’ persistent infringements shortly afterwards and Mitch Lamb was the unfortunate victim heralding what proved to be the decisive period of the game.

From the resultant penalty, Tigers set up a 5m line-out, and whereas the pack could not drive over, the ball was fed along the line and centre Jeff Metcalf took advantage of a three man overlap to stroll in under the posts. The conversion took the score to 13-5.

It was 20-5 4 minutes later. Tigers recovered possession from the kick-off and launched an end to end move which was the highlight of the afternoon for the impartial observer. Hornets were a man down but Sedgley’s running and off-loading to release Simpson to score under the posts was a delight.

20-5 at half-time became 27-5 immediately after the restart. An opportunist chip deep into the Hornets 22m exposed a lack of cover and scrum-half Danny Openshaw was able to run through to collect the ball and touch down. The home support started to sense a landslide but thirty minutes later they were baying for the final whistle as almost pulled off the rugby equivalent of the great escape.

First, good driving play took Hornets to the line but Alex Tansley was adjudged to have dropped the ball as he tried to touch down. From the resultant 5m scrum however, a poor pass as Sedgley tried to clear their line allowed Lamb to intercept and step over the line for his first. Glover added the extras.

Next, after a series of bullocking runs from halfway by the Hornets pack had taken Hornets to within 5m, Lamb was able to wriggle through for his second from short-range.

Tigers did respond with one of their own as the third quarter drew to a close when their pack eventually forced their way over from a 5m scrum but the momentum was undoubtedly with Hornets.

On 65 minutes, with Hornets driving for the Sedgley line, Tigers pulled down the maul earning Sedgley’s Jamie Harrison a yellow card and Hornets kicked for the corner. The ball was duly delivered by the pack for Ben Pointon to pick out Joe Wilson coming in on an angled run to slice through the Tigers defence for the bonus point try. Wilson added the conversion.

Lamb notched his third with three minutes to go. A turnover on halfway gave Leo Gilliland the chance to run at the Tigers defence. He was brought down 10m out but the ball was recycled through multiple phases to create an overlap for Lamb to go over.

Another five minutes may have been enough for Hornets to snatch the win but time had run out. The relief of the Sedgley players and support was palpable and Hornets were left to rue their earlier profligacy.

Nick Robinson

Match details

Match date

Sat 12 Oct 2019

Kickoff

14:30

Competition

National 2 North

League position

3
Sedgley Park
12
Hinckley
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Community Rugby Partner - DPD
Hinckley Rugby Community Partner - Thomas Flavell & Sons