Hornets hold on to take hard-fought win
UNDER normal circumstances, a side that managed to secure only around 20% of possession and spent perhaps all but 10 minutes of the match pinned in their own half would not expect to come away with a victory, writes Nick Robinson.
Add into the mix a massive penalty count against and three yellow cards, two of which were running concurrently, and you would be forgiven for thinking that the result must have been a landslide for the opposition. That it wasn’t is a remarkable testament to the resolve of this Hinckley side.
Hornets had perhaps three serious incursions into the Wharfedale 22m and came away with two converted tries while at the other end, Wharfedale spent lengthy periods of time battering away at the Hinckley line but came away with nothing until captain George Hedgley managed to drive over with just three minutes left on the clock.
Wharfdale will have been heartbroken at the end when Joe Wilson put over a difficult penalty chance from 30m with the last kick of the game to deny the Green Machine even a losing bonus point. They deserved more from the game.
Hinckley’s Director of Rugby Scott Hamilton was forced by a rash of injuries in the back division to once more come out of retirement a few days short of his 40th birthday. He said: “I can’t say the referee was inconsistent – he wasn’t- but there is an inconsistency between officials which can be a bit frustrating. Last time out at Hoppers, we played the same way at the breakdown and won numerous turnovers; this week we were penalised constantly.
“We had a great start with the early try but we didn’t control the set piece from then on, and as result were constantly on the defensive.
“Had we managed to assert that control then we would have been playing in different areas of the park and might have been able to get the bonus point. In the circumstances though, we can’t really complain about the win.”
Hornets were ahead before much of the crowd had taken up their positions in the stand, following some confusion about an amended kick-off time after the Dale coach had arrived late, courtesy of road works on the M1. Henry Povoas grabbed the try bursting through the defensive line to score under the posts. Joe Wilson added the extras and the home support settled in smug expectation of another comfortable win.
They were proved more than a little premature as Hornets then found themselves pinned deep in their own half. Dale, with scrum-half Sam Gaudie orchestrating proceedings, pressed hard with a series of line-outs, scrum penalties and quick taps but Hinckley’s defence held fast.
Hornets did get out of their own half as the game entered the second quarter and again exposed the Dale defence.
Joe Wilson kicked a penalty opportunity deep into the Dale 22m, Hinckley claimed the ball from the line-out and a couple of phases later a lovely offload from Tom Wheatcroft found Adam Johnson to run through a gap to the line. Wilson again converted to take the score to 14-0.
Hornets had a couple of other line-out opportunities, neither of which came to anything, but the rest of the half was largely dominated by Dale. Hornets had to survive the last few minutes of the half with just 13 men, after first Jamie Skerritt was carded for failing to roll away and then Tom Wheatcroft joined him in the bin for a high tackle. But survive they did to take a 14-0 lead into the break despite Dale being camped on the Hinckley line for the best part of the final ten minutes.
The second half as a spectacle was largely forgettable. Dale again dominated possession, in large part due to the mounting penalty count against Hornets, but continued to batter the Hinckley line without reward.
In the circumstance, their reluctance to go for goal was a little mystifying but they did eventually get some reward for their efforts in the closing minutes. Olly Povoas had been carded for coming in at the side of a ruck after 72 minutes and five minutes later the pressure eventually told as Hedgley wrestled his way over from short range for the score. Jake Blakeney Edwards converted and Dale briefly sensed a reprieve. It was not to be though as Wilson slotted his penalty with the last kick of the game to end a frustrating afternoon for the Green Machine.
The win, and defeats for both Fylde and Sedgley Park, leaves Hornets in third place on 81 points. With six to play, they sit four points behind Fylde in second and seven ahead of Sedgley who have a game in hand.
“We’re definitely the outsiders,” commented Hamilton, “but we might still just sneak the play-off place.”
Next week Hornets are away to Huddersfield who sit just above the drop zone and are unlikely to be in a benevolent mood.