Hornets show signs of improvement in defeat
CLIFTON 20 HINCKLEY 13
THIS was not the victory that the faithful had been hoping for, but it was a significant improvement on recent performances and should give Hornets a degree of confidence going into next week’s home game against fellow strugglers Westcliff.
Despite further injury disruption (Henry Joule had to pull out on Friday and Corey Venus pulled a hamstring five minutes before kick-off) forcing a major restructuring of the back division, Hornets put in a feisty, committed performance against a side riding high in the division.
Alex Salt, making his first appearance of the season after suspension, added some steeliness to a pack which dominated their opponents for most of the afternoon. There is still work to do in the back division which lacked penetration in attack, but the defence held up well against a side that had scored almost 200 points in their previous four encounters.
That said, Hornets continue to concede far too many penalties, particularly around the breakdown, and they must break the habit of conceding points in the first ten minutes of the game.
A penalty try came after Clifton had drilled a penalty into the corner, taken the line-out and fed the ball along to the opposite wing. Rory Vowles was the last defender and the final pass to the Clifton winger was lofted high. Vowles went for the interception, and a taller man would have taken it, but in the event Vowles couldn’t quite control the ball and it went forward – probably a scrum to Clifton. But the referee, on the advice of his assistant, adjudged that it was a deliberate knock-on by Vowles, showed him a yellow card, and awarded the penalty try much to the amazement of many in the crowd.
The second try came just four minutes later. Hornets butchered a line-out on their own 5m line, Clifton recovered the ball, and, after a couple of pick and drives, the Clifton scrum half Andrew Simmers collected the ball from the base of the ruck, ran first into the referee, then into his own propforward standing in front, before darting over the line. It was probably a case of accidental off-side, but the referee did not see it and awarded the try, duly converted by fly-half Jac Lloyd.
It was cruel luck and a body-blow many sides would not have recovered from but to their credit, Hornets did not fold. Instead, they gradually forced their way back into the game as the pack started to assert some authority particularly in the set-piece.
Joe Wilson sent a longrange penalty attempt wide on 29 minutes after the pack had pushed their opposite numbers off their own ball at a scrum, but Hornets did get the breakthrough five minutes later. A penalty kicked to touch by Wilson set up the lineout 5m out from the Clifton line and in a classically executed catch and drive, Adam Johnson went over for the score. Wilson converted.
Down 14-7 at half-time did not seem such a bad return after the first ten minutes and there was a recognition from the home support that they were in a fight.
Clifton though notched the first score after the interval when Lloyd slotted a penalty from 20m after Hornets were penalised for not rolling away but two minutes later, Wilson responded after Clifton had been penalised for the same offence in a near identical position.
The rest of the half was a pretty dour, attritional dogfight. Clifton hammered away at the Hornets line for much of the time, but the defence held. Frustratingly, though, it seemed every time Hornets managed to secure some possession, they conceded a penalty and were back to defensive duties.
Clifton spurned several opportunities to extend their lead from penalties, preferring to go for the try but could not force their way over. After 71 minutes, however, with one eye on the clock, they did opt to kick from 30m, and Lloyd duly extended the lead.
But it was left to Wilson to have the final say. With the clock showing red, he stepped up to slot a difficult penalty chance from 35m to claim a losing bonus point with the last kick of the match.
And so it ended! Hornets salvaging a point from a game which had looked dead and buried after ten minutes.
Director of Rugby Scott Hamilton was clearly frustrated but optimistic after the game: ‘It’s been a difficult week with all the late changes we’ve had to make, and we certainly didn’t have any luck in the first 10 minutes. It’s disappointing to lose again but going down by 14 points so early and then getting ourselves back in the game to get a bonus point against a side who are second in the division has to be a positive.
“I still feel we are making progress but next week will be a massive game for us against Westcliff.
“A win will build some confidence and that should allow us to kick-start our season. We have a few things to work on – we need to get smarter at the breakdown, I want to see more aggression in our carries – but our scrum and lineouts are working well, and our line defence was outstanding today.
“We just need to spread that intensity to other areas of the field.”