Dismay for Hornets as they are made to pay for mistakes
AFTER last week’s odyssey to Guernsey, Hinckley were back at Leicester Road this week to take on an in-form Bury side who were unbeaten in their last seven outings, writes Nick Robinson.
The final score showed another emphatic defeat for the Hornets but behind the score the story of the game epitomised what has been a very disappointing season to date.
There were lengthy periods in the game when Hornets were dominant but errors at crucial moments cost them dear and, in Bury, they were against a side with the speed and power to make the men in black and amber pay dearly.
In truth, Bury were a side transformed from the team that Hornets encountered earlier in the season. For once, Hornets were second best in the scrum. Bury were dominant at the line-out, and very effective at the breakdown. Moreover, they possessed a back division that was fast, slick, and incisive on the break and more than capable of exploiting any opportunities that came their way.
There were positives for the Hornets. Aaron Florestein had his best game for the Club to date. Sam Greening was a powerhouse in the loose, and Toby Baldwin showed glimpses of what he is capable of, given space and ball.
Ben Pointon was in a class of his own and both Andy Weaver and Ben Marshall, in his first outing for the 1st XV for 2 years, carried well. The team once again showed great spirit to twice drag themselves back into the game but ultimately Hornets gave the Suffolk men too many chances… and were punished for it.
Director of Rugby OR Scott Hamilton said after the game: “‘I’m gutted. We were the better side for large parts of the game, but we lost lots of little moments and it was those little moments when they scored points. They were a well drilled side, their line-out had a big impact and they put us under a lot of pressure at the breakdown but defensively they were not great, and we always looked dangerous when we attacked. Bottom line though, we let in too many points at crucial times. It was really disappointing.”
Hinckley were behind within two minutes in what proved to be a portent of what was to come. Hornets were seemingly in command as they carried forward but a turnover on halfway was quickly fed wide, and lovely handling by the Bury backs released winger Will Affleck on an unopposed run to the line with the Hornets looking on aghast.
Hornets did though level the scores towards the end of the first quarter. Florestein almost made it to the line with a storming run from the Bury 10m line but was hauled down just short and Hinckley had to settle for a penalty on 5m. They opted to scrum, Salt picked up at the back and the ball eventually found its way to Joe Wilson who crashed over for the score.
Pointon almost added a second a few minutes later after a superb break on halfway but it was Bury who grabbed the next score on 25 minutes. Pointon picked up at the back of a Hinckley scrum on halfway, the referee got in the way and the pass out to Shay Nixon was not what he wanted. Nixon juggled the ball allowing the Bury defender to snatch possession and run to the line. It was another body blow against the run of play and Samir Kharbouch rubbed salt in the wound with the conversion.
Five minutes later, it got worse. Hornets were penalised deep in their own 22m and Bury kicked to the corner. The line-out looked like a training ground exercise as Bury nonchalantly drove over with Hornets seemingly powerless to do anything to stop them. Kharbouch again added the extras.
At 19-5, it did not look good for Hinckley but two tries in quick succession put a completely different complexion on the game.
First, Pointon sniped from the back of a ruck on 5m to score under the posts (Wilson converted) and then, from the kick-off, Hornets worked their way into the Bury 22m and secured a penalty 15m from the Bury line. Wilson kicked to the corner. The drive was held but the ball was fed wide to Baldwin who did not need a second invitation to go over for the try.
Hornets were on top but let it slip again on the cusp of half-time. Hinckley were penalised at a scrum, Bury kicked to the corner and, though the catch and drive was initially repulsed, the ball went along the line and Austin Wallis went over for the score. The conversion was good, and Hornets went in at the break 26-17 down where the run of play suggested they should have been ahead.
On the return, two penalties in quick succession by
Wilson cut the gap to three points and when Bury scrum half Chris Bolton was carded for off-side it looked like Hornets would be able to press home their advantage.
In the event, it was a disastrous 10 minutes for Hinckley and turned the game. First, another catch and drive near the Hinckley line saw flanker Shaq Meyers go over. Kharbouch converted and then added a penalty a few minutes later. Bolton returned to find his side 13 points to the good!
It was the killer blow. Bolton celebrated with a try after Bury had claimed the restart ball and some lovely handling had presented him with a run for the line. Kharbouch converted.
When Luke Coltman was carded for a no-arms clearout on 66 minutes to reduce Hinckley to 14 men the game was over. It was no surprise when Bury added another try after Hornets had botched a line-out in the Bury 22m and some slick offloading ended with Austin Wallis going over in the corner to take the score to 48-23.
There was still time though for Hinckley to claim a bonus point try after Bury flanker Rauraidh Williams stupidly got himself red-carded for throwing a punch. A series of scrum penalties to Hinckley followed and Hornets eventually released the ball to the backs. A long miss pass found Dylan Weddle out wide, and he neatly stepped inside his man for the score to make it 48-28.