Hartpury send message with nine-

FEW would have predicted this result before kick-off, as first met second in the game of the day.

However, nine tries – all but one converted by star man Jacob Perry – meant that Hartpury College extended their winning run to 14, as well as their lead at the top of the table.

Hartpury have been unstoppable in recent weeks, but there was concern that this would be their most severe test so far as Moseley went into the game just two losses behind them in the table.

And Moseley saw plenty of the ball, but if their plan was to use their big forwards to bully the league leaders, they were quickly forced to re-appraise as Hartpury were rock solid in the scrum and showed up well in all of the contact areas.

Skipper Rhys Oakley led by example and the platform set by his pack of forwards created the perfect environment for Hartpury’s dazzling backs to cut loose.

Two recent graduates at half back, Ben Vellacott and Perry, controlled the tempo of the game superbly, although power was the source of the first try, as try hooker Will Tanner was driven over.

Vellacott then latched on to a Jonas Mikalcius chip to race home from longrange, before Steve Leonard added the third after more incisive approach play from Mikalcius and the outstanding Mike Wilcox.

And the bonus point was

collected before the halfhour, as winger George Boulton took advantage of a defensive calamity, and Leonard grabbed his second before the break.

Moseley, through winger Michael Penn, did produce a try straight after the interval but normal service was resumed through a Will Safe reply.

And a penalty try came next as Moseley collected their third yellow card of the match, before prop forward Des Merrey broke some sort of front-row union rule by sprinting home from the half-way line.

Mikalcius added a deserved score with the final play, after Vellacott had shredded the Moseley defence with another dazzling burst.

And Hartpury director of rugby, John Barnes, was understandably delighted by his teams’ efforts.

“The boys definitely wanted that one,” he said. “We were outstanding today, from one to 20. We knew we had that sort of performance in us and we chose the perfect match in which to produce it.”

The win was Hartpury’s 14th consecutive bonus point victory this season.