Debutant Hughes is Hartpury’s standout

A LATE George Simpson try rescued Hartpury when Scottish could – probably should – have won.

That was the view of Exiles coach, Matt Williams, who said: “I can’t be prouder than I am right now. It’s two points dropped by us but, when you’re scrapping, three points away at Hartpury is brilliant. Today we ‘outrugbyed’ Hartpury and that excites me.”

James Williams’ magnificent conversion tied the scores, both sides walking away with three points.

The pre-match chatter had been about Hartpury’s inclusion of Nathan Hughes – a loanee from Bristol – and they started the game as if seeking to live up to his Premiership standards.

An early free kick was carried by Oli Robinson, before Mitch Eadie was on hand to collect a try within the opening minute. After intense pressure, Hartpury scored again. Hughes and Robinson combined well before Toby Venner darted in for his fifth try in five.

But things began to unravel for Hartpury when they lost loosehead Totti Benz-Salomon to injury shortly after. Scottish won a penalty at the quarter mark, allowing their first incursion into Hartpury territory and signalling a shift in momentum.

They dominated the remainder of the half and were rewarded when Sam Hanks went into the corner. Harry Shepherd kicked to halve the deficit before Eadie saw yellow as the Exiles pressed again.

Cam King scored from close range to level for Scottish, after strong running from the backs. With 25 minutes to play Hartpury flickered into life as a lineout drive produced a try for the excellent Hughes.

An injury to Hartpury replacement Ciaran Knight resulted in uncontested scrums which deprived the Scots of a weapon. A Williams penalty extended the Hartpury lead to ten points, before Scottish re-took control.

Alex Gibson was a fine student prop at Hartpury before heading off in 2020. Now at Scottish and freed from effort at scrum-time, his close-range tries in the 67th and 71st minutes, edged the visitors ahead.

A Shepherd penalty made it a seven-point game but with seconds to play, Hughes broke strongly from the base of a scrum to leave Simpson with a simple task before the Williams’ finale.

Hartpury DoR John Barnes said: “We’re disappointed. We played well for ten minutes but errors and ill-discipline gave Scottish everything they needed. They were more physical and unlucky not to win.”

“Nathan Hughes was our best player. Sadly, nobody else stepped up to match his efforts.”