After last week’s home defeat in their opening game of the 2024/5 campaign against old rivals Luctonians, Hinckley’s disappointing start continued with a thumping 50-21 defeat to near neighbours Loughborough Students at Epinal way. It was not the start to the season that Hornets were hoping for and there was little to be said in mitigation for the Leicester Road men who were often architects of their own demise. They were second best in all departments for most of the game and it was only in the last third of the game, when their scrum began to assert some dominance and their line-out began to function, that they could claim any sense of satisfaction.

While Hinckley struggled to pierce the Students’ line at any time, Hornets were generous to a fault in defence, leaking, in total, eight tries, four of which came in the first 35 minutes to give Students what proved to be an unassailable 26-0 lead at half-time. A try shortly after the break extended that to 31-0 and it was only then that Hornets responded with a brace of tries from Jack Ramshaw to give the travelling support some hope. Replacement hooker Murray Davidson did add a third late-on to trigger a frantic scramble for a four-try bonus point but that only resulted in yet another try for the Students taking advantage of schoolboy errors in the Hinckley ranks.

Students are a very good side and currently head the table after two fifty-point wins but, that aside, Hinckley have a lot of work to do if they are to mount any kind of challenge at the top of the division this season.

DOR Chris Campbell could not hide his frustration after the game. ‘The last two weeks have been extremely difficult and frustrating in that we have lost games because of making some big errors. That isn’t to take anything away from Loughborough who put in a relentless performance, but we gave them opportunities through unforced errors and we have to be better than that. It is that simple. When we kept the ball, went through the phases and were accurate at set piece we made chances and we scored - but it came too late in the game.’

‘It’s still early in the year, but this coming weekend’s game against Cinderford is now huge. They haven’t had a great start either so it will be two sides really going at each other to get their season’s going.’

Hinckley were seven points down after just five minutes when they lost a scrum against the head 15m from their own line and Students’ England U20 wing Jack Bracken ran through a ragged Hinckley defence for a simple try.

Opportunities were few for Hinckley but when they did arise, Hornets simply could not capitalise and it was no surprise after 17 minutes when Students added a second try, this time from a devastating run from halfway by Scotland U20 wing Finlay Doyle. Alex Wainwright added the extras, the first of his five conversions, to make it 14-0.

That became 19-0 two minutes later when Hinckley overthrew their own line-out allowing Students to steal the ball and run through the defence for No 8 Ed Harvey to crash over for the score. Wainwright couldn’t add the extras but with the first quarter not yet complete, Hornets looked a beaten side.

It got worse for Hinckley when a promising break from Ben Pointon ended with turnover ball for Students on their own 22m and Bracken was on hand to take the ball to run the 70m to the line for his second.

Half-time couldn’t come quick enough for the Leicester Road men and there was undoubtedly some improvement after the break with both the scrum and line-out looking more effective. Guilfoyle went close out wide after a catch and drive from a short-range penalty had been held but Students were still able to extend their lead from a well-executed catch and drive of their own with hooker Seb Smith touching down.

That did prelude Hinckley’s best period of the match, however. Jack Ramshaw was able to force his way over for a brace of tries both converted by Rory Vowles. The first came after a kick ahead from Vowles was recovered and driven to the line, the second after Hinckley had opted to scrum a penalty on the Loughborough 22m and Ramshaw eventually forced his way over.

At that point, there was a glimmer of hope in the Hinckley ranks but that was soon snuffed out when Students added a sixth try from a short-range penalty line-out to herald a rather unedifying spectacle as Hinckley desperately went in search of a four-try bonus point.
Vowles tried a kick to his winger deep within his own 22m which did not go to hand. Loughborough recovered the ball and Doyle ran in for his second.

Hinckley did grab a third try with a well worked effort from a line-out 15m from the Students’ line that allowed Murray Davidson to force his way over but it was Loughborough who had the last say when some awful Hinckley defensive work allowed Bracken to run in for his hat-trick. 50-21…not a great afternoon for the Hinckley men.

Nick Robinson