Two wins for junior Hinckley RFC teams
HINCKLEY Under 13s headed east on a cold, damp and misty morning to meet Melton Mowbray RFC. With previous matches being both physical and closely fought it promised to be a great morning of rugby.
Hinckley were the first to score, touching down the first try with a minute of the whistle which left the Melton defence wondering what had happened. A stolen ball at a ruck shortly afterwards gave Hinckley another opportunity to add to their score with a second try.
The match continued apace with Hinckley repeatedly putting Melton under pressure and dominating territory. Under attack, Melton cleared from their lines with a superb high ball which was fumbled by Hinckley allowing the Melton wing to chase a try only to step into touch. Hinckley continued to pressure and soon ran through a gap in the defence to score their third try. Unwilling to be thwarted Melton soon responded with a well worked try in the corner to bring the score to 5-15.
As the damp conditions and sheer physicality of the match meant both teams struggled keep hold of the ball it was clear that every mistake was offering the opposition an opportunity to score. Hinckley capitalised first to score their fourth try 5-20 followed shortly after by Melton as they played a great ball down their lines and exploited a gap in Hinckley’s defence to bring their second try and narrow the score 10-20. Melton were always threatening with their high ball clearances but an impressive one handed catch from the Hinckley full back made them reconsider this option. It was instead a further Hinckley loose pass that gave Melton another chance and with pressured play soon brought the score to one try difference at 15-20.
As the first half drew to an end the Hinckley forwards held fast in the scrum to allow a neat pass out for a further Hinckley try 15-25. It was the forwards dominance that provided an extra burst of confidence as one of them ran a superb line through the Melton defence, gaining a valuable 6m of territory before shipping the ball out to enable Hinckley to score their sixth try 15-30. A further quickly worked try before half time meant Hinckley stretched their lead 15-35.
The second half continued at the same high tempo and as both teams upped the physicality; soon wonderful moments of play were witnessed including an unusual move for the Hinckley full back to push forwards through the legs of the Melton defence. Melton’s powerful runners soon added to their tally as a missed tackle allowed them to score a further try 20-35. Hinckley started to dominate the match at this point and as Melton lost formation soon added a further two tries to bring the score to 20-45.
The remainder of the match was a showpiece for Hinckley in the set piece with further tries coming from firstly a powerful run down the wing and use of an effective hand off and then another well worked offload from the back of the scrum to consolidate the Hinckley win with the final score being Melton Mowbray 20 Hinckley 55.
▪ Hinckley U16s put on another dominant display on a damp, grey, late autumn morning, comfortably beating Leamington by just over half a century without reply.
Hinckley’s first of nine tries came from an early line-out, the forwards piling over with a trademark catch and drive, Miller emerging from the muddy pile of teenagers with the ball to give the home side a 5-0 lead.
Soon after, Hinckley turned over the ball and counter-attacked, breaks by Wainde, Drakeford, Golding and Underwood forcing the visitors back into their own half. Leamington managed to clear their lines but only briefly, as Hinckley continued to pound the visitors’ defence through notable runs by A. Whittingham, Underwood and Smith. The relentless pressure eventually told as Burton finally broke through the tiring resistance for Hinckley’s second try. Drakeford added the extras, increasing Hinckley’s lead to 12-0.
Hinckley made a number of changes for the second half, including the opposition players as L. Whittingham and Duggins admirably turned their shirts inside out. Leamington kicked off and the black and ambers went straight on the offensive, McManus, Moore, Barnes, Underwood and Drakeford leading the charge. The ball was neatly recycled and popped to Jacques in midfield who crashed through for Hinckley’s third score, extending their lead to 17-0.
Hinckley soon regained possession and counterattacked through breaks by Jacques, Drakeford and Smith, but they were held back as L. Whittingham and Duggins put in solid tackles for Leamington. Hinckley’s pack maintained the momentum with a superb display of controlled driving mauls, eventually going over the whitewash, this time Underwood with the try, taking the score to 22-0.
Leamington were starting to wilt a little and lost another front row player who was subsequently replaced by MensforthGrove, turning the scrums into bit of a training session for the home side.
Hinckley scored their fifth try shortly after the restart, Jacques stepping through after initial breaks by Allen and Moore. Allen’s conversion split the uprights, increasing Hinckley’s lead to 29-0.
Hinckley sixth try was probably the pick of the bunch. Hinckley forced their way deep into Leamington’s 22 through powerful carries and great handling by Goodwin, Toon, Buckler, Moore,
Dewfield, Underwood, Burton and Jacques. Leamington capitalised on a loose ball and counter-attacked from deep, L. Whittingham almost breaking through for the opposition until Allen put in a try-saving tackle, this time for his own team! Leamington were awarded a penalty but their kick didn’t make touch. Instead, it found Allen, who jinked his way superbly through the opposition defence with Jacques in support, whose sublime inside pass put Moore in for a brilliant try. Allen’s conversion extended Hinckley’s lead to an unassailable 36-0.
With less than ten minutes remaining, Hinckley ran riot as the visitors’ energy levels dwindled from the relentless pounding. Burton crashed over for his second try following initial breaks by Wainde and Barnes, taking the score to 41-0, before completing a superb hat-trick, galloping over from inside his own half, increasing Hinckley’s lead to 46-0.
Hinckley notched up the half-century in the final play of the match, surging runs by Moore, Golding and Goodwin taking the black and ambers deep into Leamington’s 22, the final pass finding Allen who splashed down for Hinckley’s ninth try, taking the final score to 51-0 as the referee ended the game.
Next week it’s off to the Vipers’ den for the rescheduled County Cup quarter final.