Hoppers outclassed by confident Caldy

Hoppers went down to a clinical Caldy team that ran in seven tries including four in a dominant fifteen minute spell. Even after conceding fifty points Hoppers can take heart from a gutsy and determined performance which showed their fighting spirit right to the end.

Caldy got off to a dream start and were ahead early from a Jonathon Nugent try, after multiple infringements in the 22 the visitor’s took a quick tap and on the second surge Nugent was able to power over, Richard Vasey was successful with the conversion to start his impressive day with the boot. Hoppers responded well and were soon on the score sheet, after a couple of line outs in the 22 Alex Zavallis-Roebuck confidently slotted home a drop goal when the move looked to be grinding to a halt.

The momentum however quickly shifted back to Caldy as they crossed the line for a second time. A missed tackle on the 40m line allowed second row Paul Arnold into acres of space and his well timed off load put John Broxson clear to score untouched.

Hoppers then lost two influential players as first Steffan Thomas was forced to leave the field with a leg injury and Zavallis-Roebuck was stretchered off and taken to hospital with a neck injury, happily he was back at the club by the end of the match.

Caldy increased their lead with a Vasey penalty and scored another try when a well worked line out move was given quickly to the backs stretching the Hoppers defence, wing Neil Kerfoot was the extra man, touching down in the corner, Vasey converted from the touch line.

Hoppers ended the half well, producing some good rugby and were rewarded with Richard Morton’s try from a well worked line out move from short range. Caldy were reduced to 14 men as Stuart Turner was sin binned and Hoppers took control of the game but were unable to reduce the deficit mainly due to some last ditch tackles and the visitor were lucky to go into the break with a 22-8 lead.

The second half started brightly as both teams looked to move the ball quickly but everything changed when Sean Hall was sin binned seven minutes in. This started the Caldy onslaught as they scored three tries with the man advantage as part of twenty eight unanswered points that took the game out of reach.

First number 8 Craig Smithson touched down after the pack had pushed a 5m scrum over the line, then centre Scott Rawlings intercepted a pass on the 40m line and sprinted under the posts. Caldy found the try line again after a scrum was moved out quickly and in a move similar to that in the first half Kerfoot was again the extra man. The visitors scoring was complete when another scrum inside the 22 was moved out to the backs and centre Gavin Roberts was able to round his man and score, Vasey was successful with all his second half kick taking his personal tally to fifteen.

Hoppers were able to cross the line when James Williams was the first to react to a loose ball and out ran the defence to score under the posts after a 60m sprint and could have scored a few tries in the final minutes as again they finished strong but were just unable to turn some good possession and individual effort into points that the build up deserved.

Late try denies Hoppers victory

After two thrilling come from behind victories it was Hoppers turn to feel last minute anguish as a late Harrogate try gave them a share of the spoils. Both sides will leave happy after securing the try bonus point but will believe they should left with more.

With a strong breeze blowing across the ground both teams were happy to keep the ball in hand which provided a fast paced open game with plenty of quality attacking rugby on display.

It was Hoppers who got on the score sheet first through a well struck penalty by Mark Edwards and they soon stretched the lead with the games opening try, Hopper’s turn the ball over in midfield and quickly launched a counter attack, Dominic Moon’s strong serge through the middle allowed Darren Wilson to use his pace to cross in the corner. Edwards was successful with the conversion.

Harrogate answered back quickly with well worked set piece move, a 5m scrum was moved into midfield and James Broadley came in off the wing to collect a well timed pass and score by the posts. Michael Aspinall added the extras.

Hoppers extended their lead when Dominic Moon powered over from close range, the ball looked to have been turned over but Moon was quick at the breakdown and was rewarded with five points. Harrogate scored at the end of the half as they were able to stretch Hoppers defence across the field and use the numbers to their advantage with full back Edward Smithies crossing in the corner, Aspinall was again successful taking the sides in 15-14 at the break.

Harrogate started the second half brightly and were rewarded with a Sam Bottomley try, from a 40m scrum Ryan Peacey broke out and made good ground and when the ball got to Bottomley he broke a tackle and scored in the right corner.

Hoppers answered straight back with an Edwards’s penalty and once again had the lead when Tom Hughes broke a tackle and raced away from the covering defence to score.

It was then Harrogate’s turn to re-take the lead after taking a quick tap penalty inside the 22, they caught Hoppers off guard and a well timed pass that just avoided the would be interception and Bottomley strolled in for his second.

Dominic Moon was then shown a straight red card for a punch, but it only seemed to rally the home side who scored again when Wilson and Hughes combined well to set up James Williams who galloped in from 40 yards, but Hoppers were unable to hang on and Harrogate used their man advantage to stretch the field allowing Dench to score and when Aspinall stepped up and drilled home the conversion the referee brought an end to an riveting contest.

Hopper claim dramatic away win

Hoppers came from behind to claim a dramatic win over Westoe in an enthralling contest. Trailing by nine points going into the last quarter of an hour, Hoppers rallied to secure the win and a try bonus point, coming away from the north-east with all 5 points.

Playing into a breeze and against a deceptive slope it was Hoppers that got off to the better start, with the forwards providing a good early platform in the loose and at the set piece it did not take long to get their first try. After Dominic Moon had made good ground with a powerful run off a line out, Hoppers were able to recycle the ball quickly and Mark Edwards well timed pass put James Williams into space and his well timed offload allowed centre partner Tom Hughes to score beneath the posts. Edwards added the extras.

Westoe then proceeded to score 16 unanswered points all coming from Hoppers mistakes. The first being a nicely taken try after a knock on gifted them possession in good territory. Mark Olugbodie combined well with Laurie Bridgett and James Clark down the right wing and flanker Aaron Myers was on hand to cross the line. James Phillips missed the conversion but added two penalties either side of a successful conversion attempt after No.8 Michael Ellery pounced on a loose ball to sprint in unopposed, giving the home side a 16-7 lead.

Hoppers bounced back straight away, as the clearing kick from the resulting kick off was kicked through the dead ball area awarding the visitors a scrum deep inside the Westoe 22. In typical fashion Hoppers captain Darren Wilson got the ball from the scrum and make a trademark dash for the line, cutting inside through the defensive line before side stepping the full back, Edwards was again successful with the conversion reducing the deficit to two points.

Westoe, however, ended the half on a high with 10 quick points. Phillips landed a penalty after Hoppers had infringed at a ruck and converted James Clark’s try in the final play of the half. Clark was first to his own kick through, collecting inside the 22 after another Hoppers handling error on halfway.

Hoppers again started the half brightly and were able to capitalize on Westoe turn-over’s. Edwards landed a penalty after Hoppers won the ball at the breakdown and Westoe strayed offside and Hoppers were able to close the gap to just four points soon after. A Westoe line out sailed over the top inside their 22 and the Hoppers forwards pilled through to claim the ball and take it up to the try line. After a couple of surges around the breakdown sucked in the home players, Wilson was able to spread the ball to Owen McKenna who cut inside the desperate defence to score.

Westoe thought they had sealed the game midway through the second half with their best move of the match. From a scrum just outside the Hoppers 22 the ball was moved out quickly and good hands from fly half David Haswell and James Clark put full back Phillips into space, setting up a two-on-one and he timed his pass well to put wing Chris Clark in at the corner.

Westoe enjoyed plenty of possession for the rest of the game but were unable to breakdown the resilient Hoppers defence and the effort was rewarded as the mounting pressure took its toll on the home side. Replacement Nick Smith brought a calming influence to the Hoppers and was kicking intelligently behind the home defence into the corners with the Westoe backs not looking comfortable. It was one of these kicks that was poorly dealt with that gave Matt Hughes the chance to charge down Phillips’ would be clearance. After claiming the ball Westoe could not compete around the breakdown an eventually gave away the penalty which Smith confidently dispatched.

It was a similar kicking frailty that was Westoe’s undoing and gave Hoppers the victory. After exchanging a couple of clearances Westoe made a mess inside their own 22 and full back Phillips tried to beat the onrushing Hoppers, failing to do so he kicked poorly off his weaker left foot and failed to find touch. Flanker Jordan Pearson called for the ball and seeing space in front made a dash for the Westoe line, the home defence was caught off guard and Pearson crossed without anyone getting close to laying a finger on him. Smith slotted home the conversion giving the Hoppers the lead.

With more than ten minutes left in the game Hoppers set about a fantastic defensive effort that saw them home to victory. They again kicked well into space behind Westoe gaining the territorial advantage. Westoe tried in vain to break the Hoppers but a turn over inside the 22 laid waste to the home side’s hopes. Hoppers were able to eat up the remaining minutes with solid work form the forwards before booting the ball off the park to give them a well deserved victory.

Hoppers downed but not without a fight

In a contest that was marred by penalties and numerous off the ball incidents Hoppers went down to their second consecutive defeat, this time at home to a physical Rugby Lions side.

Hoppers got of to a disastrous start and were behind in the opening minute. After failing to deal with the opening kick off, they surrendered possession to the Lions who spread the ball quickly from left to right where wing Tom Harris cut inside beating several defender, he was eventually tackled only for the ball to be recycled and moved to the left wing where Jeff Gregson touchdown in the corner. Full back Lloyd Warner slotted the conversion from the touchline.

It took Hoppers a while to get some prolonged possession and territory but they made it count with Dominic Moon making good ground from the base of a scrum and were awarded a penalty after interference around the next ruck which Mark Edwards was successful.

Rugby were able to restore their 7 point lead with a Warner penalty when Hoppers were penalized for being offside and increased the lead on the stroke of halftime with Gregson bagging his second try, touching down in virtually the same spot. He was on the end of a well worked backs move that came from a line out on the Hoppers 22. Warner was again successful with a difficult kick.

The second half started off in a similar vain, as Hoppers were unable to secure any quality ball and Rugby were able to stay on the front foot and play the ball into the corners well. They were rewarded with their third try not long after the restart when they disrupted a scrum inside the Hoppers 22 and once again move the ball quickly from one side of the field to the other with Warner hitting a good line and crossing for the try.

This, and a quartet of substitutions, seemed to spark Hoppers into action and they were able to cross the line for the first time. After a couple of scrums in the opponents 22 Hoppers took a quick tap from a penalty just 5 metres from the line, and while Rugby were able to stop the initial drive Richard Morton was able to power over from close range. Edwards added the extras.

Both sides enjoyed and spurned some good possession and things looked bleak the home side when Luke Cunningham was shown a yellow card for killing the ball. From the resulting penalty Rugby went for the win and a try bonus point by kicking to the corner but for once the backs were unable to press home the advantage and spilled the ball just in front of the post, Hoppers collected and moved the ball to Darren Wilson, who had moved to the wing, he beat the first man and sprinted the length of the field, leaving with Lions defenders in his wake to score beneath the post, with Edwards adding the conversion to make the score 17-22 a second miraculous home comeback looked possible.

However, a decision by the referee to award a kickable penalty to Rugby just minutes later for a 50/50 off the ball incident Warner was able to push the Rugby lead out to 8 points and in the last play of the game with Hoppers throwing caution to the wind Gregson pounced on a knock on and was able to sprint in from 60m to complete his hat trick.

Hoppers win a thrilling season opener

Preston Grasshoppers got the season off to a winning start after an enthralling contest at Lightfoot Green. An inspired performance from replacement Alex Zavallis-Roebuck helped the Hoppers to a 30-29 victory over Hull Ionians that had looked in doubt right up to the end.

Ionians made an impressive start to the game and kicked well into both corners early on, but where unable to capitalize when Fly Half Joseph Wright sent his opening kick wide. Once able to clear their lines Hoppers started to get themselves into the game and took the lead after 6 minutes. Mark Edwards intercepted an Ionians attack inside his own half and started a Hoppers counter, Full Back Owen McKenna broke through the line with a great break but was hauled down inside the 22, the resulting ruck incurred the wrath of the referee who sent Ionians flanker Mark Wigham to the bin. Hoppers kicked to the corner and won a scrum on the 5m line which Number 8 Dominic Moon picked up from the base and powered over through the would be tackles. Mark Edwards was successful with the conversion.

Hoppers had chances to increase their lead with the man advantage but were unable to do so and Ionians pulled level through Danny Smith. The full back returned a kick into Hoppers territory and was first to the ball, he hacked on and weighted his kick perfectly as it came to rest between the posts, and Wright added the extra to draw the side’s level. It was a kick of a different kind that helped give Ionians the lead, after being awarded a penalty for a scrum infringement Wright struck the resulting kick against the uprights, Tim Mennell was quickest to react and the Ionians were able to move around the breakdown well with Chris Starling touching down from close range, Wright duly converted.

After the break Ionians extended their lead with a well struck penalty to take them to a 17-7 advantage but Hoppers began to dominate and brought themselves back into the contest. Dominic Moon kicked well into the corner and when the ball did not find touch Ionians Full Back Smith tried to beat the chasing players but was unable and trapped behind his try line. The resulting scrum was solid and moved out into the backs where Russell Flynn picked a good line off Edwards, he was stopped just short but Moon picked up and drove over to score his second. Hoppers took the lead as a result of another scrum, this time however from further out. With the ball on the 10m line Hoppers moved the ball into the midfield allowing Steffen Thomas to smash through the Ionians defence, his subtle pass was collected by centre partner Tom Hughes, whose excellent line cut through to the line and showed great strength to power through the final tackle and stretch out for the score.

Hoppers then started to self destruct, starting with the sin binning of Moon for an illegal tackle. Ionians kicked to the corner and the resulting catch and drive saw Danny Hague score. It was then Hague’s time to turn provider as he picked up from the base of a scrum 40 yards out and sprinted down the blind side before off loading to scrum half Adam Thomas who scored in the corner, after failing with the first chance Wright stepped up to land a difficult kick form the right touchline giving Ionians a ten point lead. Wright could have added to his tally but was unsuccessful from distance, as was replacement Iain Gordon.

Entering the last ten minutes Hoppers introduce Zavallis-Roebuck, whose first major contribution was a penalty kick which he stepped up and confidently drilled over to reduce the deficit to 7 points. Minutes later and Hoppers started to pile on the pressure sensing that the game was there to be won, after good ball retention from the forwards Zavallis-Roebuck kicked behind the Ionians defence and was able to collect the ball making his way unchallenged to score, however the conversion was charged down much to the dismay of the home fans but not illegally to the officials.

Hoppers could easily have crumpled after such a disappointment but it only seemed to galvanise the home side. The kick off was taken cleanly and moved into the midfield and when it was released to the backs they set off with the move of the match, starting inside the Hoppers half a move down the right touchline involving Steffan Thomas, Tom Hughes, Tom Ball and Owen McKenna took them into the Ionians 22 and resulted in a penalty which Zavallis-Roebuck slotted through the uprights to snatch an unlikely victory.