Hoppers deserved at least a losing bonus point from this bruising encounter in the Westoe mud but a late rally failed to produce the necessary scores.
Head Coach Dave Baldwin praised his team’s first half performance: “We played really well and implemented our game plan, keeping the ball tight against the wind and up the hill. But then some defensive slips and mistakes conceded another score and, despite battling back really well and dominating the last quarter, we failed to get the result we deserved.”
Hoppers were again slow to get started and the defence was severely tested before a drive from a 5-metre lineout put No.8 Scott over for an unconverted try in the 5th minute. Both sides struggled with the slippery surface and play centred around the packs with a series of pick and drives.
When the ball was released, the visiting backs looked the more threatening with Sean Taylor and Tom Hughes making ground but on 22 minutes more home pressure eventually saw prop Nesbitt power over for the reliable Bedworth to convert.
Hoppers established their first attacking platform with a lineout in the home 22 on 24 minutes and, after some strong forward drives, a half-break by Hughes was rounded off by Taylor but the kick failed. Hoppers’ pack kept the pressure on with debutant scrum half Tom Smith coping well with the difficult conditions and a deficit of just 5-12 at the break looked promising.
But Westoe raised their game at the start of the second period and again produced an early score. Wresting back the initiative, the home pack laid siege and desperate defence was at last breached as Nesbitt claimed his second touchdown and the kick was good.
Further pressure followed and Taylor’s last-ditch tackle prevented a score in the corner but, as the game entered the last quarter, Hoppers’ pack asserted themselves with Richard Morton very much in the thick of it. After sustained pressure and several near-misses, with the home pack in total disarray in the tight, Dominic Moon claimed a push-over try with four minutes left on the clock. Replacement kicker Tommy Bell was wide with the conversion and short with a speculative long range penalty to gain the losing bonus point and, frustratingly, a last minute break-away broke down near the line as the final whistle came as welcome relief to home players and supporters alike.
Despite the defeat, Dave Baldwin identified ‘promising signs’ as Hoppers host league leaders Loughborough Students next Saturday.
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