Hoppers punished by clinical Caldy

Head Coach Dave Baldwin was left frustrated at yet another underwhelming Hoppers performance as Caldy ran in six tries to record a bonus point win. The game was closer than it should have been at the half as the visitors wasted several good opportunities to score but they got their act together to score some sublime tries.

In what was a very open contest it was a surprise that the first try came midway through the first half, Caldy capitalised on a penalty inside the Hoppers 22 and kicked to the corner, they then executed a perfect catch and drive with Derek Salisbury touching down at the base, Gavin Roberts added the extras on way to his personal tally of 15.

Hoppers levelled the score soon after, James Smith’s quick tap got the ball into the 22 and after a second penalty was kicked to touch they were able to unleash the backs with quick ball and Matt Hughes was on hand to round off the move and grab the first of his two tries, Mark Edwards converted.

Caldy reclaimed the lead just before the break with a piece of individual brilliance from Roberts, he took the ball in midfield before breaking the defensive line with searing pace to beat several would be tacklers .

The second half only got worse for Hoppers as Caldy passes started going to hand and they capitalised on several turnovers to run away with the game. Salisbury turned provider when the big prop found himself on the wing after a turnover, he powered through one tackle before passing inside to John Broxson who coasted in untouched.

Caldy then got two tries is quick succession as both wingers crossed the whitewash. Liam Devaney secured the bonus point rounding off a well worked set piece and then another Hoppers turnover lead to Craig Ross benefitting from some excellent support work. Josiah Dickinson rounded off the visitors scoring after finding himself in acres of space when the Hoppers defence was sucked in to cope with the powerful forward pressure.

Hoppers had the final say with Hughes’ second try, but it was too little too late as the game was long gone. Dominic Moon was at his forceful best to rip the ball away and Hoppers speedy backline broke clear and were able to make the right decisions to put Hughes into space and the wing had too much pace for the covering defence, Alex Zavallis-Roebuck slotted the simple conversion but the game was already out of reach.

This was the Hoppers post Christmas season in a microcosm, there were moments of brilliant play in both attack and defence with Tom Hughes and Zavallis-Roebuck at the centre of most of it and there was a lot of effort from the forwards, in particular Moon who was a thorn in Caldy’s side when he was on the field, but there were too many simple errors and an inability to secure possession and generate quick ball has cost them, they travel to Huddersfield next week in what could be their final game of the season as the rearranged home fixture against Rugby Lions may not be played.

Hoppers lose at the death

Hoppers lost their fifth game in a row to a spirited Nuneaton side that have gone a long way to ease their relegation worries. Hoppers had so much possession and territory that this should have been a comfortable victory but an inability to convert early chances allowed the visitors to grow in confidence and get themselves into the game.

Head Coach Dave Baldwin was disappointed and frustrated with the performance that had far too many simple errors and wasted opportunities. Nuneaton were able to win the battle around the breakdown and were able to make the most of their few opportunities.

Hoppers started the game well and over powered the visitors in a series of scrums close to the line and when the ball was finally released to the backs Tom Hughes was on hand to beat his man and score beneath the posts, Russell Flynn added the extras to give Hoppers a seven point lead.

The home crowd were expecting a comfortable win as Hoppers continued to dominate and nearly scored when Mark Edwards cross field kick fell just out of reach of Phil Baines and again looked to be over after Mark Murray broke clear before been tackled just short of the line, with Nuneaton full back Stefan Cooksammy shown a yellow card in the process.
Hoppers couldn’t make the man advantage work and Nuneaton levelled the score when Andrew Murray pounced on a loose ball and sprinted in from his own 22, Lee Chapman added the extras in a flawless kicking game that would prove the difference.

Luke Cunningham put Hoppers back in front after charging down a kick in goal and being the first to react to the bouncing ball but just before the half Hoppers went behind as Matt Charters was yellow carded for interfering in a maul and Nuneaton went for the line out and the catch and drive with Nick Smith touching down for a 14-12 lead.

Nuneaton took full advantage of the man advantage as they scored just after the restart, 14 points with Hoppers down to 14 men, former Hopper Andrew Dockray was on hand as the forwards took a quick tap penalty near the line to power over.

Hoppers again had plenty of ball in the second half but Nuneaton scrapped for everything and were contesting every breakdown making it difficult for Hoppers to get quick ball but the home side seemed to lack any idea or flair and got drawn into a power game.

One of the few real highlights and demonstrations of what can be done was Hughes’ second try as he picked up the ball inside his own half and broke the line with pace and a great step and then rounded the full back to score a wonderful try and give Hoppers some hope.

Things looked like turning in the final minutes when Flynn knocked over a penalty to push Hoppers ahead but ill discipline moments later allowed Chapman to boot Nuneaton into the lead. Flynn had an opportunity with a minute to go to snatch victory but his kick went wide.

Yet again this was a game Hoppers should have won and they showed glimpses of what they can do but these were few and far between, far too many opportunities were wasted by poor decision making and simple errors. Hoppers will need to improve if they are to finish the season in a positive fashion.

Hoppers Tamed By The Lions

For the second successive week, Hoppers secured a 4-try bonus point but lost a game thereby keeping Lions’ play-off challenge alive. And again it was a familiar story of handling errors, poor ball retention and missed tackles which gave the home backs the space and freedom to run in six tries.

Disappointed coach Dave Baldwin said: “A poor first half performance made it too easy for a good side and we gave away far too much possession. We improved in the second half and scored some nice tries but, again, mistakes meant that we did not sustain pressure. On the plus side, it lifted our confidence and the young players called in all did well.”

A Hoppers’ fumble from a high kick in the first minute set the scene and ace kicker Jon Boden kicked an easy penalty. Hoppers’ pack made some ground but lost possession and the league top try-scorer Gareth Collins left a number of would-be tacklers in his wake to run in from inside his own half after 11 minutes. Boden missed the conversion but added two more penalties after more Hoppers’ indiscretions.Hoppers at last got on to the scoreboard when Russell Flynn kicked a penalty on 29 minutes after a good run from wing Phil Baines but another midfield break allowed Collins to sprint in for his second and Boden added the extras. Tom Hughes then incurred the displeasure of the referee for a dubious sin-binning and the home pack took advantage by driving over lock Cheney and the kick gave the home side a healthy 28-3 lead at the break.

At the restart, a promising break from James Smith ended again in lost possession and a swift counter attack brought a try for former Hopper Gerhard Boshoff. But at last Hoppers’pack were able to hang on to the ball and a strong drive allowed Matt Hughes to squeeze in at the corner.

The momentum was halted as two more Collins’ breaks provided tries for replacements Spokes and Antionides and, facing a deficit of 37 points, Hoppers looked dead and buried. But, to their credit, they knuckled down and launched a belated fight back. A pin-point cross-kick from Tom Hughes was caught and touched down by the lively Baines whose break then produced a try for Cameron Berry, both converted by Flynn. Although Berry was then the second Hopper to see yellow, Tom Hughes’ determined break saw prop Mark Irving up in support to put Matt Hughes in to secure the bonus point with his second touchdown and Flynn’s kick was good.

So Hoppers won the second half 26-17 and will want to maintain this form as they host improving Nuneaton next Saturday.

Hoppers Hand Harrogate Victory

Hoppers lost their third close game in a row but only have themselves to blame as four of Harrogate’s five tries came from turn overs. They can take some comfort from the try bonus point and their ability to create scoring opportunities but too many were squandered by handling errors and poor judgement.

After a scrappy start in which neither team were able to keep the ball for very long, Hoppers all but handed the game to the visitors as Harrogate ran in three tries from turn overs in the space of 15 minutes. The dangerous Jamie Broadley latched on to Mike Aspinall’s kick through to race clear of the defence, then Aspinall benefitted from good work from Ryan Peacey after Harrogate won a scrum against the head. Aspinall again turned provider as he exchanged passes with and Sam Bottomley following a poor clearing kick. Bottomley looked offside when he claimed Ed Smithies skewed clearance but play was allowed to go on and Harrogate extended their lead to 17-0.

Hoppers managed to narrow the gap with a try either side of half time, the ever impressive Tom Hughes once again was the catalyst for the revival and his superb solo effort before the break showed his pace, power and try scoring abilities at their best. Even if he was aided by a unique running line from Scott Briggs it was still a fine effort. Russell Flynn, in his 200th game for the club, added the extras in a flawless kicking display.

The second half started with a bang as Hoppers came out all guns blazing and could have scored within seconds of the restart but Mark Edwards clever kick through hit the post and fell kindly for Harrogate when a try was beckoning. From the resulting clearance Hoppers forwards took over launching into a formidable catch and drive and just as Harrogate thought they had weathered the storm Captain Wayne Steel powered his way over to reduce the deficit to just three points.

However Hoppers were to let the match slip away again as they lost possession inside the Harrogate 22 and with nobody back to cover Aspinall was able to sprint clear and claim his second try. If Harrogate’s first four tries had an air of luck and opportunity about the their fifth was a joy to watch, an excellent set play from a scrum in the middle of the pitch was first moved to the right only for Bottomley to cut back across the field and then find Broadley on the opposite diagonal line to carve through the defence.

Hoppers did manage to make the visitors work for the win as they launched another impressive comeback to close to just a single point. Tom Hughes grabbed his second from a quick tap penalty following a siege on the Harrogate line and five minutes from time Hoppers were awarded a penalty try by Italian referee Filippo Bertelli but Hoppers could not get the ball back into the Harrogate half and the visitors were able to run out the clock and seal the victory.