Hull have worked very hard all year and came so close to several victories that last week’s 34-0 loss must be looked at as an anomaly. Since sporting fixtures began, a five/six hour coach journey the same day as the game, hands a few points to the opposition before the game kicks off in many instances.
Hull will be looking bounce back this week at home to Chinnor. Hull welcomes back Charlie Beech to the front row and Liam Regardsoe reclaims his starting place in the second row alongside Cam Curry.
Laurence Cowen-Leak, Lewis Wilson and Will Hall are a very effective back-row combination, and with a starting front row of Loma Kivalu, Mike Jobling and Ben Boothman, Hull’s pack looks solid enough.
The backs see some changes with scrum half Harvey Harding being replaced by the versatile Tomasi Tanumi who will partner off-half Joe Carlisle, with Duell Trueman returning to replace the unavailable Mike Adlard on one wing with Jack Edwards on the other flank. Reece Dean at full-back and centres Ali Heard and Joe Taira complete the starting line up and will be looking to make an impact on the game from the kick off.
A bench that sees Charlie Beech joined by Jamie Major, Joshua Hanlon, Sam Robson, Alex Todd and Steve Johnson looks strong and able to make a difference in the later stages. There is no hiding from the fact that Nationa League 1 is tough, and despite the heroics of last season, Hull have found it difficult to perform in all areas all game.
However, we have seen some excellent rugby from Hull, and it is an opportunity for them to show that flare and determination which could well unsettle their opponents. Chinnor have had one victory against Birmingham at home and a draw against Cinderford this season.
Like Hull, Chinnor score quite a lot of points, but they have found themselves losing by a handful of points in nearly all the games they have played. This is a winnable game, but only if Hull bring the game we have seen a lot of this year, and they can keep that intensity going for 80 minutes.
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