Only a week ago Hull looked odds on to win against Esher only to be undone by a late penalty. Playing some excellent rugby Hull reduced the very good travelling support from Esher to silence for much of the game.
This week Hull travel to Chinnor who boast former England World Cup player Nick Easter as their director of rugby. Soon after his arrival they beat highly rated Rosslyn Park and with just three games left will be looking forward to another year in National Division one.
Hull travel without prop Charlie Beech and scrum half Harvey Harding but with experienced front rowers Loma Kivalu, Mike Jobling and Ben Boothman starting the game with Dawson and Bairstow on the bench Hull have good cover for the set piece.
Joe Barratt starts again at scrum half and he has impressed with his pace of the mark and uncomplicated swift passing style from scrum lineout and breakdown. Last week’s solid pack display lay the foundation for a very good team performance. The additional time given to Reece Dean at off half allowed him to bring players on to the ball and Hull looked a dangerous outfit for long periods of the game.
Occasionally Hull’s kicking game was not quite as good as the players would have liked but with deep lying back threes most sides come up against that problem. When Hull control their own set piece ball they have caused trouble for the best of sides.
With so many young players now breaking into the team Hull can look to play rugby with the style and panache they showed against Esher. If they can achieve that it will only be good to see but will give players more confidence as they look to the future and give Chinnor something to think about.
HULL RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB 