Hartpury RFC vs Cambridge (H) - Match Report - 42-22

Hartpury’s unbeaten home form rolls into 2026

By Luke Jarmyn & David Sillifant, at 4ED Hartpury Stadium

HARTPURY RFC have begun the new year in the perfect manner with a six try bonus point victory over a plucky Cambridge side to maintaining their unbeaten home run in the Champ so far this season.

Debutant loanee Josh Carrington and hooker Ethan Hunt scored two tries each in the win over English rugby second tier’s basement side, which moves Mark Cornwell’s side up to fifth in the 14-team table.

Both sides made plenty of alterations to their line-ups after each suffered defeats on Boxing Day. Hartpury changed seven of the faces from the squad beaten at Nottingham, while former New Zealand international boss Craig Newby altered five after his Cambridge outfit fell to a home defeat against Coventry, after leading 28-17 at the break.

With Gloucestershire suffering from a freezing cold snap like the rest of the West Country, referee Morgan White decided upon arrival to the 4ED Hartpury Stadium on Saturday afternoon that the touchline close to the stand was still frozen, meaning the game had to be switched at short notice to the university campus’ adjacent 3G pitch.

It meant a free-flowing contest immediately from Cambridge fly-half Otumaka Mausia’s kick-off, with Hartpury’s opening try arriving inside four minutes.

The home-side, playing towards the end nearest to the usual pitch, kicked a penalty to the right-hand corner and hooker Ethan Hunt threw the line-out from six metres out before finishing off the driving maul.

Hartpury’s ever-reliable fly-half Harry Bazalgette re-found his form after an off day in Nottingham to add the first of six conversions.

Within a couple of minutes Cambridge fought back, following a line-out on halfway, quick hands by the royal blue clad ‘Blood & Sand’ across the left of the field saw their debutant, and ex-England under-19 star, James Pater gas away to cross the whitewash near the left corner.

The Blood & Sand’s Mausia missed the conversion, but within a few minutes and on the cusp of the quarter-hour mark the visitors sensationally took the lead.

Whereas the first was a fine team effort, this was a solo score from fullback Pater who took a pass just inside his own half before exploiting a gap and racing away to dot the ball down just right of the posts. Another Mausia miss kick made it 10-7 to the away-side.

However, the hosts hadn’t lost in five starts on home soil and were almost instantly back in front as winger Josh Field dived over in the right-hand corner, Bazalgette adding the extras.

Looking to pull clear of the East Anglian visitors, Hartpury quickly added a third try with Hunt dotting down, again from a training ground line-out driving maul move in the corner nearest the clubhouse on the 20th minute mark.

Like a yo-yo back came the visitors as hooker Dylan Irvine barged over to the left of the posts after another dangerous move from the Blood & Sand. Mausia finally got a kick on target to make the score 21-17.

Visiting prop Tabuna Maka was introduced just before the half-hour, but within a minute was going for a sit down after being yellow-carded for a high tackle on Hartpury’s outside-centre Jacob Morris.

With Cambridge having lost all 12 outings so far, you felt they needed the next try, but it was the hosts that got it. Flanker Harry Short darted over between the sticks from close-range after several phases just after the half-hour mark to give the university’s side their deserved bonus-point score.

The visitors had a late chance to get their bonus-point try in the first half, but a driving maul was stopped by Cornwell’s forwards superb defence and referee Morgan White blew for half-time.

After seven tries were scored across both teams in the first-half, the second begun with similar aplomb, and the visitors had an even better chance to score within five minutes of the restart after Hartpury No.8 Jarrard Hayler was sin-binned for deliberately slowing down an attack when on the way back to the defensive line, before Hunt’s deliberate knock-on less than 60 seconds later ensured a 10-minute breather with hooker Casey Williams being drafted on for the unfortunate Josh Field.

However, the visitors weren’t clinical with their being only 13 red shirts on the park. Firstly, Cambridge’s line-out wasn’t straight and then they were penalised at a scrum.

To compound matters for the visitors, they conceded when Carrington, in his first game after joining Hartpury on loan from Bristol Bears, picked the ball up just inside the Cambridge half and raced around the outside of several defenders to score down the right.

It meant 13-man Hartpury saw out their double sin-bin period without conceding, to the clear delight of the home dugout.

A brilliant try down the left-wing by Pater on the cusp of the hour-mark after being played in by replacement winger Henry Lumley gave the visitors a richly-deserved bonus-point try and go back to within two scores.

But with both sides emptying the benches, it was Welsh wizard Carrington who secured Hartpury’s victory 10 minutes from time after sustained home pressure led to the fullback crossing the whitewash by the right post.

The win lifts Hartpury RFC to fifth in the 14-team league, with the side now having two weeks off before returning to action with a mouthwatering local derby away against their revived rivals, third-top Worcester Warriors, at Sixways Stadium on Saturday 24^th January. Kick-off will be at 2pm.

Stats:

HARTPURY RFC: Josh Carrington (Hayden Lewis 72’), Josh Field (Casey Williams 47-58’, George Dufty 58’), Jacob Morris, Robbie Smith, Ollie Holliday, Harry Bazalgette, Oscar Lennon (Sam Allford 65’); Archie McArthur (Harrison Bellamy 68’), Ethan Hunt (Casey Williams, 73), Jono Benz-Salomon (Oliver Minnis 68’); Steele Barker, Jack Davies (c); Peter Paramore (Freddie Stevens 74’), Harry Short, Jarrard Hayler (Cameron Cobbett 68’).

Tries: Ethan Hunt 4’, 20’, Josh Field 16’, Harry Short 32’, Josh Carrington 51’, 70’.

Conversions: Harry Bazalgette, 5’, 17’, 21’, 33’, 51’, 71’.

Sin-bins: Jarrard Hayler 45’, Ethan Hunt 46’.

CAMBRIDGE RUFC: James Pater, Taitusi Qaniuci (Paul Wulf-Masoe 30-40’), Levi Reweti, Eparama Rokodrava (Tom Threlfall 51’), Eli Caven (Henry Lumley 35), Otumaka Mausia, Ruaridh Dawson (Charlie Bemand 47’); Jake Ellwood, Dylan Irvine (Jack Doorey-Palmer 47’, Paul Wulf-Masoe (Tubuna Maka 29’, Sam Buckley 72’); Rhys Fulford, Gareth Baxter (Jake McCay 63’); Ben Adams (capt) (Arthur Thomas, 57), Dan Eckersley, Edward Timpson.

Tries: James Pater 7’, 13’, 59’, Dylan Irvine 23’.

Conversions: Otumaka Mausia 24’.

Sin-bins: Tubuna Maka 29’.

Referee: Morgan White (RFU).

Attendance: 760.

Half-time score: 28-17 (to Hartpury RFC)

Star players: Josh Carrington (Hartpury RFC) / James Pater (Cambridge RUFC).

Reaction:

Cornwell and Davies both “happy” after fightback secures five points

By David Sillifant, at 4ED Hartpury Stadium

HARTPURY RFC head coach Mark Cornwell praised Josh Carrington after the Welshman marked his debut with a brace of tries in their victory over bottom side Cambridge on Saturday.

The fullback, who has joined on loan from premiership side Bristol Bears earlier the same week, scored twice in the second half to guarantee the hosts victory, a result which ensured they remain unbeaten at the 4ED Hartpury Stadium this season from six Champ Rugby outings.

A clearly delighted Cornwell said after the final whistle: “I was really pleased with our forwards as I thought they did a really good job in getting on top in the scrum and in the line-out.

“Yes we scored some tries, but we also some really good tries with our attacking shape as shown by our man-of-the-match Josh Carrington at full-back.

“I thought he was a great threat in attack and when we did move the ball wide, we scored some good tries.”

He continued: “Although they don’t get a lot of credit a lot of the time, I thought our front row, Archie McArthur, Jono Benz-Salmon and our hooker Ethan Hunt who got a couple today – I thought they did a really good job in getting on top in the set-piece and laid a good platform for us to get the win.”

As for the contest itself, Cornwell felt they made life harder for themselves than needs be.

He said: “I thought it was a decent win, a decent five points, but it became a game in the first half of we score, they score which a little bit frustrating at times as we conceded far too easily.

“But overall, you take the five-point win so you’ve got to be happy.”

Cornwell felt the late change of venue ensured a better spectacle, while lock Jack Davies who was in sole charge on the field with hooker Will Crane absent, felt it helped their cause.

Cornwell said: “It did change the outcome of the game a little bit in that on a surface like this it tends to be a lot more free-scoring, a faster game with more breakdowns and faster ball which we did see in the game.

“To have seven tries by half-time, I don’t think we’d have had that if we’d played on the grass.”

Meanwhile captain Jack Davies praised his team-mates, particularly given the pitch was changed at the last minute due to the sub-zero Winter conditions.

Davies said: “We said before the game when they made the decision that it probably suits us as we’re more accustomed to training and playing on it whereas they play on a grass pitch.

“It probably made it a bit easier for us with firmer footing which allowed us to dominate the scrums and mauls with our power up front. That’s pretty much how we controlled the game.”

Davies was also delighted with the work of the engine room and how they managed a ten-minute spell shortly after half-time when forwards Jarrard Hayler and Ethan Hunt were in the sin-bin.

“I think first and foremost we’ve got to be pleased with the five points, he added. I think as a forward pack we showed some real dominance out there today, scrum and maul time especially.

“We built a score quite nicely; we managed going down to 13 men because of two yellows in quick succession really well.

“And then when we got back up to 15 we managed the middle third of the pitch really well, so I was delighted to come away with the win really.”

Cornwell admitted they made it harder than they needed for themselves, but also praised the way they stood up to the task.

He concluded: “To get two yellow cards in the space of a minute for things we can avoid was a little bit frustrating, but I thought we managed that period of 10 minutes well to come away winning it 7-0 with 13 men. We slowed it well, won some penalties, drove them and frustrated them by us having the ball at that time.”

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