Hartpury University came away with a 42-40 victory over Coldry in their Greene King IPA Championship opener on Saturday. The hosts had started the campaign with nothing to show for their efforts, but the visitors turned that into four points after a close finish. It was the away side's first win of the season and left Coldry still searching for their opening triumph.
The result puts Hartpury University fourth on the table with four points from one game, while Coldry remain in 11th place with zero points. Neither side had played before this weekend, so the standings shifted for the first time. The two-point margin suggests the match was evenly matched until the closing stages.
Coldry have struggled for consistency in recent outings, with results ranging from a narrow 20-17 win over Hartpury in April to a heavy 15-64 defeat to Ealing. Hartpury, meanwhile, showed flashes of promise with a 70-14 thrashing of Cambridge and a 52-19 win over Nottingham before their 25-28 loss to Coventry last month. Both teams entered this fixture with mixed recent form.
The victory gives Hartpury a platform to build momentum as the season unfolds. Coldry will need to find a way to close out tight games if they want to climb away from the bottom of the table. The gap between them at the top and bottom remains wide, but the first round is only a snapshot of what's to come.
