Match report: Fylde 33 Loughborough Students 81

Tom Carleton scored one of Fylde's tries

A dynamic Loughborough side attacked from the first minute and, with their fate in National One at stake, they brought in a number of dual-registered young Premiership players.

The Students blasted out of the traps as they took total control of the match.

Within the first minute they attacked down the right and Jack Stapley found space to race over, Tim Bitirim converting for a 0-7 lead.

Sam Lewis then galloped through to score near the posts before a penalty try awarded after a maul collapsed on the Fylde line saw them 21-0 ahead and nine minutes gone.

Four minutes later and Owen Walters slalomed through for a bonus point try and a 26-0 lead.

Fylde at last put together some possession, progressing along the left touchline before Jake Foster went in at the corner and Greg Smith converted.

That proved as close as Fylde would get as Matt Garrod was sinbinned for illegal interference at a ruck.

Luke Frost forced his way over the line with the conversion making it 33-7.

Chris Briers caught Smith’s chip to score a converted try for Fylde but Jack Moates’ converted score and a Bitirim penalty saw Fylde 43-14 down at half-time.

The Students began the second half in the same way as the first with Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas finishing off a good move by scoring wide out, only for Garrod to touch down for Fylde with Smith converting.

This proved a brief respite as the Students dominated the next 15 minutes and scored four more tries through Tim Stapley,Chris Davies, Jack Stapley and Bitirim, making it 74-21.

Fylde’s heads didn’t drop as Connor Wilkinson sprinted over, only for Joe Heyes to score the Students’ 12th try.

The final moments saw the best try as Wilkinson turned away from the Loughborough back and made fast progress line before passing inside to Tom Carleton on halfway.

The youngster changed gear, raced through and skipped around Freddie Tullagi to score.

Smith added the conversion but it shouldn’t disguise the size of the defeat and Loughborough’s excellence.