Nuneaton 34 Wharfedale 27: Careless Greens let it slide

They will also be wondering – having led 27-15 with barely five minutes of normal time remaining – how they contrived to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Nuns conjured an improbable, but splendid three-try surge to turn the game on its head.

The Greens did their best to assist the hosts with a combination of sloppy use of the ball, flimsy tackling, and penalties needlessly conceded in dangerous positions.

Undoubtedly, the absence of a number of influential players, plus a tough midweek cup game, were significant factors in what was a very unusual capitulation.

It all began well enough for Wharfedale, with winger Simon Horsfall's early try.

Throughout the first half, the Greens looked to have the beating of a team that had won just five times this season, and who had lost 68-18 at Blaydon the previous week.

Nevertheless, the Dalesmen had to come from behind twice – a converted try by home lock Llyr Griffiths preceding Wharfedale winger Dave Hall's interception try. Full-back Dan Hart's try in stoppage time then cancelled out one a minute earlier by Nuns full-back Sean Denning, leaving the half-time score at 15-12 to the visitors.

A break by Wharfedale centre Andy Hodgson set up stand-off Luke Gray for a try a minute after the restart, and when flanker Dan Solomi crossed in the 57th minute, Mark Bedworth converting, the outcome looked settled at 27-12.

But Nuns scrum-half Huw Thomas began the fightback with a penalty on 65 minutes and then came the rousing finale.

Tries by winger Stefan Cooksammy and substitute back Ray White, with one conversion, in the 76th and 78th minutes levelled the score.

Denning applied the coup-de-grce in stoppage time with his second try, converted by Thomas, and the five-point haul that the Dalesmen should have secured was reduced to just two bonus points.