Loughborough Students underlined their promotion credentials with what was eventually a very emphatic victory but Lions had held the league leaders to 8-3 at half time.

There was some surprise the game could go ahead but a good number of Rugby supporters turned up at the University ground and the pitch, at first slippery on top and hard underneath, eased with the play and rain.

Lions introduced flanker Joe Rabakewa for his first league appearance and he and his team mates were fully occupied in defence for the first 20 minutes as Loughborough dominated possession and territory and kicked to better effect than Rugby.

The Students took the lead on 13 minutes when a low kick was chased following a lineout and winger Walsh scored although the conversion was mis-hit.

Slowly, Lions started to see more of the ball and had some threatening positions although an attacking scrum was wasted when Lions were penalised.

But after one attempt was missed, Lloyd Warner kicked a 41-metre penalty for 5-3 after 32 minutes.

But soon after, a long kick down the touchline gave Loughborough the chance to press and from the resultant penalty, Drake gave his side an 8-3 interval lead.

The second half began disastrously for Rugby when they conceded possession from the restart and Drake was soon under the posts, his own conversion taking the Students 15-3 ahead.

The wind, previously inconsequentially blowing across the pitch, was now gusting in Loughborough’s favour and they took full advantage.

But Loughborough were also benefiting from a series of individual errors from Rugby as the pressure of the Students’ fluent play told.

The mistakes allowed the home side to score three more tries before the hour mark for Lions to face a torrid last quarter already 32-3 down.

But at least Rugby stiffened their resolve and although they couldn’t mount any sustained attacks themselves, they held out well to restrict Loughborough to just two more tries although Lions were a little lucky kicker Drake had a very poor afternoon, converting just two of the seven tries.

The main bright spots of the last quarter were the run out of defence by Tom Harris and an impressive kicking cameo from replacement Alex Stevenson on his league first-team debut.

Rugby Lions: Warner, Gregson, Goode, Reed, Harris, Green, Barker, Williams, Price, Pateman, Weaver, Braband, Rabakewa, Nash, Walton. Reps: Spokes, Major, Munro, Parker, Stevenson