FUMING head coach Ben Hughes apologised for Old Halesonians' "totally inadequate" collapse at home to Nuneaton on Saturday.

The Wassell Grove outfit had started the day top of the table having racked up more than 100 points in their opening two National Three Midlands fixtures but the merciless Nuns ran riot 44-3.

Chris Hooper's penalty was scant consolation at the end of a first half in which Nuneaton hit Hales with a strong scrum and quick combination play with their backs.

Hugh Thomas and debutants Jacob Knight and Umran Jadwat registered first-half tries with Rory Vowles adding a couple of conversions and a penalty to leave the hosts shell-shocked.

The one-way traffic continued in the second half with a Vowles penalty and further tries for back-row Dave Melville, scrum-half Tom Smitham and Knight. Replacement Joe Wilson kicked two conversions.

And a bewildered Hughes was in no mood to pull punches.

"Every player needs to take responsibility," he said. "We cannot explain how this happened given the preparation we have put into training.

"We would like to apologise to our supporters for what was a totally inadequate performance.

"We will look to come back from this, no team becomes this bad overnight so we will get back to the hard work during the next week to put this right."

Fifth-placed Old Halesonians have the chance to immediately make it up to their fans when they entertain unbeaten Towcestrians on Saturday (3pm).

They will start the day a point and a place behind their visitors and just two points shy of leaders Derby.