Huddersfield RU 19

Harrogate 25

(National II North)

THE body language of the players coming off the field at the end of the contest spoke volumes after yet another disappointing defeat for Huddersfield.

After two successive home victories (over Broadstreet and Rugby Lions) and leading 16-8 at one stage, hopes were high of extending their winning home run, but a converted try by the visitors in time added on at the end of the first half, allowed Harrogate back into the match and brought the contest back to a one-point game.

And despite having plenty of possession and endeavour in the second half, Huddersfield just couldn’t find the necessary penetration to pierce a very solid Harrogate defence, and that ultimately proved the difference between the two sides.

The visitors took the lead early in the game through the boot of centre Joe Rowntree from a fifth-minute penalty – the referee ignoring a blatant knock-on prior to awarding the spot kick, but Huddersfield’s Chris Johnson levelled it with an 11th minute penalty and then put his side ahead with his second place kick, shortly after failing with an attempted drop goal.

Going into the second quarter of the half, Johnson (who scored all his side’s points) took advantage of a spilt Harrogate ball, kicked ahead burst through the cover defence, recovered and dived over the line near the posts to put Field 13-3 ahead, and everything looked set fair.

But on the half-hour mark, the visitors showed why they are fourth in the table, when they dispossessed Dan Hyde in the middle of the park, and quick ball across the line, ended with hooker Aarin Yorke flying in at the right corner, despite a last-gasp attempt at a tackle from full-back Tom Owen.

Johnson restored Field’s lead with his third penalty, an excellent strike five yards in from touch, but then came the turning point when home prop Tony Stringwell was sin-binned for an alleged high tackle, and, as so often happens these days, the one-man deficit proved crucial.

Harrogate full-back Ed Smithies was on the end of a flowing move, taking advantage of some slack tackling to go over near the posts, leaving the match in the balance at 16-15 at half-time.

That score certainly perked up the visitors, and it was they who started the second half with greater purpose, and after a spell of heavy pressure, centre Steve Parsons cut back inside to cross the tryline with Owen hanging on but failing to prevent the grounding.

Rowntree goaled and Harrogate were in front – and that’s where they stayed.

Johnson did added a fourth penalty to reduce the deficit to 22-19 just before the hour mark, but after that the Lockwood Park side never again threatened the line.

The nearest they came was when substitute Mark Whitehead hacked on a loose ball, but unfortunately it spun off a Harrogate boot and went sideways towards the touchline. Had it gone straight you would have backed the Huddersfield skipper to win the race and score, but it was not to be.

Damian Clayton replaced Joel Hinchliffe at scrum half and Alex Battye was a late replacement for Sam Slater, but despite bags of ball Huddersfield could not find a way through.

Credit had to go to Harrogate’s excellent defence, but Field simply could not find any penetration, either in the forwards, or the backs and that has to be of real concern to the coaching staff who may have to consider some re-shuffling of their limited resources before next week’s game at League-leaders Loughborough.

Huddersfield: Owen; Wood, Johnson, Paxman (B), Sutcliffe; Duffy, Hinchliffe; Slater, Davies, Stringwell, Rhodes, Harris, Sharpe, Lewis, Hyde. Subs: Battye, McPhail, Van Rooyen, Whitehead, Clayton.

Harrogate: Smithies; Rowntree, Parson, Dench, Harris, Davies, Wickham; Sowrey, Yorke, Davies, Spencer, Brady, Heaton, Harland, Peacey. Subs: Lewis, McMillan, Spackman, Hewetson, Aspinall.

Referee: Penford (Tadcaster).

YMCA were beaten 24-21 at home by Knottingley in Yorkshire II – report and pictures in tomorrow’s Examiner Sport.