Sheffield pack kept at bay as Harrogate’s backs show nerve

In a fluctuating match, Harrogate held out against stoppage-time pressure from Tigers to record a narrow win.

Harrogate’s young backs played nerveless attacking rugby, with 17-year-old Callum Irvine outstanding at stand-off.

This proved to be just enough to keep the more experienced Sheffield pack at bay.

Sheffield opened the scoring when Harrogate were penalised for pulling down a drive. The penalty led to an attacking lineout, the ball was spun wide and full-back Peter Swatkins dived over to score.

Ruaridh Carmichael, playing his last game for Harrogate, used his experience to complement the youthful exuberance of his backs colleagues and put in a big relieving kick.

Tigers offended from the subsequent lineout and Joe Rowntree kicked a penalty. Almost immediately, Sheffield entered a maul from the side and another penalty by Rowntree edged Harrogate ahead.

An even period of play followed till Tigers were penalised for illegal holding and Rowntree’s penalty further extended the home lead before sustained Sheffield drives tested Harrogate’s defence for the rest of the half.

From the restart, Irvine split the defence with a break and Sheffield were forced to concede a penalty and Rowntree made it 12-5.

The balance of the match changed when home flanker Chris Wilson was yellow-carded for pulling a maul down.

Tigers scored two tries during his enforced 10-minute absence, both resulting from forward pressure. Gregor Hayter crashed over and evergreen Jon Feeley tucked in behind a forward drive to put the visitors 15-12 ahead.

Feeley was subsequently sent to the bin and Harrogate exploited the numerical advantage when the ball was passed quickly from an attacking scrum and Ed Smithies made the extra man to score. Irvine converted this try to make it 19-15 with, apparently, 15 minutes to go.

In the event, because of injury time, there were 25 minutes to go and Harrogate had to defend desperately during this period.

A brilliant tap tackle by Irvine thwarted a seemingly certain try and Tigers crossed the line but they knocked on in the process of touching down.

Huddersfield 9 Hull 7

HUDDERSFIELD were forced to battle tooth and nail in miserable conditions to win by a two-point margin.

With rain relentless throughout, the conditions favoured Hull’s formidable pack. However, the hosts opened the scoring early on with a penalty from fly-half Chris Johnson before the arm-wrestle between the forwards got under way.

Hull hit back using their strengths, a catch-and-drive allowing the forwards to power their way past a reeling defence and go over, the conversion making it 7-3.

Huddersfield player-coach Dan Hyde was sent to the sin-bin before the interval but his pack dug in to keep the score the same going into the second period.

Huddersfield were made to battle for every inch of territory but they pulled to within one point through a second kick from Johnson. With 20 minutes remaining, they nudged ahead from a third successful strike.

Both sides crashed against the defensive line at both ends in the closing stages but Huddersfield held out for the win.

Hull Ionians 11 Caldy 34

Hull Ionians played some of their best rugby of the season but gave up far too much good possession to a very useful Caldy team.

It allowed centres Shaun Woof and Gavin Roberts too much time and space in the first half to create three easy tries that took command of the match.

In reply, the Ionians pack were the stronger against their highly-vaunted opponents in the set piece but second phase ball wins matches.

The first three minutes saw an exchange of penalties by Richard Vasey and Glenn Boyd and then a counter-attack off a deep kick saw Gavin Roberts kick deep and dive through on the ball as it bounced back off the posts.

Ionians applied pressure from the kick-off and two penalties brought an attacking lineout, from which Luke Skyrme dived over but another Caldy counter attack saw Andrew Soutar evade tackles and release Liam Devaney to score.

Ionians stole a lineout but lost the ball for Woof and Roberts to glide through for Roberts’s second try, Vasey converting all three.

Ionians closed the half with Brett Hunt making 40 metres but losing the ball in the tackle over the line before a series of five-metre scrums and tap penalties failed to produce a try, the hosts finally settling for a penalty from Boyd.

The second half saw Ionians left wing Brett Hunt have two more excellent runs only to be stopped inches short.

In reply Caldy took advantage of a reversed penalty for Soutar to score from an attacking lineout and they kept stealing the ball to maintain control.

In the final move, Soutar claimed a cross-kick and ran through with JJ Dickinson in support to score.

Otley 21 Loughborough St 30

OTLEY failed to take a point against the high-flying students.

Amongst the changes Otley made was a first outing for Guiseley Rangers winger Joshua Roberts. He made an auspicious start, being denied a first-half try when the pass delivered by centre Tom Rock, which put him away, was adjudged forward.

Roberts made no mistake four minutes after the break when he ran on to an exquisite chip by fly-half Nick Coupland.

These were isolated examples of Otley’s prowess, for despite the best endeavours of the forwards, there was little imagination from the backs, dangerous winger James Twomey ignored throughout.

The students took an early lead, fly-half Andy Hall, after missing a sitter, succeeding with another penalty from the same spot.

Otley replied seven minutes later through Nick Coupland after Rock had been held on the visitors’ line.

Running on to the ball well, Loughborough were bringing the best out of the home defence but finally created an overlap for winger Edmund Rolston, who went in at the corner and, five minutes later, opposite winger Callum Wilson crossed for Hall to convert.

Centre Chris Kinloch got his name on the list and Otley were reeling but this inspired a revival, starting with a second penalty for Coupland and right on half-time prop Jonathan McMillan went over near the posts, Coupland adding the conversion. Roberts’s try brought them within a couple of points but they were unable to sustain their efforts. Coupland added another penalty but tries from full-back Craig Holland and a second from Wilson left Otley without a point.