The frosty north

Sunday saw Harrogate U15s head north to Teeside to visit Middlesborough RUFC for a return fixture this season. Middlesborough taught Harrogate a tough lesson back in September when they visted Claro Rd and the home team were on the end of a 40 point beating after taking the field unprepared for tough match.

This match was also to be a test of the squads strength in depth as 9 leading players were stood down for the match.

With Harrogate Grammar school playing in the national quarter finals of the Daily Mail Vase all HGS players were given the weekend off, along with Leeds Carnegie JDS players Luke Gair and Jack London. Added to that the absence of Loz Hargreaves & George Diggle through illness it is a testiment of the policy of player development at Harrogate that the club was able to select 21 players to make the journey north, leaving a further four players with a free weekend.

Early fears that the bitter weather would leave the game cancelled at the last minute almost came true as the pitch at Acklam Park was deemed unfit to play. But a swift trip down the road to the clubs mini/junior ground allowed the match to go ahead.

Harrogate started well, playing up the hill, and strong forward drives moved the ball up the field towards the home teams line. Captain on the day, Culonn Troy, was leading by example, as he did throughout the match, supported by Josh Wilson and Brad Thompson in particular. unfortunately against the run of play, following a spilled ball Middlesborough moved the ball quickly through many pairs of hands before their winger showed a clean pair of heels to go in under for the games first try.

The home team used the slope well and threatened to break through many times. The visitors first up tackling was not hitting the mark and often it was the covering tackle that brough down the middlesborough ball carrier on many of their attacks. The visitors pack also took time to get to grips with the tactics of the home pack and struggled to get involved in the game.

Although the two teams were fairly evenly matched the key difference was that the home sinde were able to turn their pressure into points whereas the visitors often turned pressure into a turnover.

The Harrogate sides first try was an exception with a swift movement of the ball by Ollie Ward, playing in his preferred scrum half position, to fly half Robbie Jenkins saw Harry Fewkes, playing in the centre, put Callum Beasley free. Although the movement seemend to have broken down quick thinking by wing Tom Brennan kept the ball in play as he dribbled the ball down the pitch into the home sides in-goal. Supporting his wing centre Callum Beasley latched on to the loose ball to claim the try, which he later converted.

As the game went on Harrogate lost their control around the tackle area and struggled to produce tidy ball for Ward to use. This, and Middlesborough's tendency to capatialise on oppoerunities became the pattern of the second half.

Middlesborough took the game but the Harrogate performance was much improved on the previous game and it was a good run out for the squad. Eyes now turn to next weekends match against Leo's back at Claro Road next Sunday.