Hoppers Hand Harrogate Victory

Hoppers lost their third close game in a row but only have themselves to blame as four of Harrogate’s five tries came from turn overs. They can take some comfort from the try bonus point and their ability to create scoring opportunities but too many were squandered by handling errors and poor judgement.

After a scrappy start in which neither team were able to keep the ball for very long, Hoppers all but handed the game to the visitors as Harrogate ran in three tries from turn overs in the space of 15 minutes. The dangerous Jamie Broadley latched on to Mike Aspinall’s kick through to race clear of the defence, then Aspinall benefitted from good work from Ryan Peacey after Harrogate won a scrum against the head. Aspinall again turned provider as he exchanged passes with and Sam Bottomley following a poor clearing kick. Bottomley looked offside when he claimed Ed Smithies skewed clearance but play was allowed to go on and Harrogate extended their lead to 17-0.

Hoppers managed to narrow the gap with a try either side of half time, the ever impressive Tom Hughes once again was the catalyst for the revival and his superb solo effort before the break showed his pace, power and try scoring abilities at their best. Even if he was aided by a unique running line from Scott Briggs it was still a fine effort. Russell Flynn, in his 200th game for the club, added the extras in a flawless kicking display.

The second half started with a bang as Hoppers came out all guns blazing and could have scored within seconds of the restart but Mark Edwards clever kick through hit the post and fell kindly for Harrogate when a try was beckoning. From the resulting clearance Hoppers forwards took over launching into a formidable catch and drive and just as Harrogate thought they had weathered the storm Captain Wayne Steel powered his way over to reduce the deficit to just three points.

However Hoppers were to let the match slip away again as they lost possession inside the Harrogate 22 and with nobody back to cover Aspinall was able to sprint clear and claim his second try. If Harrogate’s first four tries had an air of luck and opportunity about the their fifth was a joy to watch, an excellent set play from a scrum in the middle of the pitch was first moved to the right only for Bottomley to cut back across the field and then find Broadley on the opposite diagonal line to carve through the defence.

Hoppers did manage to make the visitors work for the win as they launched another impressive comeback to close to just a single point. Tom Hughes grabbed his second from a quick tap penalty following a siege on the Harrogate line and five minutes from time Hoppers were awarded a penalty try by Italian referee Filippo Bertelli but Hoppers could not get the ball back into the Harrogate half and the visitors were able to run out the clock and seal the victory.