A spirited performance by York wasn’t enough to overcome Harrogate who ran out the victors in this local derby 28 points to 12. Harrogate’s cutting lines and clinical finishing proved decisive in an entertaining encounter.

The game was always expected to be a stiff challenge against fourth placed Harrogate and so it proved. The large and mobile Harrogate pack nullified York’s usual strengths in the set piece and their lively back line had gas to spare, particularly in the back three with Dobson and Sharma proving a handful to contain.

Despite this, York came out fighting, determined to climb away from the lower end of the table. Their early pressure saw Kodi’s surging run close to the breakdown linking beautifully with Atkin who looked destined for the line, but Harrogate’s scramble defence had sufficient pace to snuff out the attack just meters out. The breakthrough came in the 21st minute when Quinn charged down a kick, regathered, and outpaced the cover to score in the left-hand corner. Davies narrowly missed the conversion, leaving York ahead 5–0.

York sustained the pressure and had the best of the territorial battle in the first half. Harrogate however looked comfortable in their own 22m area, their defensive structure and commitment to the tackle proving difficult to overcome. York threatened most when cutting back inside and attacking around the fringes of the breakdown but too often played very laterally and unforced errors saw a couple of good try scoring chances go begging.
Harrogate responded with precision. After sustained pressure, full-back Dobson used his pace to exploit the gaps in the York defence, rounding the defender before feeding the electric Sharma who showed his raw pace to run clear for a superb try out wide. McNab made the difficult kick look easy converting from the touch line to take Harrogate into the lead after 33 minutes 5 - 7.

The remainder of the half was played out in midfield with York’s scrum struggling to hold the heavy Harrogate eight, but their relentless effort kept them in the contest as halftime arrived with Harrogate narrowly in front.

The second half saw Harrogate turn up the heat. A sniping run from scrum-half Wilson off the breakdown 40m out, put him into the heart of the York defence. A slick inside pass to Sharma running the angle from his wing sent him flying through unopposed from the 22, McNab adding the extras to extend Harrogate’s lead to 5–14.

York’s penalty count began to mount giving Harrogate good field position, but unforced handling errors killed their momentum. York continued to resist the increasing pressure, creating their own opportunity in turn, Parsonage missing the rare opportunity afforded to York in the form of a penalty kick at goal. Heroic defensive efforts were noticeable from the entire team but particularly from Westaby, Fothergill, Scholey and Dent.

The highlight of the match was undoubtedly the try saving tackle by Peplinski. Harrogate turned over ball on their own 22m line putting Sharma away down the left wing after some slick interplay. He looked unstoppable as he outpaced the immediate defence, but Peplinski had other ideas. No slouch himself, he closed the gap from the opposite wing across the length of the field to tackle Sharma into touch just meters from the York line. An incredible individual effort but one that summed up the attitude of the York team.
Despite the defensive efforts of the team, Harrogate managed to cross in the left hand corner for their third try, McNab converting again for 5–21.

York refused to fold. From a messy lineout, Colclough sparked a break taking the game into the Harrogate 22, Peplinski eventually crossing in the corner following sustained pressure to close the gap to 12–21 after Parsonage’s conversion, frustratingly short of a losing bonus point which would have been a fair reflection of the game. However, in the dying minutes, Harrogate had the final word—crossing for their fourth, and bonus point, try in the left-hand corner before McNab’s flawless boot sealed the win at 12–28.

York: Davies, Peplinski, Atkinson, Dent, Quinn, Fordy, Atkin, Westaby, Consterdine, Scholey, Holmes, McGrath, Enoka, Fothergill, Addyman. Rep: Clark, Colclough, Parsonage.
Harrogate: Dobson, Miller, Martin, Brook, Sharma, MacNab, Wilson, Percival, Maycock, Dalby, Gilmartin, Brady S, Brady J, Sebouai, Dodds. Rep: Harrison, Richardson, Nuu.