Rugby Lions went down to their third consecutive defeat at Claro Road, and in doing so, slip to seventh place in the league, with three more players picking up serious looking injuries to add to their ever-growing injury list. At least the club has one fit lock in the shape of Tom Cheney who made a welcome return to partner prop Phil Greenbury in the second row. Terry Boneham partnered Tristan Wati and Sam Overton in the front row.

Rugby kicked off with a strong breeze at their backs, but it was the home side who applied the early pressure. A long clearance kick from Glackin relieved the pressure and lead to a penalty opportunity for Hawken when Harrogate dropped a scrum, but the kick was pushed wide. Harrogate opened the scoring following a sweeping move across the pitch with a try in the right hand corner. Lion’s looked to have tied the scores when Michael Rust touched down in front of the clubhouse, but the score was harshly denied by a forward pass decision from the touch judge. Rugby were enjoying a good spell of pressure at this stage, but Gate’s defence is second only to Tynedale, and the backs were finding it difficult to produce any penetration. Hawken did reduce the deficit with a penalty after Harrogate were penalised for holding on.

The home side increased their lead with another try when the ball was moved wide left. The conversion attempt was again missed. Matt Goode was forced to leave the field with a serious looking leg injury, and was whisked off in an ambulance to hospital with his leg in a splint. Hopefully the injury will not turn out to be as bad as it looked.

With the wind now in Lion’s faces, the omens were not good for Rugby, but they defended manfully and forced the home side to make mistakes. With Tristan Wati lying prone on the pitch, Harrogate moved the ball down the left touchline and full back Smithies scored near the uprights to increase their lead. The conversion was successful to make the score 17-3. Wati was forced to leave the field with his arm in a sling. Lion’s heads could have gone down at this stage, but to their credit they battled on bravely. Frustratingly, however, every time Rugby had an attacking lineout, they lost possession, and the opportunity was lost.

With Rugby attacking, Sam Overton knocked the ball forward on Gate’s 10-metre line. Ed Smithies gathered the ball and with the wind at his back, hoofed it fifty metres from just outside his 22, deep into Lion’s 22. Advantage over. James Hawken gathered the ball, and despite being isolated, decided to run. With a combination of skill and strength, he ran through five Harrogate players and almost reached the half way line, before the referee incredibly decided to go back for the original knock-on. I was under the impression that if you kicked the ball away following a knock-on advantage, that advantage was over (especially when it travels that distance).

The most ridiculous decision I have seen all season. Watch the video clip and make your own mind up.

Rugby’s injury worries deepened when they lost Phil Greenbury with a bad looking ankle injury.

Harrogate were pressing hard to score a fourth try and claim the bonus point, but Rugby defended well and prevented them from encroaching into their 22, and closed out the game. This was a game that could have easily run away from the Lion’s, and they dug in well to restrict the home side to three tries.

Harrogate and Rugby Lions first met in a league fixture in the 1994/95 season when the clubs were both in the old Courage Division 3. There were ten league games played between the two clubs between then and the 2003/04 season. Four of those league games were played at Claro Road but Rugby managed to win them all. With Harrogate’s relegation to National 3 North Rugby’s next away fixture sees them return to Claro Road after a four year absence, when they will be hoping to maintain that winning streak.

The ‘current form’ guide shows Harrogate with four wins out of the last four played and Rugby with just one win out of their last four. Harrogate won at Leicester Lions and Macclesfield while Rugby’s solitary win was at home against basement club Beverley, so on that basis Harrogate look like being in a good position to break their visitor’s run of wins at Claro Road.

Rugby’s cause was hampered last week by a shortage of second row players and they played half of their home game against Fylde with a front five of props and hookers. It is to be hoped that a sufficient number of second rows can be lined up this Saturday.