The Buccs travelled to Harrogate buzzing after last weeks emphatic win over Wharfedale but injuries & unavailability meant the Buccs were forced into a various reshuffles all over the squad however Tom Winch & Ryan Daniel were welcome returnees to the team. Harrogate had yet to play a game in 2025 having called off / conceded all their matches and were sitting bottom of the league on minus ten points! There was a certain uneasiness in coach Zgoda’s mind on the drive over that Harrogate may of brought in a few players to bolster their squad….. he wasn’t wrong! Within the first twenty minutes The Buccs were 21 - 0 down having been blown away by Harrogate’s ferocious fast rucking, aggressive forward carrying & breathtaking back play, basically The Buccs were being given a taste of their own medicine! From the restart from Harrogate’s third try fly half Sam Hassard dropped kicked the ball high & short and 2nd rower Jack Walker leaped up and palmed the ball back to flanker Jack Pinder who went on a mazey run breaking into Harrogate’s 22! The Buccs forwards proceeded to smash their way up to the Harrogate line and finally after a number of pick & go’s Harvey Robson barged over, Hassard converting 21 - 7. This try breathed some life back into the Buccs and they started to take the game to Harrogate whose team of ringers started to tire after their incredible start! More good play from forwards in particular Luke Mackay & Pete McGlynn saw the Buccs carrying hard back up the field and back into the gates 22! From a half break by Mackey the ball reached centre Tom Winch who shimmied through the gate defence & went over for the Buccs second try, conversion missed 21 - 12 but the Buccs had some confidence back. With five minutes left of the half the Buccs saw all the play going their way, Hassard put a massive up and under which Mackay chased like a man possessed, he clattered into the gate winger just as he caught the high ball, Mackay ripped the ball from the winger and went to ground, quick recycled ball from the ruck hit Jack Pinder on the charge who outpaced the gate defence and sprinted in untouched! Hassard slotting the conversion and somehow when the half time whistle was blown the Buccs were only down two points 21 - 19.

The half time talk was about sticking to what we were doing, tightening up in defence and trying to tire out the big Harrogate pack.

The second half started just like the first, Harrogate scored within the first few minutes again using forward power and pacy backs! With their powerful hooker smashing over! Conversion slotted 28 - 19! Not the start the Buccs needed! The second half ebbed & flowed into a pretty even affair but from all watching the Buccs just seemed to want it more and the gate were starting to retaliate with late cheap shots which ended in a number of yellow cards and a series of penalties for the Buccs. From one passage of play the Buccs found themselves five metres out and as usual their go to penalty move “sarries” was called and as usual their skipper McGlynn barged over for his 6th try of the season using “sarries” from wide out Hassard slotted a peach of a conversion to make the score 28 - 26! Harrogate replaced tired legs with fresh legs and took the game back to the Buccs and with ten minutes to go they scored their fifth of the day, their classy ten slotting the conversion 35 - 26! Was this not going to be the Buccs day! Manager Olly Tyson was in constant contact by phone with the coaching team of Zgoda & Pinder as he was not available to travel this week and even he sensed perhaps the game was maybe gone with five minutes of play left and trailing by nine points but this Buccs team has forged a bond over the last two seasons of never giving up and fighting for every inch! From the restart again Hassard put up a beaut of a drop kick and as the Harrogate forward caught the ball he was absolutely clattered by Walker & Pinder, the ball was spilled and scooped up by nuggety hooker Brad Parker who’d been all over the pitch all match, he carried forward and from the ruck the ball was span out fast to the backs who broke into the gate 22, the ball reaching full back Ryan Daniel who glided past his opposite number and chipped through, as the ball bobbled into the deep in goal area and Daniel winning the race to dot the ball down, he was body checked by a gate player and bundled out the way, the ref who to be fair had a good game deemed this to be a penalty and stated that the body check was enough to stop the act of scoring a try, and he awarded a penalty try! Full seven points to the Buccs! 35 - 32 and one minute left! Harrogate kicked deep and long but a nice break by new prop forward Will Gaunt saw the Buccs march up the field, forwards and backs inter-playing as one! Everyone’s hearts were in their mouth!! Could the Buccs pull off a miracle??? The play reached the gate 22 and the Buccs forwards kept hammering at their defence eventually reaching the try line and with a number of pick & go’s, a try looked like it was coming however an illegal arm was missed by the ref and Harrogate stole the ball in the ruck and it found its way back into the gate’s 9 hands in the in goal area, however he was harried and clattered by the Buccs 9 Alex Edwards who forced him to dot the ball down giving the Buccs a scrum 5 metres out! This was it!!! This was the moment! Did the Buccs pack have it in them to go for a pushover try?? The scrum set and the ball was fed in and the world seemed to stop and standstill but not for the pack, they surged as one and the scrum went forward at a rate of knots, Harrogate collapsed under the sheer force and the ref put out his arm for a penalty! When the bodies of both packs got up, cries from the sideline was take points!! The tee came on, Harrogate protested and screamed at the ref how long left and Hassard stepped up and coolly slotted the penalty! 35 - 36 to which the ref blew his whistle to end the game! The miracle comeback was complete!! The Buccs win by a point!!

Today showed what the Buccs are...

A team of mates willing to fight for every inch to win! There is a wonderful attitude in this Buccs squad to never say die & give up! They never led once in the game & were 21 - 0 down in the first 20 minutes! Yet somehow with some nuts & a whole lot of guts they won!!!

BOTM - Sam! Another assured performance at 10 & some mega kicking to get us back up field & back in the match plus kicked the winning penalty!

MOTM - The back row - Luke, Jack Pinder & Pete - They were everywhere! Ferocious in defence & attack! Plus Pete scores AGAIN off sarries!!!

Well done fellas.

Up the Buccs!!!!!