Wharfedale 19, Sheffield Tigers 29

AFTER a pre-season that seemed to lift the gloom and doom when relegation ended their 20-year stay in National League One, Wharfedale are in danger of suffering a second successive demotion.

With a quarter of the campaign gone in the fourth tier, the Greens have only won two of their seven National Two North matches and sit third from bottom.

On a glorious autumnal day, they made a bright start against their opponents from south Yorkshire, leading 14-0 after 17 minutes, but went into half-time trailing 21-19 and, try as they might in the final 25 minutes, they were unable to secure either a losing bonus point or a four-try bonus point – or both.

Wharfedale coach Hedley Verity, who was without head coach James Doherty due to school duties, had no doubt where the problem areas lay.

"We have got to stop backing up mistakes with more mistakes and we have got to make our first-up tackles," said Verity.

"We started off brightly but you have to back that up and our inconsistency over 80 minutes has beaten us.

"But our first-up tackling was the most disappointing thing and we gave them three or four tries. We will address slipping off tackles in training.

"We hope to have Joe Altham and Adam Howard back very soon but we will be without Robbie Davidson, Tom Davidson and Tom Asejevs next weekend at Stourbridge."

The trio are representing Latvia in their Rugby Europe Championship Conference One North clash against Luxembourg in Jelgeva on Saturday, with the Davidsons qualifying via their grandfather Helmuts Francmanis.

Wharfedale seemed determined to celebrate a match against their 100th different league foe with a convincing victory, centre Tom Davidson's pass being spilled by under-pressure flanker Lewis Wilson in the opening minute after good continuity.

However, after both sides had given away penalties, the Greens pounced, with No 8 Josh Burridge picking his way through the smallest of holes at a ruck to score a 13th-minute try after flanker Rob Baldwin had set up the position.

Fly half Jamie Guy converted that and also added the two points to full back Robbie Davidson's try three minutes later.

But the first chink in Wharfedale's defensive armour was apparent when the Tigers' combative No 8 Stephen Walker bounced a couple of would-be tacklers out of the way to cross in the 20th minute, fly half Tom Outram converting.

Visiting full back Peter Swatkins, who vied with Walker for man-of-the-match honours, scored in the 24th minute, Outram's conversion making it 14-14.

And although Tom Davidson went over five minute later after good work by lock George Hedgley, who was returning after suspension, the Tigers still went into the interval ahead courtesy of winger Henri Packard scooting over in the left corner in the 39th minute, with Outram again adding the extras.

The Greens now had to play the second half uphill and, although they showed better continuity, Outram's first successful penalty – made easier by backchat which allowed referee Michael Harris to march Wharfedale back ten metres – extended Sheffield's lead to five points.

Tom Davidson hooked a penalty well wide in the 56th minute but it was that man Swatkins who again went over at pace three minutes later to put the visitors ten points to the good.

Wharfedale needed to score next to have any chance but they then had centre Scott Jordan yellow carded for a deliberate knock-on in the 63rd minute.

However, they survived that period without concession and with Will Bell, a 53rd-minute replacement for Guy, pulling the strings in midfield, the hosts built up a head of steam.

They were mysteriously awarded a penalty and had it taken away from them deep in the visitors' 22 in the 72nd minute and, after the Tigers had centre Jonathan Buchanan sent to the sin-bin in the 75th minute, had a try ruled out when a lateral Bell pass that put Hedgley over was ruled forward.

But Verity was not playing the blame game towards the referee as a reason for this defeat and the Green Machine's last chance of a bonus point disappeared in the final minute when Robbie Davidson's penalty from the Tigers' ten-metre line fell short.