Northern 21 Bradford & Bingley 21

BRADFORD & BINGLEY snatched a draw thanks to a 78th-minute try from Richard Tafa but even then the game could have been lost as Northern failed to land a penalty as time expired.

The Bees have struggled on the road over the last three seasons and seem to be perennially slow starters away from Wagon Lane, and when Northern landed two early penalties it seemed an all-too-familiar pattern was emerging.

The home side had lost their opening two fixtures, and perhaps the Bees were guilty of underestimating their hosts.

But they seemed to be settling into their game as the quarter-hour mark passed, and a penalty from Adam Mitchell narrowed the gap to three.

However, straight from the kick-off, the Bees were under their posts as a comedic series of events gifted the home side a converted try.

The visitors had perhaps lost some of their defensive shape after full back Richard Scull injured a rib late in the week, but a desire to give the ball some width whenever possible means that there was always plenty of opportunity for attacking rugby from both sides.

Player-coach Stuart Dixon has played close to two decades of senior rugby at centre, and sometimes at No 10, so his turn at full back may have been a novelty to the Bees veteran, but his go-forward instincts were often evident barging up through midfield next to Tafa.

At 13-3 down after 20 minutes, the visitors needed to score next as the home side continued to look dangerous and, on 28 minutes, Simon Hill was able to reach the line, but there was no time for the Bees to settle as they conceded another score almost immediately and it was 18 8 to the home side at half-time.

Northern wasted little time in extending their lead with a penalty early in the second period, but the Bees might say that the hosts had enjoyed a favourable bounce of the ball on more than one occasion.

Nevertheless, the visitors clawed their way back into the game and, as their defence tightened up, Dixon's men started to increasingly press the home side further upfield.

The Bees were rewarded with two penalties from Mitchell, bringing them to within a converted score, but Northern then fluffed the best chance of the game as Adam Wellington was isolated with four attackers running into his corner.

Anything resembling a reasonable pass would have seen the hosts home, but the pass flew behind the winger and the danger was cleared.

Tafa had had to leave the field earlier for attention, but he re-entered the fray and capped another solid performance with that final vital try, with Mitchell adding the conversion.

Scrum half Kirk Arundale enjoyed his best game in a Bees shirt and, with them likely to re-introduce Tom Cokell into the back-row next Saturday, there remain many positives for the Bees to take into Saturday's tussle with Driffield at Wagon Lane.