But the momentum evaporated as Robbie Hurrell, Nigel Mukarati and Pete White were all forced off with injuries, Harrogate staged an inspired 2nd half downhill fightback and had closed the gap to an uncomfortable 10 points before late tries by replacements Sione Tu'ipolotu & Nile Dacres pulled the game beyond the hosts' reach.

That left the Saxons vulnerable to finishing 3rd were events at the Northern Echo Arena to work against them, and a one in sixteen shot duly came in as a last gasp 4th try for Macclesfield secured a title-winning 2 bonus points. Darlington Mowden Park’s victory secured the playoff spot thanks to a points difference better by just 20 as they finished level with the Saxons on both league points and wins.

So the Saxons’ season again ends in disappointment with the prize ripped from their grasp in the dying seconds of the final game. They are left to rue some indifferent 2nd half performances earlier in the season against mid-table opposition where they could and should have secured bonus points.

The game at Claro Road started brightly enough, Drew Harper bagging the first try after the pack shoved Harrogate’s scrum back over their own line. He was involved again when his drive from the base of a maul found a gap for White to dart through and link with Gary Dipple whose try in the corner took the Saxons past the 1000 point mark in the league season.

Captain Hurrell was forced off with a calf injury but there was no let up in the effort and the hosts’ defence conceded another penalty under pressure, it was kicked to touch in the 22 where Ben Hughes lineout take set up a driving maul that rumbled over with Hughes himself claiming the score.

The overcooked restart was thumped straight back into Harrogate’s 22, unable to generate any momentum they coughed up possession with an infield kick that was worked left, Stef Shillingford’s pass finding Jamie Hearn who skinned the cover to score the bonus point try. Harrogate tried to run back at them but Hughes managed to strip possession from a ball carrier, White hared through a gap in the defensive line and found Hearn to his left who bagged his 2nd try.

But that was to be the Saxons high water mark in this game, momentum seeming to evaporate as Mukarati was lost to injury. Harrogate ran a set of penalties at them and eventually outflanked the defences with hooker Aurin Yorke crossing to get them on the scoreboard in the final seconds of the first half. Half time 7-29.

Playing up the slope 2nd half the Saxons struggled to get back in the game and it remained scoreless through the 3rd quarter. White was forced off with an eye injury and the Saxons started to concede careless turnovers as ball carriers got isolated. One of these generated a Harrogate counter from deep, they flooded the left channel and worked flanker Noel Minkin through for a try.

Tempers had been fraying throughout the game and an off-the-ball exchange between Hughes and replacement Jacob Brady resulted in the exhaustion of referee Andrew Rawson’s patience and he dismissed both. It got worse when the Saxons conceded a free kick at a scrum, the hosts ran it and centre Sam Bottomley managed to evade some innocuous tackling to draw them within 10 points. This stung the Saxons into action and they forced a series of scrums on the Harrogate line, a penalty award run quickly by replacement Tu’ipolotu who scored under the posts. The final try came from a Shillingford break through a tiring defence, replacement Dacres taking the pass to score.

News of a Macclesfield victory turned out to be false and it was to be a long journey home for a Saxons team that must now regroup for next season’s campaign in National 2 North