SSE National League Two

Otley 47

Huddersfield 7

FEW would have put money on such a convincing Otley victory after watching the opening 15 minutes.

The hosts had seen little ball and the visitors had not only gone into a 7-0 lead but also missed a penalty.

However, Otley, inspired by scrum half Stephen Depledge, are a confident bunch these days and ran in seven tries without their line being breached again to climb to fourth in the table.

"We had not had any ball and they capitalised on us giving away three penalties," said Otley's director of rugby James Tiffany, "but it was pleasing that we scored two reasonably long-range tries, and that made Huddersfield change their game-plan.

"We have a talented bunch of players, we scored some nice tries and the replacements made an impact, and we were able to give Chad Harris and Harry Wales debuts off the bench, which is good for the squad and good for the club."

Huddersfield's backs coach Ian Shuttleworth said: "The first ten minutes was probably the best ten minutes that we have played all season but then Otley scored those long-range tries and perhaps we were not right mentally or physically – maybe in awe or who and where we were playing."

Huddersfield, who included former Keighley winger Sam Walker and ex-Bees trio Adam Malthouse, Dan Jeffrey and Tom Bills, the latter two being on the bench, started well.

They won a ninth-minute penalty and kicked for the left corner, winning the line-out and spreading the attack right for centre Tom Hodson's fine long pass to find right winger Nick Rawsthorne in space, scrum half Joel Hinchliffe adding a fine conversion.

Hinchliffe also missed a penalty before Otley hit back via a 40-metre try by right winger Harry Hudson, his opposite number Walker – slightly hampered by a hamstring injury – and full back Thomas Owen being unable to stop him.

Depledge stroked over a fine conversion to tie the scores before dummying to pass right and darting over himself in the 22nd minute after centre Michael Coady had initiated a counter-attack.

In between Hinchliffe missing a penalty and topping a drop-goal attempt, Otley were over again, Depledge and Hudson combining delightfully down the right wing for the half-back to bag his second, both sides finishing the half a man short after Jon Stannard (pulling down a maul) and Huddersfield centre Charlie Martin (no-arms tackle) were sin-binned.

Otley not only showed great determination in defending their line in the second half, but also added four more tries, Coady capitalising on a break by flanker Tom O'Donnell, replacement winger Nazir Karim and full back Arnie Ellison backing up breaks started by fly half James White, and centre Jack Mackie carving through the middle for their seventh and last five-pointer.

Man of the match Depledge converted all four tries in a half when Huddersfield had Owen sin-binned for not releasing in the tackle and Martin suffering an upper-chest injury.