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Sport
is often a game of small percentages. Melrose were a few
percent better than any other defence Boroughmuir have faced
this season - Boroughmuir were a few percent away from their
best. The result was a convincing and deserved victory for
the home side by 16 points to nil. No-one in the crowd could
remember the last time Boroughmuir were held to no score in
a competitive game but it is rare that a defence can play as
well as Melrose did today.
In
the first period Melrose dominated territory through the
educated left boot of Scott Wight. The tall Greenyards
stand-off was superb in his choice of options and his
tactical kicking was inch perfect. In the second period it
was their defence which dominated. Time and again
Boroughmuir hammered at the home line but somehow the
Melrose defence always managed to hold firm and ended up
with a shut-out against the League champions.
Melrose opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Wight
slotted a straight forward penalty when 'Muir were caught
offside just outside the 22. As 'Muir looked to make amends
for their early mistakes captain Rory Couper rose high to
take a high ball and when the referee stopped the ensuing
ruck Couper was led from the field in pain with an horriifc
injusry to the left side of his face. James White came onto
the wing and Fergus Pringle took over the captaincy.
There was no doubt that 'Muir were in for a hard day's work
and when they made the breaks for which they are noted the
final pass could not quite be found. Angus Martyn and
Charlie Keenan engineered a gap up the right but as the
flying winger sought his scrum half inside him the ball was
knocked on and Melrose had the chance to clear.
Just
after the quarter hour Wight added a second penalty when Cam
Ward infringed at the breakdown and Melrose started to exude
the confidence that 'Muir have shown all season. Wight
continued to pepper the Boroughmuir back three with well
aimed kicks which caused trouble in the defence and kept the
visitors on the back foot.
Clapperton, looking lively in the centre, found a gap in the
Melrose defence and breaking in to the 22 he drew the
penalty when he was stopped. Unfortunately the normally
reliable boot of Elgan O'Donnell was not on form today and
the kick was drawn across the front of the posts.
Melrose punished the miss almost immediately as Scott Wight
again kicked down field. As the ball sailed over Charlie
Keenan's head the winger was beaten to the ball by Jordan
Macey and the full-back managed to keep the ball in field
and hack on. Winger David Whiteford was quickest to react
and despite Keenan's efforts to get back he dived over the
line as the tackle came in and touched down for the try.
Wight, who could not put a foot wrong, added the conversion
from the touchline to give the hosts a thirteen point lead
before the half hour was up. The stand-off completed the
day's scoring on 30 minutes with a drop-goal as the 'Rose
forwards worked the ball infield from a line-out drive.
Some
desperate defence from Boroughmuir, including some fine
tackling from Greg Cottrell, held Melrose out until the
break but it was obvious that a huge effort would be needed
in the second half if the scoreboard was to look better.
'Muir put in that effort and threw everything they have at
Melrose as they strived for the breakthrough. The first 10
minutes of the half were spent inside the home 22 and time
after time 'Muir came desperately close to crossing the
line. Indeed James White did so but was held up in his
attempt to ground the ball and despite a series of 5 metre
scrums 'Muir were unable to score.
O'Donnell was the next to try his luck and when he was
stopped short of the line his forward colleagues drove him
across the whitewash but he also was unable to ground the
ball. As time ticked away and the pressure increased 'Muir
got another penalty chance but again O'Donnell was wide with
the kick.
'Muir refused to accept defeat and kept the pressure on the
home defence. With seven minutes remaining Angus Martyn
finally grounded the ball over the Melrose line but he was
called back as the final pass from Ben Fisher was adjudged
to be forward.
Everything 'Muir tried foundered on the rock of the Melrose
defence and when the final whistle went the players had left
nothing behind in the effort the had given. Sometimes things
just don't quite go right and this was such a time for
'Muir. A day like this could be absorbed in a league season
and but the Cup is a different matter. There are no second
chances and Boroughmuir will not grace the National stadium
this year. Playing like this, Melrose probably will.
Boroughmuir: Stephen Ruddick;
Charlie Keenan, Malcolm Clapperton, Elgan O'Donnell, Rory Couper;
Greg Cottrell, Calum Cusiter; Freddie Lait, Sean Crombie,
Cam Ward; Fergus Pringle, Graeme McCallum; Olly Brown,
Ben Fisher,
Angus Martyn. Subs Used Conor Costigan, Euan Matheson, James
White |
