|
For
the second time this season Boroughmuir scored late in the
game to steal a win from under the noses of Edinburgh
Academicals. Whilst it was Elgan O’Donnell’s late penalty at
Raeburn Place, it was today a Ben Fisher try in injury time
at Meggetland which ensured the victory stayed with the home
side.
Though they may have had a case for deserving the win at
Raeburn Place, had Accies walked away from Meggetland
victorious it would have been largely down to Boroughmuir’s
inability to kill the game off when they had it by the
throat halfway through the second half.
’Muir welcomed Matt Cannon back to the starting line-up
after he had missed the cup defeat to Melrose but fielded a
new-look back three – James White and Rob Cairns on the
wings with Greg Cottrell at full back – in place of the more
familiar names. It seemed certain that Cannon would have his
work cut out for him as he faced Edinburgh professional
David Blair in the Accies’ fly-half role. ’Muir’s Englishman
rose well to the challenge and looked lively in the early
stages before being forced off with a shoulder injury that
necessitated a reshuffle in the back line.
The
visitors had begun the game well, Blair settling quickly
back into the side having played for Iain Barnes’ team in
the first few weeks of the season. Their intent was clear,
using their talented pack to attack round the fringes but
Boroughmuir’s defence held strong against them and their was
little threat of a try in the opening stages. Indeed, it was
Boroughmuir who took the lead in the tenth minute, a break
up the middle of the park brought to an end when referee Ted
Coutts whistled for a penalty against Accies which O’Donnell
stroked between the posts.
Accies were clearly up for the game, as one would expect
from a side who’s Premier One survival is still very much
under threat. On the quarter hour they were awarded a
penalty when David Cunningham was caught offside at a
breakdown and Blair levelled the scores with a clean strike
between the sticks.
Blair was using the wind well, booming kicks downfield to
put his forwards in the position they wanted to be, but no
matter what their eight threw at ’Muir’s, they couldn’t find
a way through. They sensed an opportunity, however, when
Boroughmuir suffered a double injury blow within just a few
minutes. First Cannon had to leave the field with his
shoulder causing obvious discomfort, scrum half Stuart McGee
replacing him on the field whilst Cottrell moved up from
full back to take over the fly-half role. Just moments
later, captain Fergus Pringle was helped off after he took a
blow in a tackle, replaced by Euan Matheson.
Blair showed his nouse to test new full back James White
early on, and Accies were firmly on the front foot, laying
siege to the Boroughmuir line. For nigh on the rest of the
half they camped themselves deep in the home side’s
twenty-two. Time after time they attacked round the fringes
only to find a wall of green and blue defence, props Freddie
Lait and Cam Ward as well as flankers Angus Martyn and Olly
Brown very much to the fore in the effort. The visitor’s
were left cursing Matt Coupar’s butter-fingers, however, as
when they finally worked an overlap on the right the former
Watsonians wing failed to take a seemingly simple pass with
the try-line at his mercy.
Making the most of their reprieve, ’Muir quickly worked
their way upfield and O’Donnell landed his second penalty of
the game from just left of the posts. The scores were tied
at the break though, Accies quickly won the ball from the
restart and Blair dropped back in the pocket to slot a drop
goal from thirty metres with the last kick of the half.
Boroughmuir had some regrouping to do at the interval and
whatever was said looked to have worked a treat as early
breaks by James White up the left wing and Cam Ward up the
right showed more threat than in the majority of the first
half put together. With four minutes on the clock in the
second half the visitors were caught with their hands in the
ruck and O’Donnell had a chance to put his die ahead for the
third time but dragged his penalty effort across the face of
the posts.
The
hosts’ pack was also beginning to get the better of their
Accies counterparts as was shown by Cunningham – playing his
last game at Meggetland before retiring at the end of the
season – made his trademark strike against the head at the
scrum, the second time he had done so in the match.
With
thirteen minutes of the half gone Boroughmuir struck what
should have been the decisive blow in the match, and it was
thanks again to their pack. Accies won a penalty in the
’Muir twenty-two, but after Blair had kicked for touch and
Nathan Pike had won the lineout, Lait appeared with a
crucial turnover and the lines were cleared.
Accies now had a lineout on halfway, but it was turned over
by ’Muir. Cunningham broke with the energy of a twenty
year-old but just in time he remembered he’s considerably
older than that and found Matheson in support. There didn’t
seem much of anywhere for Matheson to go but with pace and
strength of which any winger would have been proud, he
shrugged off three defenders and powered his way up the
touchline to score. O’Donnell added a wonderful conversion.
The
game was now firmly in their hands and Boroughmuir should
have gone on to pull themselves well clear and canter
towards victory. Had they kept hold of the ball and worked
the phases they may have done just that, but all too often
they tried to rush a pass out of contact or kicked
possession away cheaply.
After hanging on for the best part of twenty minutes, Accies
seemed to realise that they were only one score behind and
redoubled their efforts. Another attempt at a forward drive
was repelled without too much trouble, but with just
thirteen minutes remaining Blair cut the gap to four points
with his third successful penalty of the match.
There was a confidence beginning to seep through the
visitors, and inside the final ten minutes they scored what
they hoped was the crucial try. Blair made a break in the
middle of the park and found Coupar on his shoulder. The
winger stormed onto the ball, but as he was hauled down by
Cottrell just inside the Boroughmuir half, managed to slip a
pass to Iain Berthinussen. The centre still had work to do,
but he slipped outside White and beat Cairns in a footrace
to score in the corner. Blair’s conversion attempt skidded
across the face of the posts and Accies lead remained at a
single point.
Accies’ game plan now came to the fore as their forwards
tried to tick the clock down with an endless run of
pick-and-go attempts around the fringes of the rucks. The
chance to wrest the win their way almost fell to ’Muir with
three minutes remaining when a charge down by Calum Cusiter
saw the scrum half scamper down the left wing in pursuit of
the ball. He hacked it forward towards the line but was just
beaten to the touchdown by Berthinussen.
’Muir now had the bit between their teeth though and with
their hands on the ball they worked a series of attacks.
McGee and Martyn linked up well down the right flank but
found their path blocked. They kept hold of the ball,
however, and when it came to O’Donnell inside the Accies’
twenty-two, the Kiwi centre looped a long pass out to Fisher
who had a clear run to the line for the winning score. The
eighty minutes were up as O’Donnell’s conversion attempt
drifted left, but with plenty of injury time to come there
was still hope for the visitors.
Despite having much of the ball as they tried to work an
opening – and looking dangerous as they flung the ball
around the park – nothing worked for them and after
replacement prop Conor Costigan had put in a wonderful
driving tackle on the right flank and Cusiter had snaffled
the turnover, Cottrell kicked to touch and brought the
curtain down on an entertaining game.
Whilst hardly the most crucial win in Boroughmuir’s league
winning season, it was a welcome response to last week’s cup
exit at the Greenyards. It was also a fitting way for David
Cunningham and Graeme McCallum, two stalwarts of the club
for well over a decade to see out their final game at
Meggetland. Both will be missed on the field next season and
hopefully they can come away from their last game at Melrose
next week with another good win.
Boroughmuir: Greg Cottrell;
James White, Malcolm Clapperton, Elgan O'Donnell, Rob Cairns;
Matt Cannon, Calum Cusiter; Freddie Lait, Davie Cunningham,
Cam Ward; Fergus Pringle, Graeme McCallum; Olly Brown, Euan
Matheson,
Angus Martyn. Subs Used Conor Costigan, Euan Matheson.
Joni Hare, Stuart McGee |
