|
Six
tries, three yellow cards, forty-seven points and a league
championship. Are you not entertained? Boroughmuir clinched
the Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership Division One title
in style at Millbrae in a game that, to use a cliché, was a
great advert for the state of the Scottish game.
With
Ayr captain Scott Lines playing his last game at Millbrae
before returning with his family to life in New Zealand,
having spent five years on the west coast, both sides had
special cause to fight for the victory and that was evident
from early on. Having been robbed of the chance by the
weather last week, ’Muir were determined to wrap up the
title at the first opportunity they had, and it was they who
were the slightly quicker out of the blocks.
Charlie Keenan had the first chance to break the line after
just three minutes when he was put into space down the
right, but as the try line got closer, so did the covering
Ayr defence and Keenan was bundled into touch ten metres shy
of a score. That opening score was soon to arrive, pressure
on Ayr fly-half Kenny Diffenthal meant that his clearing
kick from the lineout failed to reach the distance he would
like and ’Muir had a good attacking platform.
Graeme McCallum rose highest to claim Sean Crombie’s
accurate throw-in, and with Angus Martyn acting as the link,
Euan Matheson came on the crash ball at pace and Ayr
couldn’t stop him pounding his way over for the score. Elgan
O’Donnell ensured that the extra two points were added and a
few nerves amongst the travelling ’Muir support were calmed.
That
gap was quickly cut down when Cam Ward was penalised for
dropping a scrum just inside the Boroughmuir half and
Diffenthal hammered over the kick to get his side on the
scoreboard.
When, just moments later, Rory Couper was pulled back after
chipping towards the Ayr line, ’Muir were awarded a penalty.
O’Donnell pushed it to touch and there seemed but one
option. Fergus Pringle claimed the lineout, the Boroughmuir
pack heaved its way towards the line and Ayr tried
desperately to repel the attack, but ’Muir’s power proved
too much and Cam Ward stretched out a hand to dot the ball
down over the line. O’Donnell again added the conversion and
a chink of daylight appeared between the two sides.
Ayr
almost replied with a try when, after Pringle had stolen
their lineout in the ’Muir twenty-two, the ball bounced
loose and Glen Tippet fed Cammy Taylor who was bundled into
touch by opposite number Calum Cusiter. The game was then
stopped for several minutes whilst Diffenthal received
treatment and the fly-half’s game ended with the sad sight
of him being stretchered from the field.
The
hosts did their best not to let the ensuing positional
switches affect them, and indeed with Boris Fournials and
Richard McCallum now linking up at numbers ten and twelve
Ayr were providing more of a running threat to the
Boroughmuir defence. They hammered away in attack in search
of a try, but as so often this season ’Muir held strong and
Ayr had to settle for only a Fournials penalty. By the time
the whistle sounded for half time, they were also a man down
after hooker Pat McArthur was sent to the sin bin by Ted
Coutts for a high tackle on Couper as the Boroughmuir
captain stretched his legs down the left wing.
Ayr
began the second half very much on the front foot, and as
McArthur returned to the field, ’Muir suffered their own
numerical worries with Fergus Pringle sent to cool down
after being caught entering a ruck from in front of the back
foot. The home side took advantage of their extra man, and a
move worked between Fournials and McCallum saw Tippett crash
over the line. Founials’ missed conversion kept Boroughmuir
three points in the lead.
In
the common parlance, Ayr now had their ‘dander up’ and with
a vociferous home support behind them, they threw everything
they had at the Boroughmuir defence. That defence does not
cave easily, however, the organisation and commitment
absolutely superb in keeping the hosts at bay for long
enough to re-establish a points cushion.
That
cushion came thanks to their third try of the match, scored
by scrum half Cusiter. After breaking upfield, Couper and
Crombie surged into the Ayr twenty-two. With the Ayr defence
scrambling to cover, Cusiter darted down the blindside and
threw a dummy that everyone bought before coasting over the
line. O’Donnell added the conversion and the gap was a
healthy ten points.
Ayr
were right back on the attack from the kick-off, however, as
they used the frightening running power of lock Damien Kelly
and the clever angles being run by McCallum to set up the
opportunities. They only managed to capitalise on one when
’Muir were again reduced to fourteen men, this time Matheson
seeing yellow for his infringement. In the immediate
aftermath of the sin-binning, McCallum slotted a penalty to
put Ayr within a score but they soon went over the line
thanks to flanker Scott Forrest. McCallum missed the
conversion to leave ’Muir two points in front, but nerves
had now hit an all-time high.
In
the end we shouldn’t have worried. This Boroughmuir side has
shown its championship class throughout the season and, when
it mattered most, they dug deep again and found a fourth try
to all but put their hands on the trophy. After O’Donnell
had broken down the right wing, ’Muir won the lineout and
Matt Cannon’s long pass found Malcolm Clapperton in
midfield. Angus Martyn burst onto the ball at speed but as
he was hauled down by the Ayr defence, flicked out a pass to
Clapperton on the loop and the centre went over for the
score. O’Donnell again converted.
In
one final attempt to rescue the match, Ayr charged forward
and pounded on the Boroughmuir line, but they could not find
a third way through and when Couper hammered the ball into
the stands and Ted Coutts blew his whistle for full time, it
was the cue for joyous scenes amongst Boroughmuir players
and supporters alike.
If
this title win will be remembered by many neutral observers
for the stylish running rugby that Boroughmuir have played,
those who follow the team more closely will recognise that
it has been built on a rock solid defence. As they showed
today, it takes a lot to breach the Boroughmuir line, and
that more than anything is why Rory Couper was able to
collect the championship trophy. And whilst we will enjoy
every moment of this success, there is also a feeling that
now efforts can be concentrated on the Cup in the hope that
we can make it a doubly good year at Meggetland.
Boroughmuir: Greg Cottrell;
Charlie Keenan, Malcolm Clapperton, Elgan O'Donnell, Rory Couper;
Matt Cannon, Calum Cusiter; Freddie Lait, Sean Crombie,
Cam Ward; Fergus Pringle, Graeme McCallum; Euan Matheson, Ben Fisher,
Angus Martyn. Subs Used Conor Costigan, Davie
Cunningham, Stuart Waddell, James White, Andy Hadden |
