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For many of the Boroughmuir players who took to the field
today, there was more than five league points on the line.
On more than a few occasions in the build up to the match,
the spectre of last season’s seventy-point defeat at Malleny
Park has been mentioned, and to say that revenge wasn’t on
their minds would have been disingenuous. Even the most
optimistic person, however, would not have imagined a
six-try-to-one thumping.
There was less intrusion from the weather than is usual at
Malleny, the pitch as firm as it is ever going to be at
Currie’s home, and ’Muir got off to the perfect start,
crossing the line inside the first minute. Currie tried to
confound expectations by running the ball from the kick-off,
but when Malcolm Clapperton pressured returning stand-off
Ally Warnock, the Edinburgh professional spilled the ball,
Tom Bury picked up and put Clapperton over for the score.
Elgan O’Donnell converted from the touchline.
Currie replied almost immediately with a penalty from
Warnock after ’Muir hands were caught in the ruck, and it
looked like there was going to be a fierce battle ensuing.
O’Donnell missed an attempt at the posts from forty metres,
but their intent was always to run the hosts off the park.
Just short of the tenth minute, Clapperton made a searing
break through the Currie defence and the only reason his
pass did not make it to captain Rory Couper for the try was
the penalised intervention of Geoff Caldwell, deliberately
slapping the ball into touch.
Boroughmuir were seeing more of the ball and looked far more
dangerous with it, but it was once again their lethal strike
ability from turnover ball that brought their second try.
After Sean Crombie had put in two bruising tackles, Angus
Martyn ripped the ball from Andy Adam. Matt Cannon and
Clapperton moved the ball wide and Bury cut a perfect angle
inside his centre, leaving Andy McMahon sprawling on the
ground, and crossed for the try. O’Donnell again added the
extra two for an eleven point lead.
The vital Currie axis of number eight Ross Weston and half
backs Richard Snedden and Ally Warnock were being starved of
possession by a Boroughmuir pack which was performing as
well as it had all season. And when Snedden’s kick was
charged down by Martyn and Mark Cairns was caught handling
at the breakdown, O’Donnell took his personal tally to seven
by goaling the penalty kick.
The frustration of the day was beginning to tell on Warnock,
and when a penalty was awarded in the Boroughmuir half, his
attempt to find touch deep in the twenty-two was hooked
badly and ended up crossing the dead ball line. To make
matters worse for him, ’Muir came desperately close to
scoring from the resultant scrum. Ben Fisher broke from the
base and found Martyn in support. The flanker raced towards
the Currie twenty-two and tried to find Calum Cusiter in
support, but the scrum half just couldn’t hold onto the pass
and the chance passed by.
The third try wasn’t long in coming, however, and it was
Couper who bagged it in the twenty-ninth minute. Sean
Crombie had an excellent game throughout, an industrious
performer in ’Muir’s defensive effort, but in this moment he
showcased his attacking talents. Taking a pass from Cusiter,
he burst between Snedden and Andrew Reekie and when his run
was stopped by full back Johnny Smith, he slipped a pass to
the supporting Graeme McCallum. McCallum kept his composure
and fed Couper, who powered past Caldwell and touched down
in the corner. O’Donnell’s conversion attempt fell just
short of the posts.
With a nineteen point lead now in their pocket, ’Muir were
on the verge of being out of sight. As long as they could
hold the home side out until the break, they would have to
be overwhelming favourites to come away with the victory. In
the ten minutes after Couper’s try, Currie threw everything
they had at the Boroughmuir defence. Generally that
consisted of powerful forward drives and short balls to
Weston, Cairns or McMahon coming into the line at pace.
Twice they forced their way over the line, but on both
occasions there were Boroughmuir shirts between the ball and
the ground. Nothing the hosts could muster could force the
try.
Just to hold out would have been a fantastic boost to the
Boroughmuir side, but to rub salt into Currie’s wounds, they
romped the length of the pitch to claim a bonus point try.
After the ball had finally been won on their own line,
Stephen Ruddick’s atomic boot cleared upfield. Johnny Smith
claimed the kick, but was unable to decide what to do about
returning it, and when he eventually gave the pass to Andy
Hutt, Clapperton was lying in wait and pounced with the
tackle. The ball, unsurprisingly, came back on the ’Muir
side and once it was recycled on the right, Cannon broke
through the middle and sent Martyn in under the posts.
O’Donnell added the simple conversion as the half time
whistle sounded.
Whilst none would have admitted it at the time, the game was
done and dusted as the players lined up for the second half.
Currie inevitably upped their game, no doubt harsh words
were said in an effort to at least restore some pride to the
scoreline, but that necessitated them finding their way
through the resilient ’Muir defence.
Much of the second half was spent on the back foot for
Boroughmuir, but after they had repelled Currie’s initial
attacks, they showed again how lethal they can be, breaking
up the field for try number five. Cusiter sent a box kick
deep into the Currie twenty-two, Hutt let the ball bounce
and Martyn reacted quickest, flicking the ball inside for
Crombie who crashed over the line for the score.
Currie finally managed the try they craved with twenty-five
minutes left. Pouncing on turnover ball, Warnock showed
evidence of the class he has, an inside ball for Andy
McMahon creating space for the centre to score. Warnock
added the conversion but still it gave them little hope of
overturning the deficit that faced them.
They continued to batter away, Weston to the fore of
everything they tried to do with the forward pack, but
Boroughmuir were their equals in defence, bodies being
thrown on the line to keep the hosts out time and again.
Time was ticking down and the game looked over, but there
was just enough time for one more ’Muir try.
A few years ago Rory Couper intercepted a ball on his own
line as Currie searched for a clinching try and went the
length of the pitch to win the game for ’Muir. Today the
score was less important to the result, and he only had
eighty metres to run, but it was a dagger into the heart of
a Currie side which had thrown everything they possess at
’Muir. O’Donnell pushed the conversion wide, but the final
whistle sounded soon afterwards to cement the smiles on
Boroughmuir faces.
If it is true that attacks win matches but defences win
titles, then Boroughmuir must have a wonderful chance of
claiming the Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership Division
One title. Their attacking prowess has never been in
question and has caused many problems for opposition
throughout the season. Today, however, it was the defence in
the face of a bludgeoning Currie pack that impressed most.
Time after time they held the hosts out when perhaps last
season they would have found a way through. There are still
twelve games remaining, but with a thirteen point lead,
their destiny is now surely in Boroughmuir’s own hands.
Boroughmuir: Stephen Ruddick;
Tom Bury, Malcolm Clapperton, Elgan O'Donnell, Rory Couper;
Matt Cannon, Calum Cusiter; Freddie Lait, Sean Crombie,
Cam Ward; Stuart Waddell, Graeme McCallum; Olly Brown, Ben Fisher,
Angus Martyn. Subs Used Conor Costigan, Davie
Cunningham, Euan Matheson, Greg Cottrell, Andy Hadden |
