Boroughmuir 49 v 22 Heriot's

Talk about making life difficult for yourselves. With fifteen minutes of today’s encounter gone, Boroughmuir trailed their north Edinburgh rivals by fifteen points. After last week’s derby defeat to Watsonians, there was little festive cheer amongst the crowd. That was the cue for a stunning turnaround, however, as they ran in forty-four unanswered points to crush the life out of the Goldenacre side.

The match didn’t begin in the most auspicious circumstances as Elgan O’Donnell’s kick-off dropped short of the ten metre line. It got a little worse on four minutes when scrum half Graham Wilson landed a penalty from just inside the Boroughmuir half. ’Muir had plenty of territory and possession but continually coughed it up to their opponents.

It was a wonderful piece of skill that brought the visitors their first try. After working their way upfield, Jonathan Alston’s  perfectly weighted cross-field kick sailed over the head of Rory Couper and was touched down by prolific Heriot’s wing Marc Teague. Wilson’s conversion drifted across the face of the posts, but their lead was extended further just moments later.

Boroughmuir tried to attack from the kick off, but when Cammy Goodall tackled Tom Bury, the ball popped out into the hands of Alston. Alston broke up the wing and found Colin Goudie in support, the left winger racing in for the score. Wilson added the conversion from the touchline.

’Muir were now in need of simply calming themselves down and finding themselves a foothold in the match. However, when Calum Cusiter broke down the right from a scrum, his pass straight into touch was the sort of fifty-fifty ball that they could no longer afford to throw.

They got themselves on the board with twenty minutes of the match gone when Heriot’s were caught offside in front of their own posts and O’Donnell slotted the penalty attempt between the posts. Three minutes later they were in a position to do exactly the same again, but quick thinking from Cusiter saw him tap the penalty and race over the line, catching the Heriot’s defence sleeping. O’Donnell’s conversion closed the gap to just five points.

The momentum was clearly now with the home side and they were attacking Heriot’s at every opportunity. Rory Couper cut through their defence just before the half hour mark and had Teague scrambling to get back and cover. Heriot’s conceded a penalty at the resultant breakdown and O’Donnell punished them by sending his kick through the posts.

After the start that Boroughmuir had got off to, a half-time deficit of just two points would likely have been welcomed. But that clearly wasn’t in the hosts’ thinking as they strived for a lead. O’Donnell pulled a penalty attempt wide of the posts, but a second try arrived soon after. After piling the pressure on Heriot’s defence, Angus Martyn burst onto a pass from Matt Cannon. The flanker got hauled down just short of the line, but Ben Fisher was on hand to power over for the score. O’Donnell added the conversion, and when the half-time whistle sounded ’Muir had a five point lead.

The start of the second half was going to be crucial, an early score for ’Muir would potentially knock the stuffing right out of Heriot’s. They thought they had that score five minutes in. Cusiter broke clear and found Martyn in support. His pass to Couper went to ground before the winger picked up and dived over the line. The ball was judged to have gone forward, however, and the try was ruled out.

They kept the pressure on, however, and their third try was soon in coming. Fisher stole the ball from ex ’Muir prop Kenny Blyth and Cannon floated a long pass out to Malcolm Clapperton. The centre had Tom Bury outside him, but threw two dummies and stepped inside Goudie and Goldie to score. O’Donnell added the conversion and the lead was up to twelve points.

The screw was turned a little further when Wilson missed a long range penalty whilst O’Donnell landed a simpler effort just minutes later. The game was effectively wrapped up with twenty-five minutes left to play when Graeme McCallum bagged his fourth try of the season.

O’Donnell fielded a high ball just inside his own half and ran back with intent. He found McCallum in support on the twenty-two and the lock forward loped towards the line. Not being greedy, he tried to find the supporting run of Martyn, but Murray Strang tapped the pass down. Unfortunately for the former Glasgow Hawks fly-half, the ball bounced straight back to McCallum who dived over the line. O’Donnell continued his good form with the boot by landing the conversion.

The game was now well and truly ’Muir’s, and they found time for a further two scores, sandwiched either side of a second for Heriot’s Colin Goudie. After pushing the visitors of their own scrum ball and winning the resultant line-out, the ball came to Euan Matheson, on at flanker for Olly Brown, and he crashed over the line for the score, once again with O’Donnell adding the extra two points.

Heriot’s finally got their side of the scoreboard moving again when Goudie was the beneficiary of a wonderful piece of skill from full back Michael Goldie, taking a pass off his toes and flicking it up to the winger who went over unchallenged. Wilson’s conversion attempt was successful but the gap was way too big to be overcome.

The final word was had, however, by ’Muir’s own try machine, Angus Martyn. Coming into the match, the flanker had touched down sixteen times in fifteen appearances and after a searing break up the right wing by David Cunningham had seen him clear, he grabbed his seventeenth five-pointer, going over in the corner. The conversion – the final kick of the match – proved too much for O’Donnell, but it would be churlish to complain at finishing one point short of the fifty mark.

The character shown to come back from such a woeful start was, as coach Eamon John put it, “outstanding”. Heriot’s always provide a stiff challenge for Boroughmuir, such is their intent on playing the same style of running rugby, so notching up forty-four unanswered points is something to be proud of. It was a performance that married an impressive shift by the forwards with a cutting edge in the backs. In showed, in short, why Boroughmuir sit twenty-one points clear of the chasing pack this evening.

Boroughmuir: Stephen Ruddick; Tom Bury, Malcolm Clapperton, Elgan O'Donnell, Rory Couper; Matt Canon, Calum Cusiter; Conor Costigan, Sean Crombie, Cam Ward; Fergus Pringle, Graeme McCallum; Olly Brown, Ben Fisher, Angus Martyn. Subs Used Nigel Drapper, Davie Cunningham. Euan Matheson, Greg Cottrell, Andy Hadden