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The two
halves of this game could hardly have been more different,
and it was with a great sigh of relief that Boroughmuir
greeted the full time whistle. Having dominated the first
forty minutes with some wonderfully incisive back play, the
home side reached the break with a 15-9 lead and the wind at
their backs for the second half. However, some injudicious
tactics and ill discipline gave Melrose a platform to work
with, and the power that the Borders side possess came
mightily close to turning the result on its head.
’Muir
signalled their intent to play a running game into the wind
early on, but it was Melrose who had the first opportunity
to score, Scott Ruthven pushing a long penalty attempt wide
of the posts in the fifth minute.
A
twenty-two drop-out was awarded, and ’Muir used it to their
advantage. Angus Martyn took it quickly and when the ball
was recycled, a brave decision to run saw Elgan O’Donnell
scythe through the Melrose midfield before he found Rory
Couper on his left and the club captain raced away for the
opening try. O’Donnell added the conversion from in front of
the posts.
Boroughmuir’s midfield was running the game and creating
openings almost at will, but on three occasions as they
burst into the ’Rose twenty-two they threw forward passes to
deny themselves scores. Ruthven and O’Donnell traded
penalties for a score of 10-3 with twenty minutes gone, but
’Muir’s indiscipline then began to cost them as two
penalties in the next five minutes saw Ruthven reduce the
gap to a single point.
Those kicks
weren’t going to stop ’Muir attacking though, and Stephen
Ruddick – playing at full back - launched a counter from
inside his own twenty-two that would end with Angus Martyn
touching down in the corner. When the move reached the
Melrose five metre line, a penalty was awarded to the home
side for hands in the ruck; ’Muir took the scrum and after
Ben Fisher and Cam Ward had been held short, Martyn stole in
from two yards to claim the try. O’Donnell’s conversion
attempt missed to the right of the posts, but Boroughmuir
had restored most of their lead.
Going into
the second half, the visitors had been reduced, temporarily,
to fourteen men after Graeme Dodds was yellow-carded by
referee Peter Allan for a stamp on a Boroughmuir player at
the breakdown. ’Muir were eager to take advantage, and after
camping themselves on the Melrose line at the start of the
half, they did just that. Couper notched his second try with
an immense show of upper body strength to barge his way over
the line. O’Donnell’s conversion from out wide again missed
the posts.
Couper
could – perhaps should – have rounded off a hat-trick and
killed the game when, just minutes after his second, he got
first to a loose ball, hacked it upfield but as he came upon
the Melrose twenty-two, he stooped to pick the ball up only
to knock it on with the try-line begging. Soon after the
lead was extended, O’Donnell landing his second penalty of
the match after the visitors had been caught offside in
defence.
With the
wind behind them Boroughmuir were kicking upfield far more
than they had in the first half, but it was a tactic that
should have been used more sparingly. Given the ease with
which they had torn the Melrose midfield to shreds in the
first half, a case certainly could have been made for
keeping ball in hand more often, and had they done so who
knows what the score could have been.
From their
position of control, however, they were brought crashing
down when Fergus Pringle, making his competitive debut for
the club, was sent for a ten minute cool-down after Mr Allan
judged that he had knocked Ross Miller out of the air at the
lineout. Melrose’s tactics were obvious now, kick to touch
and rumble through the forwards, and a man light in the
pack, ’Muir could only delay the inevitable.
Delay it
they did though, and by the time Dodds had touched down in
the right corner, nine minutes of Pringle’s break had passed
by. Scott Wight, on for Ruthven at fly-half and controlling
Melrose’s attacks, missed the conversion to the right,
leaving his side still in need of two scores to take the
lead.
Within
minutes of Pringle returning to the field, Boroughmuir were
back down to fourteen when Martyn, who had been warned by Mr
Allan in the first half, failed to retire ten metres as
Melrose took a quick tap penalty and left the official with
no option but to show him the yellow card.
From the
penalty awarded, Wight kicked to touch and Melrose worked
the ball left and a pass by Wight found Charlie Robson in
space on the wing and the substitute dived over the line for
the score. Wight missed the conversion with his side still
four points shy, but they certainly had the momentum and
looked the more likely winners.
’Muir
managed to withstand much of the pressure that came in the
following minutes, and eventually worked their way back up
the pitch and into the Melrose twenty-two. There they stayed
until deep into injury time when the visitors got possession
of the ball and launched a final attempt at the Boroughmuir
line. They got to the Boroughmuir twenty-two with some
excellent handling, but Scott McCormick’s grubber kick
bounced into touch and the final whistle sounded.
The fact
that there were three yellow cards was more a sign of the
tension involved rather than being indicative of a
particularly dirty game, but there was clearly a lot of
passion involved. Getting off to a winning start was vital
for Boroughmuir, and to scrap out a win under such duress as
they were in the second half makes it even more satisfying.
A bonus point may have gone astray, but at least the side
can travel to Old Anniesland next week with confidence.
Boroughmuir: Stephen Ruddick;
Tom Bury, Malcolm Clapperton, Elgan O'Donnell, Rory Couper;
Matt Cannon, Calum Cusiter; Nigel Drapper, Sean Crombie, Cam
Ward; Freddie Lait, Fergus Pringle; Olly Brown, Ben Fisher,
Angus Martyn. Subs Used Andy Hadden, Davie Cunningham. Subs
Not Used: Andy Stewart, Chris Hill, Greg Cottrell |
