Saturday 10th October 2009

Boroughmuir 34 v 40 Edinburgh Academicals

Reporter: Simon Furnivall

Boroughmuir crashed to their third defeat in four games this afternoon, a poor performance adding to the disappointment of losing to their city rivals. It was always going to be an uphill struggle after some desperately poor tackling allowed Accies to storm into a twenty-one point lead within the first half hour, and despite pulling the gap down to just three points with less than quarter of an hour left, ’Muir’s tackling demons struck once more, allowing full back Stuart Moffat to run in the clinching score.

The hosts began the game on the front foot, looking every bit like they had erased the memories from last week’s defeat against Currie, a third minute penalty from Elgan O’Donnell was no less than they deserved. Unfortunately, those points seemed to spark Accies into life and it was they who were looking far more threatening with ball in hand, winger Alex Blair often coming in to a more familiar midifeld role and causing endless problems.

Fly-half Ruairidh Bonner missed a chance to pull the visitors level, pushing his penalty wide of the posts, but it didn’t take long for the Raeburn Place side to get themselves on the scoresheet, Bonner and Blair getting the ball out to left winger Chris Dickie who bounced off two weak tackles as he cut inside and touched down under the posts. Bonner added the conversion.

As well as the missed tackles which were quickly stacking up, ’Muir were shooting themselves in the foot by turning the ball over whenever they got good field position, perhaps none more frustrating than when, after a good lineout had been driven deep into the Accies twenty-two, Shaun McMurchy was penalised for not releasing the ball on the ground.

Whenever the visitors had the ball in hand, there was the feeling that something would happen, and they quickly got themselves back up the pitch and camped on the Boroughmuir line. Captain Dan Teague went close with a drive before former ’Muir lock Nathan Pike was held up over the line. Barely had that chance been missed, however, than Pike’s second row partner, Greg Campbell took a pass from Ross Samson and crashed over Lynton Brinck’s tackle for the score.

Not much more of the game had been played before Accies bagged try number three, Campbell taking clean lineout ball on halfway and breaks by Teague, Dickie and Stevie Wilson took them to within inches of the Boroughmuir line. Ramin Mathieson picked up and drove for the line, stopped by O’Donnell, but the former Boroughmuir prop handed the ball off to Campbell who crashed over for his second score. Alex Blair took over the kicking duties and duly landed the extra two points.

Despite the scoreline, Boroughmuir were still often getting themselves in good field position, and eventually it was Accies rather than themselves who transgressed, twice giving O’Donnell the chance to cut the gap, but both his penalty attempts were dragged left of the posts and the gap remained at sixteen points.

’Muir were beginning to play a bit better, however, and they again worked good field position just before the half hour. First Rob Cairns, then Brinck and Neale Patrick drove the ball into the Accies twenty-two, and after the latter had been brought to ground, Ramin Mathieson took exception to Andrew Easson’s actions, landing a punch on the ’Muir centre which referee Ted Coutts could not ignore, showing the prop a yellow card.

Boroughmuir kicked the penalty to touch and won the lineout, the forwards attacking the Accies line with all they could muster. When the ball came into midfield, Nathan Pike was penalised for dropping a maul in front of his own posts. Brinck took a quick tap penalty but was stopped by a crunching tackle from Dan Teague, though questions were asked over whether the Accies captain had retreated to the line before coming into play. That, however, should not take away from the class of the try that Accies scored on the break, started when Greg Cottrell passed into Stuart Moffat’s hands. The veteran full back didn’t have the legs to go himself, but he was ably supported, and via the hands of Bonner, Dickie and Samson, the ball was worked out to Blair who crossed for the score, though he missed the conversion.

The game now seemed beyond the grasp of the home side, but they still had the numerical advantage, and they were intent on making it pay. They soon got themselves back deep in the Accies twenty-two, knowing that just a single try could give them a glimmer of hope for the second half. They almost got it when, from cleanly won scrum ball fifteen metres out, Easson took Stuart McGee’s pass and burst for the line, the powerful centre brought down just short by a combination of Tom Drennan and Ross Samson. The ball came back on Boroughmuir’s side and Neale Patrick tried to squeeze his way round the side of the ruck, but when that failed, Ed Mills whipped a pass out to Cottrell, who in turn fed Malcolm Clapperton, the centre cutting inside Wilson and stretching a youthful arm out to touch the ball down over the line. O’Donnell added the conversion.

Blair put three more points on the board for Accies in the fortieth minute when Easson was caught offside in his eagerness to tackle Teague and the youngest of the three Blair brothers sent the simple penalty through the posts. However, it was ’Muir who finished the half on the front foot, grabbing their second try when Mills made a superb break, taking a lovely offload from Clapperton and cutting inside, creating space down the wing for O’Donnell, who beat Blair to the line. The Kiwi full back then dusted himself down and landed the conversion from the right touchline.

That they were only ten points down seemed slightly odd given how poorly Boroughmuir had played at times during the half, but they came out in the second period intent on making their hard work of getting back into the match count, and they cut the gap to seven points just three minutes in when O’Donnell landed his second penalty. Five minutes later Blair retaliated with three points of his own, landing a penalty after Rob Cairns had been penalised for pulling back substitute fly-half Jack Prasad. The winger took an elbow to the face for his troubles and needed four stitches in a cut above his eye before he could return to the field.

There then came a period of fifteen minutes when ’Muir were forced into changes seemingly left, right and centre. With Graeme Blackhall replacing Cairns, Neale Patrick returned to the field in place of Fergus Pringle, the young lock having gone off late in the first half. It wasn’t long before Pringle was back on, however, as Andrew Easson, who had started the second half in mightily impressive form with some bullocking runs, was carried off with an ankle injury, forcing flanker Cammy Orr to fill in on the wing. Elgan O’Donnell then limped off with a hamstring injury, replaced by the patched up Cairns, before the full back was needed back on the pitch to replace Pringle.

During that time ’Muir had somehow been largely on the front foot, led in the forwards by a mighty performance from Freddie Lait. At scrum time in particular the Boroughmuir prop was asking all sorts of questions of his opposite number, Mathieson, and the former Edinburgh player simply had no answer for him, eventually shifting over to the loosehead side of the pack.

With thirteen minutes remaining ’Muir announced that they were right back in contention, cutting the gap to just three points when Ed Mills crossed for his second try of the season. The Munsterman is often a threat when breaking from deep, but this time it was a simple move that saw him score, an excellent long pass from Blackhall finding O’Donnell and the limping Kiwi popping an inside pass to Mills, who attacked the line at pace and cut through to score. O’Donnell again added the conversion before again limping off, replaced by Pringle.

Blair pulled the gap back out to six points with another penalty, but it was with just three minutes of normal time to go that they finally sealed victory. Having won the ball just inside Boroughmuir’s half, David Duffus got a pass out to Jack Prasad, the Fijian flicking an inside pass to Moffat, the full back streaking past Pringle’s attempted tackle and just making it over the line despite Mills trying to cover across from his wing. Blair added the extras.

That had seemingly robbed ’Muir of even a losing bonus point, but they had other ideas. Knowing that one more try would birng them a potentially crucial two points, they attacked the Accies line with everything they had. When Iain Berthinussen broke the shackles and raced upfield, it looked like that effort would be in vain, but always beware a Boroughmuir side attacking from deep.

From a scrum in their own twenty-two, Blackhall spun a pass out to Mills, who arced his run outside Stevie Wilson. He was almost at the Accies twenty-two before he needed to pass, and though his effort bounced off the floor, it was quickly gathered and McMurchy attacked down the left wing. ’Muir kept on attacking and attacking, Accies desperation in defence seeing Berthinussen sent to the sin bin, and finally the hosts crossed the line, Mills coming into midfield and passing to Mike Stalley, who shovelled the ball out to Cairns, the winger stepping in off his left foot and diving over the line. Blackhall lined up the conversion and sent it through the posts, clinching ’Muir’s second bonus point.

When all said and done, however, you simply cannot miss as many tackles as Boroughmuir did today and expect to win matches in this division. There can, as always, be excuses made over injuries and decisions not going your way – though credit to Freddie Lait and coach Phil Smith who spoke after the game as neither were interested in using them – but Boroughmuir’s biggest enemy in their three recent defeats has been themselves. There is plenty to be worked on and improved before next week’s trip to Old Anniesland to play a Glasgow Hawks side who sit just three places and two points above Boroughmuir in the SHE Premier One table.

Boroughmuir : Elgan O'Donnell: Ed Mills, Malcolm Clapperton (c), Andrew Easson, Rob Cairns: Greg Cottrell, Stuart McGee: Freddie Lait Shaun McMurchy Bronson Ross: Greig Scott, Neale Patrick: Lynton Brinck, Joni Hare, Cammy Orr. Subs Used: Mike Stalley, Fergus Pringle, Graeme Blackhall - Not Used: Nick Fraser, Dave O'Gorman

Match Photos