Perthshire’s Magnificent Seven take the Spoils Out West

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Seven tries in fast paced game see Perthshire gain their first win of the season.
Carrick 31 – 43 Perthshire
Smiles all round from the men in black & white at the full-time whistle. Coaches Clark & Coupar were relieved, as with injuries taking their toll already this season, Perthshire travelled to South Ayrshire without a full squad and there was some concern that last year’s calamity at Maybole could be repeated; but the wrongs were righted this time.
The pitch was soft with some puddles but otherwise conditions were near perfect for rugby. The opening minutes saw Perthshire penetrate deep into Carrick territory. Countless attacks were rebuffed and twice ‘Shire were held up over the line. The pressure eventually was too much and with about 10 minutes on the clock Jay Pettie squeezed over in the left corner for the opening unconverted try.
Perthshire were soon back in the Carrick 22 and had won a scrum. A neat pick off the back by No. 8 James Mair saw the ball passed through the hands to Scott Alcorn who used his paced to get round his man and neatly touchdown in the right corner. Again, the conversion was missed.
Moments later after fielding the restart Perthshire worked the ball left then spun it out quickly right; seeing acres of space fullback Jonny Armitt came into the line and sent up a howitzer of kick. With no opposition near, second row Ewan MacKessack-Leitch plucked the ball out of the air, drew the defence then passed to Scott Alcorn who looked to be sure for another try. Just caught by a cover tackle the offload to Jonny Armitt was spot on and he scored in the right corner for an unconverted try. Carrick 0-15 Perthshire.
Carrick had hardly touched the ball but now after some cheap penalties had possession in the ‘Shire 22. Numerous short phases were held out but finally the defence was outmanoeuvred and Carrick opened their account with a try under the posts which was duly converted.
The response was immediate, Carrick’s touchline clearance from the restart found Sammy Isac who ran and kept running up the left wing dodging and overcoming the scramble defence. Ultimately, he was caught 5m short gave the offload to the supporting Ewan MacKessack-Leitch but it went over his head and into the grateful hands of James Mair who ran in under the posts for the bonus point try. Jonny Armitt added the extras. Carrick 7-22 Perthshire.
Discipline again was a problem for Perthshire. The referee was calling them offside and penalising any remotely high tackle. The momentum swung towards Carrick and after failing to take an interception Sammy Isac was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes as he was adjudged to have deliberately knocked on. From the following lineout Carrick used their one-man advantage, pulled the defence in then crossed the whitewash in the right corner; which was converted.
Perthshire slowed the pace of the game and patiently worked up the pitch. The scrums & lineouts had been providing good quality ball all day allowing for quality attacking platforms. As half time beckoned Perthshire had a lineout 10m from the Carrick line. Ross Dougan found his man in the lineout who sent to scrum half Ryan Miller. The backs all offered an option, it was Mat Rae who received the ball, found space through the centre, stepped the fullback and dived for the final try of the half. Jonny Armitt knocked over the 2 points and it remained Carrick 14-29 Perthshire until halftime.
Head coach Alan Clark asked for more of the same in attack come the second half, but also warned the need to keep disciple and improve defensive line-speed.
Taking this to heart from the off Perthshire attacked. The ball was kicked deep to Jay Pettie who put on the after burners and seared 70m, untouchable, up the middle of the pitch; just hauled down short he popped from the deck to the supporting Adam Dearden who earnt Perthshire’s sixth try. Again Jonny Armitt converted.
The furious pace was showing as both teams tired. The referee again strictly enforcing the offside line awarded penalties to Carrick who punished Perthshire with a further 2 tries as the third quarter ended.
Debutant Adrian Venter came off the bench to add some pace & fresh legs. He didn’t disappoint with his fist act to win a turnover, then was a constant threat in attack & defence. An injury to Jay Pettie necessitated a reshuffle: flanker Shaun Barton went on to the wing and the forwards rotated with Blair Twaddell & Kieran McLean coming on while Ali Nisbett, who had put 110% into his shift, was substituted.
With the game slipping away from them, Carrick became more fraught. A disagreement with the referee saw a yellow card reducing the Ayrshire team to 14 for the final 10 minutes. It wasn’t long before Perthshire exploited their numerical advantage. Scott Alcorn sent a neat kick downfield, the retreating fullback missed the ball as he went to collect it allowing a charging Sammy Isac to dive on it, stand up, step forward and dive over for Perthshire’s final try of the match. Jonny Armitt fired the ball between the posts.
Alas, there was one more act to follow. A mistake handed the ball to Carrick who got into the Perthshire 22. A ruck penalty was awarded, both teams thought it was theirs. The referee awarded it to Carrick who took advantage of the confusion with a quick tap, all the Perthshire players were offside, and he managed to find the try line.
The final minutes played out with some sterling defence by the tired Perthshire boys, before a turnover allowed Ryan Miller to send the ball to touch and claim the win at the final whistle.
A large number of positives to take from the performance: seven tries, a solid set piece, debut of Adrian Venter, the returns of Ryan Miller & Ross Dougan, Man of the Match Sammy Isac tackled like a demon & had pace to burn, Jay Pettie looked at home in the centre, there was composure under pressure and patience & support in attack. Still work is needed on defensive line-speed and first up tackles; there will be harder and more punishing teams to come.
Next weekend Hillhead Jordanhill will travel to the North Inch. All supporters encouraged to come and cheer on the boys as they go for back-to-back wins. Kick-off 3pm.

Shire U13s vist Highland and Glenrothes

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Highland RFC

A clear, dry and cool day at Highland RFC was ideal for some great rugby.
Following last weekend when the team got drawn into a narrow battle this week’s plan was for a wide expansive game with quick ball through the hands.
A try in the first 20 seconds by Lloyd at number 11, converted by Max G, demonstrated that this strategy was likely to provide results.

Another quick try from Lloyd nearly followed but unfortunately a final pass that was forward denied Perthshire the score.

Highland came back with some great running from their Full Back, a lovely line to cut through Shire’s defence to score under the posts.
This was followed by another and Highland were ahead by a conversion.

Perthshire had lost their width and the game was slowing down. However a great improvement in rucking by Perthshire meant that Highland were not able to steal the ball and benefit. Perthshire’s defence held strong with many players contributing to the tackle count. Max G was exceptional with a high work rate and superb tackle technique.
A great hand-off and leg drive from Jack nearly got him over the line but he was stopped short by a determined Highland pack

A quick reminder at a water break of the strategy for the day and soon the ball was moving through the hands again.
Max G at Outside Centre, Fergus at Full Back and again Lloyd all making runs to get behind Highlands defence.

By half time Shire had 3 tries.

A quick try for Perthshire after the break and Highland’s heads started to go down.
Perthshire started to move comfortably clear. The forwards driving into Highland’s pack and then the ball going out to the backs for them to run into space.
Fergus and Max G both nicely drawing defenders before offloading to the wings.
Another two tries from Lloyd, both 60+ metre runs gave him a tally of 4

Man of the Match could have gone to a number of players. Lloyd’s 4 tries made him an obvious candidate.
But it was finally awarded to Max G. A brace of tries, along with his great defensive work and well timed offloads made him a worthy winner.
Perthshire look forward to hosting Ayr/Wellington in the final game in the first round of Shogun matches.

Not wanting to miss out on some game time the remainder of the squad headed down to Glenrothes for some time in the Lancer Conference. Unfortunately with low numbers Shire were not in a position to field a full team and with low numbers all round teams combined to give every player the opportunity to play competitive Rugby against and beside new players.

Shires Charlie A-H rose to the occasion by playing number 10 for Glenrothes and taking them to a win in the first game with Fin R providing support and constant pressure when defending forcing the opposition to think twice about their attack. Suilven and Ramsay worked together in the pack and proved a force to be reckoned with by leading the forwards to take control of their game and putting over a couple of tries in the process.

Nathan took a couple of minutes to settle into his new team but quickly found his feet with some great textbook tackles and more than often being the first in the ruck to secure the ball for the backs to move it into space.

Joshua H, although a forward, proved that with commitment you can play anywhere on the pitch and make a difference. Providing a foundation for attack with his one man rucks Josh also showed that with enough speed and determination you can break any line with a blistering 40m carry into an offload leading to a tremendous team try.

Shire Vs Biggar & Alloa

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Biggar

Perthshire started a little slow allowing Biggar to take the upper hand in the first few minutes of the game but they soon found their stride and started to compete on par with Biggar.

Both teams were playing good strong rugby, Perthshire forwards continuing to improve game on game, understanding their strength and power and using this to drive into the opposition pack.

During the pre-match team talk the coaches stressed the need to play simple rugby well, drawing in the defence and then moving the ball wide with the ball going through the hands. The team certainly delivered on this and soon the ball was steered wide to allow the backs to start scoring.

At times the support players were a little too far behind the ball carrier and Perthshire could still be stronger at the breakdown, but the team is certainly moving in the right direction.

Well played Max G (Man Of The Match) whose well angled runs got the team behind Biggar’s defence and resulted in several tries. Fergus and Harvey were also nominated for MOTM by Biggar’s coaches but it rightly went to Max.

Special mentions to

Cian. When the play looked like it was getting bogged down in the forwards Cian delivered a great pass missing out 2 players, getting the ball wide to out flank Biggar.

Jack. A great forward’s try to finish off Perthshire’s tally. Jack used the power he clearly has and a perfect handoff the break through Biggar’s forwards to get over the line.

Joshua is a fearless player and although not one of the largest players he tackles with the best of them.

Alloa

This 7 a side game was no less enthralling that the Shogun game. Played on a half size pitch it gave both teams a lot of opportunity to show their skills.

Tackling in this game from both sides was exceptional. Max (Man of the Match) carried out a tackling masterclass. Every tackle was textbook bringing the ball carrier down cleanly each time. Max was playing at number 9 and his work in this role also contributed to MOTM.

The game was played at a great pace with both teams moving the ball well from one side of the pitch to the other. With some great individual runs and sidesteps thrown into the mix.

As in the Shogun game Perthshire forwards continue to learn of their strength and used this well to drive into the opposition push them onto the back foot and getting the ball onto Perthshire side. Good rucking and then feeding the back kept the score ticking over.

Just as importantly both games were played in a great spirit by all players involved with great skills and sportsmanship on display.

The U13 team continues to grow both as individuals and as a team, with all pulling their weight and capable of competing with the new challenge of the Shogun Conference.

Knowing they needed to keep up the pressure and consistency throughout the game Shire have walked away with a plan to increase their fitness and pitch awareness in support of great displays of skills that will challenge any team in the league on their best day.

Hamilton & West of Scotland Sept 2019

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Hamilton

Perthshire U13’s travelled to face a strong test at the hands of Hamilton Bulls. With weather conditions perfect for a great match those in attendance were not disappointed.

The game started at a great pace with Perthshire playing at a high intensity. With some great action early on Perthshire implemented there game plan of intense strong rucking and expansive play off 10. After recycling the ball quickly Perthshire spread the ball wide to the left  going through the backs , with outside centre for the day Lloyd looping around the outside and breaking the line at half way , sprinting through and showing Hamilton a clean pair of heels to score Perthshire’s 1st of 3 try’s.

Perth went on to dominate the majority of the first half with what felt like every player getting hands on the ball and either making yards or playing the ball through the hands. (Point of note Perthshire’s scrum was dominant all game with stand out performances by pack leader Jamie and Captain for the day Ben ).

Hamilton lifted their game and put Perthshire under real pressure with Perth resisting time after time after time until eventually Hamilton got the ball wide for the first time to score. Perthshire ended the half in style by moving the ball first to the right then all the way back to the left and then back towards the right, keeping the ball alive with amazing running and offloading but for an impact induced knock on it would have resulted in a stellar try.

Perthshire coaches shuffled the squad at halftime bringing on multiple substitutes, and Perthshire picking the game straight away. Perthshire’s use of expansive play paid off again with another break away try this time by Finn who sprinted 40 meters to score under the posts.

The second half followed a similar pattern until the final ten minutes. After an extended period of successful defence Perthshire turned the ball over through great rucking by Nathan and Ben,  winning the ball back 5 metres from our try line.

Hamilton ran in two try’s in quick succession missing there conversions and Perthshire hold on for a tight win.

A very well contested match with a pleasing performance and deserved win. Perthshire journey back with a win feeling but knowing it could’ve been even better.

WoS

Perthshire hosted West of Scotland on Sunday which was always going to be a tough challenge that the boys took head on. Size and speed of both teams seemed to match each other in every respect so this was going to be down to who wanted it the most. The game was to be played over 3 x 20 minute periods, the first 2 going towards the Shogun Conference and the 3rd a development game.

Shire came out strong by sucking in WoS with fast feet, short passing, and strong rucking before shipping the ball out wide across the pitch to exploit the overlaps and finishing the 1st period with a narrow lead. Unlike previous games the Shire then started the second half with a less than commanding performance allowing WOS to mirror their play in the 1st period. Even with a gallant effort and tries from the likes of Max G, Lloyd and Conor The Shire were behind by 1 try at the end of the 2nd period.

With the Conference side of the game decided Shire were now playing for pride and it showed. The depth in the squad meant that Shire could continue to up the pace and pressure they showed in the first half and found their for once again taking the lead 10 minutes into the 3rd period with the team creating and supporting some wonderful tries to take the overall win on the day.

Knowing they needed to keep up the pressure and consistency throughout the game Shire have walked away with a plan to increase their fitness and pitch awareness in support of great displays of skills that will challenge any team in the league on their best day.

Stirling Away August 2019

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Today was our first game in the Shogun Conference against Stirling County.

A sunny Sunday afternoon with the temperature in the mid 20’s.

Unlike last week the team started really well pushing forward against a strong opposition and scoring a great team try. From a breakdown the forwards gained yards and then with the backs drawing defenders and offloading the ball got to the wing quickly creating an overlap.
Stirling scored a try within a minute of the restart.
Perthshire were back in front with another well worked try and this time scoring the conversion, but again they let Stirling score again not long after the restart.
With the last play of the half Stirling scored again.

Some really good rugby from shire and the rucking was definitely better than the week before.
Recent training sessions have focused on the ruck as the team have shown reluctance to accept responsible and commit. This showed results with all the players challenging well is this area, and the statistics of 3 own rucks lost to 16 won backed this up.

The second half didn’t go our way with Stirling running in another 3 try’s but the team battled on playing some good rugby and just falling short on a number of occasions. FT Stirling 30 Perthshire 7

It was a hard game but Perthshire never stopped competing, keep their heads up to the whistle, but towards the end the heat and fitness levels took their toll.

Special mentions to Christie whose work rate never faulted and the Man of the match today was Fin G, he took his game to another level, putting in some great tackles, runs and never gave up.

Team - Senior Squad

Lasswade Overpower Perthshire

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Perthshire 13 – Lasswade 43

Perthshire started this game determined to show their supporters that they have improved since their last home game when they narrowly lost to Greenock but alas, there were hardly any supporters and Lasswade are a more powerful side than Greenock.
However, during the 1st 20 minutes there was only one team in this match and it was Shire. Callum Bruce opened the account with a monster penalty and Lasswade were forced to resort to all sorts of dodgy tactics to halt the Shire attacks resulting in Bruce kicking another 3 points. Lasswade almost scored during their first attack but their mounting indiscipline cost them a penalty and a yellow card. Shire piled on the pressure against the 14 men and although the likes of James Mair, Ross Angus & co were making good ground, poor ball retention and woeful finishing kept Lasswade in the game. Disaster struck after 20 minutes when another Shire attack broke down and Lasswade raced the length of the pitch for Humphries to score.
Lasswade’s indiscipline soon cost them another player though, bringing them down to 13 men. Shire bungled another couple of try opportunities but eventually prop Ewen MacDonald drove over to give Shire a well deserved lead. Unfortunately that was the last we saw of Shire as an attacking force and Lasswade, restored to 15 men for a little while, dominated all areas of the game from then on. Perthshire have conceded 18 tries in 3 matches this season so it is not hard to fathom where their main weakness lies. Lasswade’s backs put so much pressure on Shire’s backs forcing errors and rushed passes while Perthshire seemed to hang back and allow Lasswade to reach full speed and run through them.
The Shire scrum wilted more and more as the game wore on and Lasswade’s forwards also started to dominate the line out leaving the team living on scraps of possession. Thankfully, the referee was getting fed up with both Lasswade’s indiscipline and the abuse from the large crowd of vociferous Lasswade supporters and more yellow cards emerged so that Lasswade played most of the game with 14 men. There’s no doubt their supporters spurred the team on and the lack of any kind of support for Shire must be a worry for the club and a disappointment for the players.
On a positive note, the return of Adam Dearden at stand off, Ryan Miller back from his honeymoon and the return of Aidan Watson will bring experience and a much sharper cutting edge to the backs. The boys travel to play Carrick on Saturday and with them also having a poor start to the season this will be a defining match and the perfect chance to get some points.

Rugby World Cup Quiz Night, Saturday 19th October

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Announcing the Rugby World Cup Quiz on Saturday 19th October at 7pm.
Come along for a night to test your knowledge, including on the Rugby World Cup and host nation Japan. Quiz master Campbell Watson has prepared some mind bending and tricky questions for you to answer.
Doors open in the Club Bar at Bell’s Sports Centre from 7pm for a Quiz start at 7:30pm. Teams of up to 6 players permitted. Entry is £10 per player and includes a buffet at half-time. Payment on the night. Jackpot prize for the winning team.
To help with catering numbers please advise if you will be coming along: clubcaptain@perthshire-rfc.co.uk
Why not make a day of it? Come to the North Inch and support the 1XV who are playing Berwick RFC with kick-off at 3pm.

Perthshire Midis Share spoils with Biggar in Shogun

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Last weekend the midis played Biggar in Round 4 of the Shogun conference and although the club fixture ended in 10-10 points a piece, Perthshire will be the happier after winning 3 fixtures to Biggars two. Our  young colts side found it hard going against a very strong Biggar team who have already beaten Boroughmuir this season, but the coaches know that this a developing side and they will only get stronger as the season progresses. The U16’s have found their mojo again and recorded a resounding 50-0 win, the U15’s battled hard but after a poor start went down 41-31. The U14’s maintain their uneaten season with a convincing 47-13 win and the U13’s  coaches were delighted with the boys performance finishing with 18-12 win. The Perthshire U13′ Whites team were also in action in the Lancer development conference and rounded off the day nicely with a 36-21 win over Alloa. All in all it was another great weekend of Rugby where the Perthshire Midis are showing they are worthy opposition in the Shogun Conference. After round 4 in the conference , Perthshire sit in joint 3rd position.

Team Rounds Points
Ayr / Wellington 4 50
Boroughmuir 4 48
Stirling County RFC 4 40
West of Scotland FC 4 40
Perthshire RFC 4 40
Highland RFC 4 39
Biggar RFC 4 35
Hamilton Rugby Club 4 28

 

Next weekend we host Highland RFC.

Saturday 21st September

Colts KO @ 2pm  on 1st XV Pitch

Sunday 22nd September

U16’s Kick off @ 2pm on 1st XV Pitch

U15’s Kick off @ 2pm on Town Pitch

U14’s Kick off @ 2pm at Highand RFC

U13’s Kick off @ 2pm Highland RFC

Team - Senior Squad

Perthshire blown away at Ardrossan

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Ardrossan Accies 44 – Perthshire 10

Ardrossan has never been the happiest of hunting grounds for Perthshire during the last few years and this visit certainly did nothing to alter that. They are a club on the up with a thriving and packed clubhouse before and after the game and possess a good mix of youth and experience on the pitch. Shire have plenty of promising young players but lack the experience and hard edge to their play which is required at this level.
A very strong cross wind blew straight from the sea and a lot depended on which team would manage to harness this especially in the lineouts which became a huge lottery. Shire almost took the lead when Armitt’s well struck penalty attempt was blown just wide but this turned to disaster a minute later when Ardrossan took play right into the Shire 22. Perthshire dithered over what to do with the ball while Ardrossan’s pack bore down on them and in the end the ball was dropped allowing the softest of tries to be conceded in the opening minutes.
Gradually the Perth youngsters settled down and the forwards gained the upper hand with strong drives from the likes of James Mair, Ewen MacDonald, Kieran Ramsay and Andy Jack. Ross Goodison and Aidan Watson were real livewires in the backs but try as they might they couldn’t make any holes in the Ardrossan defence. Whenever, Shire travelled to Ardrossan they always face a huge and disciplined scrum but the young front row, with William Campbell in for the injured Blair Twaddell, refused to be bullied and they always gave as good as they got. Kieran Ramsay made a massive bulldozing run which resulted in another Shire penalty and this time Armitt made no mistake for the three points. Although Shire’s forwards could hold their own, the Ardrossan backs were causing all sorts of problems with their hard, fast and direct running. They grabbed their 2nd try on the half hour mark with deft handling to create a two man overlap on the wing as Shire fell off tackles. Perthshire were having real problems trying to keep the errors to a minimum and slack defence allowed Ardrossan to score out wide again for their third try.
Good work and driving by the forwards took Shire right down to the try line and the boys drove a lineout maul right to the Ardrossan line but couldn’t get the ball down. Shire kept up the pressure but once again they lost the ball in contact and this time nearly every Ardrossan player handled the ball as they tore through the spread-eagled Shire defence for the bonus point try. Perthshire’s attacking moves just resulted in the ball moving from side to side with little ground being made but every time Ardrossan mounted an attack their big crowd of supporters sensed something big could happen was spun out at pace. Shire’s woes continued as Aidan Watson had to be taken off at half time with a shoulder injury and Callum Bruce moved from full back to stand off. Ardrossan then began to take a bigger grip of the game and despite some fine individual tackling by some Shire players, the team was no match for the big experienced Ardrossan backs and they ran riot with a further 4 tries. Perthshire struggled to end the game with 15 players as Jay Pettie had to leave the field followed by Andy Jack and a serious knee injury to Dan Rae looks likely to keep him out for a long period. Andy Jack with his dislocated pinkie had to be brought back onto the field to play and hooker Kieran Ramsay had to fill in at centre but in the dying minute Andy Jack grabbed a consolation try for Shire converted by Armitt and Perthshire had 10 points.
This game has posed some real headaches for the coaches due to a mounting injury crisis and the 2nds defeat at Grangemouth. Come on all you Perthshire supporters, get down to the North Inch on Saturday and get behind your teams to give them encouragement as they strive for a first win. The 1st XV face newly relegated Lasswade and the 2nds play Dunfermline who won all of their matches last season.

Perthshire U16 boys get selected for Glasgow Warriors

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Well done to Perthshire U16 boys Callum MacGugan, Doug Yellowley, Eric Davey, Stuart Hutchison and Jonny Morris who have been selected into the Glasgow Warriors U16 Training Squad. The boys are currently in training for games against Edinburgh, Cardiff and Saracens in October.

Here is a photo of the Perth U16 boys at Warriors training this week.

Well done boys from all at Perthshire Rugby and keep on working hard in the lead up to these big games.

#montheshire