Love Island’s Lost

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Perthshire 17 – 38 Orkney

Frustration for 14-man Eagles who fail to capitalise on good positions and struggle in set piece.

In order for the islanders to make the return ferry this was an early midday kick-off. Nonetheless it was compelling and competitive match that played out to the crowd gathered to watch at the North Inch.

Perthshire started brightly getting into the Orkney half and staying there. Strong carries from Ewen MacDonald and Angus Walker made headway on the ground while an effective kicking game from Aidan Watson won the air battle pinning Orkney to the corners. Attempts to run out of their half were thwarted by keen defence led by Calum Chalmers and Adrian Venter.

Despite the territorial dominance Perthshire could not get on the scoreboard and it was Orkney who struck first. Eventually breaking out from their half, and stringing together a series of quick phases, a well struck kick won a 50:22 lineout. Getting there first, Orkney took it quickly and, with ‘Shire daydreaming, quickly made it right up to the line. A few more short carries and they crossed the whitewash for a converted try.

At the restart Orkney deployed a box kick which the chase recovered to get immediately onto the front foot. Perthshire seemed to have slowed the attack but were penalised for not rolling away from the tackle. Unsportingly, the Orcadian scrumhalf deliberately knocked-on and took the tap penalty immediately. He coasted through the defenders, who could not touch him, and drew the final defender to pass inside for a second converted try, 0-14.

This time from the restart the intense line-speed by the home team rushed Orkney in to a sliced clearance kick. The lineout was in a good attacking position but the ball was stolen by Orkney who then knocked on when trying to kick clear. Back in ‘Shire hands the ball was sent out to the wing where Jonny Armitt put a probing kick down the 15m channel. Collected by the retreating Orkney winger he had nowhere to go as he was isolated by Adrian Venter who won a penalty 5m out. The lineout misfired again but Calum Chalmers reacted quickest plucking the overthrow from the air and nearly made it across the line. A couple of forwards had a go but it was James “Love Island” Armstrong who made the final metre to crash over for a try on his last game for Perthshire. Conversion missed but Perthshire were on the scoreboard, 5-14.

The second quarter mostly involved Perthshire defending in their own 22. The tackles and rucks were fierce with no quarter given. Turnovers from Adrian Venter & Tom Bartlett won back possession and allowed Aidan Watson to clear the ball to safety. Sadly the faltering lineout would return the ball back to Orkney to attack and the cycle repeated.

Perthshire and some forays into Orkney’s half, often started by Rory Bayne, but once in the 22 the player would be isolated, ball knocked-on or a lineout lost and that would end the attack. It was back & forth until a break on the left wing got Orkney into Perthshire’s 22. Gaining an offside penalty by the posts Orkney, sensing the upper hand, opted for the scrum. A solid heave kept the pack in tight as the ball was delivered quickly through the hands to the centre who cut an angle to break through and score. It was a straightforward conversion, 5-21.

There were just enough minutes in the half for the men in Black & White to hammer the Orkney line but to no avail. Orkney very relieved to hear the halftime whistle under such pressure.

The second half started again evenly. This time though it was a kicking tennis rather than carries that were the mainstay of the plays. Despite their struggles in the set piece Perthshire were more than a match for Orkney in open play.

It changed with a red card for James Armstrong. Punished for a head-on-head tackle, the referee decided dismissal was the only option. This was harsh as the ball was loose on the ground and it looked to many on the sideline that both players were diving for the ball. Nonetheless, Perthshire were 16 points down with 35 minutes left to play and only 14 on the pitch.

Orkney kicked this penalty to the corner and started to build the pressure. To add to Perthshire’s troubles Ewen MacDonald was injured in the defence of the try line. He carried on for a bit but had to be replaced soon after by Arran Sheach. The islanders did mange to get a try but it took significant effort. Perthshire to a man defended & defended. Quality lines and passes by Orkney were not enough to break the tackle. Eventually after going from one touchline to the other and back inside, this quick hit up midfield was just too fast. A gap opened up at the side of the ruck which was exploited as the attacker squeezed through & over for an unconverted try, 5-26.

Undeterred Perthshire took the fight to the Orkney half. A kick downfield was collected but Tom Bartlett chop-tackled the ball carrier and Ross Goodison was right on top to win a penalty for not releasing. Taking it quickly and getting the advantage as the defence did not retreat, Ross Goodison danced deep into the 22 before he was brought down. The ball was worked to the right over a series of phases building up to the line before it was passed inside to James Mair. He touched down, but was denied a try as the pass was judged forward. Racing to the mark as the referee signalled the return for the penalty, Aidan Watson took it quickly and was tackled inches short. Adrian Venter in support picked the ball up from the base and used his strength to cover the final few inches and claim the try. The conversion was missed, 12-26.

Both teams stepped up their game as they entered the final quarter but neither could keep the momentum for long. For Perthshire, in open play there was no hint of lacking a man, but at the set piece the lineout continued to be a lottery and the 7-man scrum was struggling.

A scrum penalty conceded around halfway was quickly tapped and the ball spread coast to coast by the islanders. The Eagles were backpedalling but then rallied and contained the attack. However, Orkney upped the intensity switched the direction of attack once more to secure the overlap and score in right corner.

Minutes later they scored again, this time a much easier try. Taking a lineout down to set a maul the Perthshire pack were sucked in leaving an undefended blindside. This space was spotted by the Orcadian back row who broke off and ran unopposed to score under the posts, 12-38.

There was little time left but still Perthshire wanted to get something from the match. Piercing runs by Simon McGarry and Ross Goodison went deep into Orkney territory but they came to nothing. A turnover penalty won on halfway by Adrian Venter was tapped & passed to Ross Goodison on the left wing. He slipped and this seemed to flummox the defence as Ross changed angle and then proceeded to evade 6 would-be tacklers as he jinked & jiggled up to the 5m line. Just held, the ball was offloaded to Aidan Watson in support who scored the try that Ross Goodison made. Unlucky with the boot the conversion went wide.

With seconds remaining ‘Shire had one more chance to sneak a try bonus point but it was not to be and it remained 17-38 as the clock hit 80 minutes.

Despite the one man disadvantage Perthshire put their all in to that match and did not let Orkney have anything for free. Definitely there are work-ons for the Eagles to finish the season strongly and to build up for 2023-24. With numbers good at training Head Coach Alan Clark knows he can get the right reaction from his players before West of Scotland away next weekend. Supporters welcome on the bus which will depart Bell’s at 12pm for a 3pm kick off in Milngavie.

Finally, Perthshire Rugby is indebted to James Armstrong who joined only last season but has made a lasting impact on the playing field, at training, for the Tour to Blackpool and as Club Treasurer. In such a short time he got truly stuck in, lifted the players around him to get better (even if he only managed one full 80 minute performance himself) and continued to create a sound financial basis for the Club to work from. The Club wish him well on his travels and hope to see him again in the future.

Screenshots from match video recorded by Jan Adriaan Venter.
1st half https://youtu.be/te2r_9YFOFk
2nd half https://youtu.be/RHtjiOqlNm4
Photographs taken by Louise Venter can be seen here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KgqbWsUCzrhiGHr26

Seventh Heaven for Perthshire

Perthshire Women 45 – 14 Bannockburn Valkyries

Women grow into game to deliver dominant 7-try victory.

Perthshire Women 1st XV hosted Bannockburn Valkyries on the North Inch for their second fixture in the National Bowl. ‘Shire kicked to start and showed strong determination from the off. An unfortunate knock on from the home team saw Bannockburn awarded an early scrum. ‘Shire made a bold statement by contesting this first set piece strongly and winning the ball, which was soon passed wide to winger Jackie McConville who ran it all the way to the corner to score an early first try for Perthshire.

Co-captain Heather McKenzie caught the ball from the Bannockburn restart and made great progress into the opposition’s half. After a few phases the ball found its way back to McKenzie who ran it between the posts and scored the second try for ‘Shire. The home team really started to gain momentum, making excellent carries and finding gaps. Perthshire’s other co-captain, Alex Ward, used her excellent footwork to find her way past multiple Bannockburn defenders twice in quick succession to put another two tries on the board.

Bannockburn upped their strong attacking efforts and shortly before half time found a gap near the wing and accelerated through to score their first try of the match, which they converted. With Ward converting three of Perthshire’s four tries it saw them sitting on a comfortable lead of 26 – 7 going into half time.

Coach Iona Coutts praised the ‘Shire ladies for their excellent efforts in the first half, but warned them not to relax as the game was not yet won. She knew that Bannockburn would be looking to keep up the momentum they had shown towards the end of the first half and didn’t want the home team to be caught out.

Perthshire kept this in mind as they put every effort into keeping a strong defence in the second half. They took the opportunity to shift the momentum to attacking and Heather McKenzie added another try for ‘Shire. Bannockburn continued to push strongly in their attack and were quick to spot any gaps in the ‘Shire defence – giving them their second converted try of the match in a very similar style to their first.

Keen to ensure that Bannockburn didn’t continue to add to their tally, ‘Shire worked hard and the forwards made a series of strong carries down the pitch towards the line. After several phases within 5 metres of the line, it was Perthshire’s second rower Katie Bromley who carried the ball over the line and scored her first try for the ‘Shire.

With the time close to the 80 minute mark, ‘Shire were awarded a line out within Bannockburn’s 22. They smoothly passed the ball through the hands to fullback Eilidh Patterson who scored the last try of the match. Alex Ward was left with a difficult angle but kicked an excellent conversion – giving a fitting end to an impressive game from the Perthshire ladies. They took the win 45 – 14 and will be recovering this week before hosting Stornoway on Saturday 1st April, kick-off 2pm at the North Inch. Supporters welcome to come down and cheer on the Women.

Photos taken by Peter Wilkinson.

Numbers Down and Intensity Turned Up

Bannockburn 55 – 12 Perthshire 2XV

Injuries put Perthshire down to 12 but they front up and stress Bannockburn.

The 2XV made the short trip down to Bannockburn with only 16 players due to a couple of late call offs, this however didn’t distract the players. It was always going to be a hard gritty contested match and it did not disappoint.

Bannockburn took an early lead but, unphased, Perthshire fought back with some great play being created by AJ Guthrie. Laurence Knight, making his Perthshire senior debut, kept himself busy in defence and attack all match. Unfortunately, 15 minutes in ‘Shire were camped out in there own 22 where Lee Graham hit a ruck and came worse off with a dislocated shoulder. A quick shuffle in the squad brought Angus Macfarlane went into centre and Perthshire kept up the work rate and managed to claw a score back by Hector Inglis.

Perth went down to 14 players after Captain Angus Macpherson picked up and ankle injury then rapidly down to 13, when James Marley went down with what turned out to be a broken foot. With 5 minutes left in the half and the 2 man advantage Bannockburn managed to run in a couple of quick try’s for a halftime score 22 – 5.

Shortly into the second half Konner Wilkie came off with a rib injury, this opened the flood gates. Bannockburn ran in 4 more tries after refusing to match numbers at the referees request. Not content with their 3 man advantage and to add insult to injury, at one point Bannockburn had 17 players on the pitch against the ‘Shire 12! This was only rectified after it was spotted by coach Campbell Watson who made the referee aware of this large imbalance.

Perthshire didn’t give up and showed just what they were made of battling for everything, this paid off when AJ Guthrie broke out and scored & converted a try. Heading in to the last minute of the game ‘Shire yet again broke out from their own 22 through Laurence Knight who drew the winger infield and popped the ball out to Rabson Chipakupaku who accelerated away from the fullback to get a final score.

Coach Campbell Watson and Captain Angus Macpherson could only congratulate the guys on their effort on the pitch under such a heavy handicap, final score 55 – 17. The 2s have only one match left this season, an away trip to Rosyth beckons on Saturday. Perthshire came out on top on the North Inch in October. With injuries to overcome it will be a tough ask for the squad to repeat, but the resilience and determination shown in this match and throughout the season will give the coaches belief their squad can get a result.

Golden Oldies Need You!

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Over 35s Training Returns in preparation for the Veteran 10s tournament at the Perth Beer Festival.

It’s back! Time to dust off the boots and blow out the cobwebs. Starting Friday 31st March, Veterans Rugby training makes it’s return to the North Inch and the Golden Eagles need you to help them in their quest for glory!

Training will start at 7pm and will involve some fitness, skills and games. These fun sessions are open to all ages & abilities from the Perthshire Rugby community, but only those over-35 can play in the 10s tournament.

Any questions please contact Jeremy Wares, Campbell Watson or Smudge.

Applications Open for New Head Coach

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Perthshire Rugby has today started advertising for a new Head Coach for the Senior Men’s Teams.

After 8 years Alan Clark has decided to stand down and Perthshire are excited to find the right candidate to build on the sterling work he has done over that period.

The role will have a further element to work alongside Director of Rugby, Graham “Smudge” Smith, to implement the new club wide Specialist Coaching Strategy. This will involve working regularly with Midi Section coaches and also overseeing the transition of Perthshire’s Colts players into the adult game.

Head of Senior Section Ewan “Macka” MacKessack-Leitch said, “Perthshire are at an exciting juncture going into the 2023-24 season. Training numbers are strong and growing while results on the pitch have seen a recent upturn. We aim to attract some strong candidates who can take Perthshire forward, to push the 1XV to promotion from the newly established National League 4 and continue to enhance the quality and competitiveness of the rugby enjoyed by the 2XV.”

Club Captain Macka continued, “Clarky is an excellent coach, as a player I have significantly developed my game and know every other team member feels the same. As a squad we have advanced, physically & mentally, establishing a positive environment as we learn to play an exciting brand of rugby. I am glad he will guide us to the end of this season before potentially switching over and joining the 2XV as a player next year!”

Full job description and information for applicants can be seen HERE or on the Scottish Rugby website: www.scottishrugby.org/about/vacancies

Closing date for application is 5pm on Monday 10th April 2023.

 

Forwards Power as Backs Cut Through

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Murrayfield Wanderers 38 – 69 Perthshire

Perthshire secure Adam Pattinson Memorial Cup with emphatic scoreline.

The next day Scotland and Ireland would contest the Centenary Quaich and likely decide the Triple Crown. However, on Saturday it was Perthshire who were the visitors to play Murrayfield Wanderers in the shadow of the stadium. The Adam Pattinson Memorial Cup the prize for the winner.

It was a fast and loose game from the start. After kicking off, aggressive defence forced a Murrayfield mistake and ‘Shire won the scrum. As was a theme for the whole day Perthshire out-scrummed their opponents to win a penalty. The lineout was also solid but the ball dropped in the backline and Perthshire were booted back.

Soon a strong run by Dan Rae regained the forward momentum and series of carries for the forwards had Wanderers rolling backwards. Ewen MacDonald was nearly at the line but offloaded to James Mair who danced through 3 tacklers to ground the ball. Jonny Armitt slotting the conversion to give a 0-7 lead.

Murrayfield immediately took the initiative and barnstorming run from their No. 8 ate up the pitch until Aidan Watson slowed, then brought him down. Matt Stevens was next over and won a penalty to allow the Eagles to clear.

Minutes later from a lineout the maul set and heaved 15m forward until stopped illegally. Utilising the advantage, AJ Guthrie sent a cross-field kick to James Armstrong on the touchline; held by the winger he produced an out-the-back offload to Jonny Armitt who cantered under the posts to make his conversion a formality.

The tempo increased as Perthshire tried to press their advantage, Rory Bayne instrumental in bringing the speed of attack. Offloads and quick rucks were making progress but ‘Shire were guilty of forcing it. Dan Rae was denied a try as the referee called him back for a scrum in the 22. With a large undefended blindside, scrumhalf Lewis Murrie picked from the base and sprinted to line, just caught he managed to present the ball pack for the onrushing James Mair to scoop up and dive over for his second try. Jonny Armitt again adding the extras from a tough angle, 0-21.

Composure and discipline then went out the window for Perthshire and Murrayfield were let back into the game. A needless penalty gifted the home team possession and they took it quickly, while Perthshire had their heads in the clouds, to score in the corner. This was backed up by a second when soft shoulders allowed a break in the centre, defence scrambled but the ball went out to the winger to run in under the posts, 12-21.

Murrayfield were forced into early changes with some injuries and the remainder of the half was quite scrappy. Discipline tightened up but passes and offloads from both teams were too loose and getting dropped or intercepted.

Despite a clear advantage in the scrum Perthshire felt they were not getting the penalties they deserved as the Wanderers front row went into reserve, stood up and/or splintered under pressure from Ewen MacDonald and Rhys Darlington. On one occasion ‘Shire looked to the referee for a penalty as the ball squirted out the side, Murrayfield reacted quickest ran into the 22, and scored soon after to make it 19-21.

This type of play continued until Aidan Watson hit a sweet 50:22. A surging carry off the back by Matt Stevens, fed an even bigger carry by Rhys Darlington who had half the team hanging off him until he was hauled down just short. James Mair, as he had done twice already, took the ball the final inches across the line for his hattrick which Jonny Armitt duly converted.

Half-time, 19-28.

The second half started just as frantically. Matt Stevens caught the kick and slipped the ball to James Armstrong who sprinted 50m until snared by the fullback. The Black & White shirts swarmed forward but a knock-on ended the assault and Wanderers cleared.

It was not long before ‘Shire took their next try. A scrum about 40m out, walked forward but no penalty awarded; short plays followed and Dan Rae’s powerful carry put the reeling Wanderers on the back foot. Jonny Armitt picked his line and cut through the defence, dragging the fullback one way passed to Aidan Watson in support for an unconverted try.

Even more so the game broke up with all sorts of passes and offloads. Perthshire were getting ahead of themselves and forcing plays to try and score off every move. A pass went straight to the hands of a Murrayfield defender who sent it right out the to their speedster winger to sprint 70m and under the posts; gaining the conversion Wanderers were right back in it, 26-33.

Hitting back on the next play James Armstrong won a ruck penalty and the ball went deep into the 22. Murrayfield tried to defend the maul by standing off, aiming for an offside penalty. Wise to this, a quick peel allowed Matt Stevens the space round the edge of the pack to score.

A clever grubber kicked & collected by Aidan Watson pinned Wanderers back again. James Mair nearly made it across but knocked on. Wanderers held the 5m scrum but their clearance kick went into the arms of Aidan Watson who sliced through the chasers until held. A series of offloads followed which eventually reached the hands of Matt Stevens. He had 15m space in front on him and just covered it, scoring with an overhead stretch to dot the ball down. Converted by Jonny Armitt, there was some room in the score again, 26-45.

At the restart Calum Chalmers collected the ball and took a shoulder to the face as he was tackled. As both teams hesitated, waiting for the referee to make a judgment, James Armstrong seized the initiative and took from base and ran 60m weaving to beat the cover and fullback in a race to the corner for an unconverted try, 26-50.

Easing up, some slack defence gifted Murrayfield the opportunity to score, only denied by a forward pass. They crossed the whitewash soon after as ‘Shire tried to play out of their half and a speculative pass was intercepted.

A succession of scrum penalties saw Perthshire march upfield. Taking front foot ball, from another dominant scrum, flyhalf AJ Guthrie sold a double dummy to get round the centres. Passed out to Andrew Sanderson, he made the metres down the wing before shipping it back inside for Aidan Watson to score. The conversion was successful, 31-57.

Minutes later after winning a scrum against the head AJ Guthrie tried the dummy again. Wanderers were not fooled twice and took him down. Simon McGarry, who’d be sharp all day, was also not fooled and immediately picked up the ball from the tackle and squeezed round the fringes before dashing 55m to score under the posts, duly converted by Jonny Armitt.

Perthshire’s final try came after Murrayfield dropped a pass and Jonny Armitt kicked through. Plays from Rory Bayne and Angus Walker made the ground before the ball was delivered to Aidan Watson to touchdown on the wing.

Wanderers had the final say on the stroke of fulltime with a converted try, to end the match 38-69. Winning the Adam Pattinson Memorial Cup, presented by Claire Pattinson to Captain James Mair after the match, Perthshire can take the positives from the fast attacking style but will need to tighten up to get the full benefits. This was not a match for the defence, both teams will know they allowed in some soft tries.

There is a break for Six Nations Super Saturday before Perthshire host Orkney on the North Inch with an early 12pm kick-off on 25th March. The Bowling Club will be open from 11am, all supporters welcome to come down and cheer on the teams.

Fabulous start, Heartbreak finish, but Plenty of Positives

Waid Academy FP 39 – 36 Perthshire 2XV

With one of the longer away games, Perth set off to Anstruther not for fish & chips, but for a game of rugby against Waid Academy FP on pleasant, if cold day. Matches between these two teams have historically been a tough battle.

With a slight delay in arriving for Perthshire, the warm-up was a short affair, and the message for the team was discipline and not to panic when things got tough.

Perth came racing out of the blocks with a catch from their own kick off by Adrian Venter and a score from Angus Macfarlane in the first minute of the match. Waid were a bit shellshocked at this point with heavy pressure from the defensive line of the ‘Shire men.

Waid could only keep clearing their lines with kicks to the full-back Peter Cowen, who kept returning it with interest. It was from one these, that the second try was scored, a long punt up the field from Peter Cowen, and Callum MacDonald in chase, eyeing a prop on the wing, with a wicked bounce, Callum gathered, stepped the prop and ran in under the posts, with the conversion by Rab Pittendreigh, to make the score 12-0. It was that this point maybe Perthshire thought it was going to be an easier game and started to not pressure as much in both attack and defence.

This resulted in Waid using their big men up through the middle, sucking in tackles and with quick ball their excellent 10 did a double switch with the centre who ran in under the posts. Waid now had the Forth wind in their sails, and ran in two further tries, to make it 19 – 12. Perthshire in the process losing Cowen to a dislocated shoulder, replaced by Johnny Venter, and both 9s of Mikey Evans and Liam Flavell picking up ankle injuries, it was now Perthshire who were shellshocked.

The front five of: Stevie Wilkie, Callum Coutts, Calum Robertson, Stuart Mackie and James Marley, supported by Konner Wilkie off the bench at times; were under a lot of pressure but holding their own in both the scrum and lineout. It was from a lineout that pack leader Ryan Beaton decided to call the ‘Monday’ ball, which in resulted in Adrian Venter getting his 2nd try.

Half time came, 19 -17. Coach Dave Lewis, called for calm from the team, and again highlighted that keeping the pressure up was key to this game and not to step off the gas. Ross Alexander came on to the pitch to bolster the scrum.

Once again, Perthshire came out of the blocks pushing to a 19-36 scoreline within the first 15 minutes: Allan Farell on his debut, broke clear to score under the posts; Arran Sheach and Blake Laidlaw ran excellent lines, which allowed space for, Man of Match, Adrian to help himself to 2 more tries. With his final one, a 40m run beating 5 men to score between the posts. However, once again this seemed to shock Waid back into action and they start to claw their way back into the match and get the game to within 5 points.

At which point Perth missed a penalty, where a tap and go might have been the best option as Perth were re-applying the pressure, but a call from the side line by the coach asked for the penalty kick. Sadly, this was the last time Perth had a chance to score with heavy pressure from Waid in the final 5 minutes resulted in a score to make it 36 all. With a kick to nudge team in front, 2nd Row Stuart Mackie bolted off the line and charged down the kick.

With time ticking, the game looked like it was going to end in draw, but heartbreak for Perthshire, as a penalty in front of the posts for Waid was the final action of an end-to-end game, with Waid winning 39-36.

Though it was a tough loss for Perthshire to take, Coach Dave Lewis, mentioned that in the last few seasons, this fixture was very one-sided to Waid with some big scores. However, in the past it was more often settled by a point or two either way. This highlights the excellent progression from the team, to come here, and take 2 well deserved bonus points and sets up them up to get themselves off the bottom of table with the remaining 2 matches to come. The 2s now rest for a week, and return on 25th March away to Bannockburn.

Perthshire Lose the Territorial Battle

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Perthshire 7 – 41 Hillhead Jordanhill

Eagles start brightly but then pinned back and defeated in second half.

Hopes were high amongst the Perthshire squad for an upset after another strong week of training with 30+ in attendance at the sessions. Hillhead are a well disciplined and effective team but the Eagles’ felt they could raise their game to overcome the visitors.

Hillhead kicked off and the first few minutes were of short attacks then clearance kicks. Neither team really had the edge with the kicking tennis and the ball was sent back & forth. Hillhead then seized some territory and started to go through the attacking motions. Perthshire, in red & black, were meeting the attack and holding it back.

Stretching the attack wide, to see if they could get round the home team, Hillhead shifted it along the backline. Jonny Armitt read the play and intercepted, then raced 60m out-sprinting the cover defence to score under the posts. Aidan Watson added the extras and ‘Shire had the lead 7-0.

Almost immediately Hillhead took the ball and were back probing for weaknesses in the ‘Shire line. Ross Goodison sensed an opportunity for a counter ruck, effected the turnover and the ball was booted downfield. The chase from Perthshire was poor and Hillhead used the open space in front to surge into the 22. With ‘Shire backpedalling, quick rucks took the play from left to right and Hillhead crossed the whitewash in the corner. A superb touchline conversion drew the teams level, 7-7.

Next it was Perthshire’s turn to counterattack. Aggressive defence forced Hillhead to spill the ball and it was hacked through. First to react, Mat Rae secured possession for the home team and after a quick ruck AJ Guthrie booted the ball to the corner. The chase was good and Hillhead knocked on awarding ‘Shire a scrum 10m out.

From here the backline came to life and created an overlap; spun out to the wing but the scoring pass was too fast and went in to touch rather than to hand. Returning for a penalty Perthshire went to the lineout. Secured, the maul rumbled forward then the pack broke out and over a series of short picks edge closer to the line. The ball then went out wide but ‘Shire were isolated and Hillhead reacted best to win the turnover and clear their lines.

Play got stuck in the midfield with Hillhead in possession but unable to make any ground; then a break came through the centre. With only AJ Guthrie to beat the Hillhead flanker fancied his chances but he was wrong, the fly-half chopping him down and stalling the momentum. Soon after Hillhead were awarded a penalty for an offside, elected to kick and scored the 3 points.

The tempo was high and the teams evenly matched. The speed was causing both teams to concede penalties. Kicking one in to the 22, Hillhead played it off the top from the lineout and sent a player up the centre. A sublime offload allowed the support runner in behind and despite the might of Dan Rae he managed to get over and ground the ball for a converted try, 7-17.

The remainder of the half was all Perthshire. A series of 3 penalties on the Hillhead 22 followed but each time the ball was intercepted, dropped or turned over. Halftime came as a relief to Hillhead but to Perthshire’s frustration with nothing to show for all their efforts.

The second half began with some changes, Matt Stevens & Simon McGarry came off with Tom Bartlett & Tom Whamond in their place. The latter making an immediate impact to win the kick-off and keep the ball in play with an out-the-back pass.

Frustrated again, Perthshire knocked on and Hillhead turned on their ruthless instinct to score in the corner, 7-22. Perthshire were then straight back under the cosh. Battling under the posts a turnover won a brief reprieve but try as they might ‘Shire could not escape their own half.

Changes came with AJ Guthrie & Lewis Murrie making way for John Kelly & Andrew Sanderson. The kicking game from Hillhead was near perfect. Anytime Perthshire got close to halfway, the visitors’ fly-half would send it back down into the corner.

After what seemed like an eternity, Perthshire got a break and some quick phases took them to halfway. Here Hillhead effected the turnover then picked and kicked through. They looked to have scored but the referee judged the ball was knocked on before the grounding. It was desperate stuff from Perthshire, tackles from 1 to 15 just keeping a fired-up Hillhead at bay.

Expending such effort ‘Shire began to tire and penalties crept in. Sensing this Hillhead elected for a scrum and got the nudge on and won a second penalty. Returning for the scrum another penalty, then another were conceded. Eventually the power was enough and Hillhead’s No.8 picked from the base and covered the remaining 6m to crash over for a converted try. To add to Perthshire’s woes, prop Ewen MacDonald was shown a Yellow card for the repeated scrum penalties.

It wasn’t long before Hillhead took advantage of the extra man to score again in the corner, 7-36. Perthshire’s courageous defence led by Dan Rae and Simon McGarry held out any further tries before Ewen MacDonald returned to level the teams once more.

A strong carry by Rhys Darlington broke through and with multiple Glaswegians hanging off him he somehow offloaded to Simon McGarry who injected pace and burst into Hillhead’s half. With an advantage for offside a speculative cross-field kick nearly paid off before being brough back.

Perthshire now were camped in the opposition half but got no change. Forward carries, back line manoeuvres, lineout mauls, kicks through; try as they might Perthshire could not breach the try-line. With time ebbing away Hillhead managed to counter-attack and in the final play squeezed over in the corner. The conversion missed the referee signalled fulltime, 7-41.

There was plenty of solid performances from the team in red & black, but lots of frustrations. Hillhead played a clever game and took their chances, and that was ultimately the difference. Next up is Murrayfield Wanderers away. It was 1 point game with the Edinburgh team edging it last time on the North Inch. Perthshire need no extra motivation to right that this time around and will look to take the Adam Pattinson Memorial Cup back to Perth with them. Supporters welcome on the team bus which departs from Bell’s Sports Centre at 12:15pm.

Photos taken by Jazmine Tomlinson.

Winning Streaks start with 2 wins……

Perthshire 2XV 37 – 10 Strathmore 2XV

Perthshire 2XV boost confidence with winning display in local derby.

Perthshire 2s welcome Strathmore 2s to the North Inch for the final home game of the season, off the back a tough win against Bannockburn and a fiery encounter between the two 1st teams 2 weeks before. Local derbies always hold special place for players and this game was no different. A strong line up was named once again. The order of the day from the coaches was discipline and hard work before the match.

The first 15 minutes saw heavy pressure from Strathmore, with Perthshire finding their way into the very physical game around the ruck area. However, Perth’s discipline held which resulted in working their way from the 22, up to Strathmore’s 5 metre with big powerful runs from Jack High, making a comeback from injury, and Wilkie Dad & Son duo supporting and following up with runs of their own. After a few pick ups and drives, Lee Graham forgetting that he was 12 for the day, decided to crash over for a try from the base of the ruck. Calum Bruce add the extra points 7-0.

With the engine room of Marley and Beaton supporting the front row, the scrum was becoming a powerful weapon and many a time the ball was taken against the head from Strathmore either directly or for a penalty given. Mikey Evans playing 9 again was a constant threat not only with his quality service to 10, but also darting through gaps from the fringes. His directness resulted in some “extra attention” from Strathmore both legally and illegally, however the young 9 who has been a revelation this season was not phased and continued to haunt Strathmore until an ankle injury in the 2nd half.

Despite the physical play by Strathmore, Perthshire continued to play running rugby. Angus Macpherson supported by wingers Calum MacDonald and Blake Laidlaw, using their pace to get deep behind the opposition defensive line. The front row rotated to great effect with Calum Coutts making an early appearance and creating more urgency at the break down. This created turnover after turnover, resulting in Jack High grabbing a second score, with Bruce adding the extra’s again, 14-0.

If Perthshire thought this was going to be an easy game, then Strathmore had other ideas, by seizing on a lack of concentration the home team, they managed to work a strong try in the corner, but the conversion was unsuccessful, 14-5.

With the clock ticking to half time, Perth managed to get back to the 5-metre line with powerful running from Hector Inglis, Arran Sheach and the ever-youthful Garry Coull making hard yards, but the chance was missed and cleared.

At the halftime talk coaches, Dave Lewis and Campbell Watson, once against reinforced that discipline and hard work were key, and players had to support one another.

The 2nd half started, and an early penalty just inside the half was converted by Calum Bruce to keep the score board ticking over, 17-5.

This scored seemed to free up Perthshire and more running rugby broke out with training moves coming out. Replacements Stuart Mackie and Angus Macfarlane made an instant impression by sitting down defenders and upping the physicality of the rucks back in the favour of Perth.

Lee Graham added another try to his fine performance before adding the pièce de resistance. Spotting space behind he dropped a lovely kick to the winger Blake Laidlaw, who gathered up the bounce and romped over the line in the corner for a superb converted try, 29-5.

The match was turning into a one sided affair, so much so that second row James Marley decided this was time to show his Sonny Bill skills with a show & go through the gap, with all players in shock at skill on show, Perthshire had the belief today could be the day for the derby win.

With Calum Bruce and Mike Evans replaced by injury, a rejig of the positions saw Liam Flavell step in at 9 and Rab Pittendreigh move to 10, however they both ensured that the pace didn’t drop. This resulted in Hector Inglis adding a try his collection and Liam Flavell knocking over a Penalty to make it 37-5.

The last 10 minutes of the game slowed down, due to the game being won, but this didn’t stop the Strathmore number 14 scoring a fine half pitch try. With time up, Perthshire celebrated a fine victory in, at times, tough physical conditions but stood tall with discipline and hard work and got the result they deserved. Next week Perthshire starts their final 3 games of the league all of which will be on the road, with a trip to Waid Academy FP. Can they make it 3 in a row for the first time in many a year……?