Perthshire’s Magnificent Seven take the Spoils Out West
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.
