Perthshire Ahead at Halftime but Again Let the Lead Slip
Depleted squad show heart and good skills but are undone by a shrewd Howe of Fife.
Howe of Fife 27 – 12 Perthshire
Only 2 weeks have passed since Perthshire made the short journey to Cupar to face old rival Howe of Fife in the league. This weekend it was the first round of the National League Cup that took the men in black & white back to Duffus Park.
It was hoped to be a 3 team Saturday with the options of Perthshire fielding 1XV, 2XV and Veterans teams against Howe. Unfortunately, a series of recent injuries, outbreak of the flu and players away saw the cancellation of the 2XV match and the 1XV could not even manage to fill the squad; with only 18 when 23 were allowed. The team that ran out could be described as “experimental.”
Like a fortnight earlier it was a game of two halves. Perthshire started the brightest and brought real intensity & purpose to the opening minutes. They were unlucky to come away with nothing from multiple visits to the Howe 22. It was against the run of play when a defensive mix up allowed Howe to open the scoring.
Perthshire showed endeavour to work back into Howe territory. After building the phases a large overlap materialised on the left wing. Stand-in fly half Jonny Armitt put in a sweet cross field kick collected by Aidan Watson who used his pace to burn the full back and score a classy try.
The set piece was dominant, the scrum pushing Howe all over the pitch – it was surprising that next to no penalties were awarded against the retreating Howe pack. The lineouts too were working like clockwork with the safe hands of James Mair and Ewan MacKessack-Leitch retaining Perthshire ball while stealing & disrupting the Howe throws.
It was a rare mistake that saw Howe pounce once more to score their second try after a loose ball in the Perthshire 22. Again, the boys worked back but a series of penalties won failed to make touch giving Howe easy options to exit.
The intensity & pace of the match brought by both sides was high. After a sustained attack Perthshire were isolated and penalised for holding on deep in opposition territory. This time Howe missed touch and Sammy Isac collected. He’s nicknamed the “Tanzanian Wizard” and demonstrated why. Rather than use the men inside he stormed down the touchline, chipped over the top, collected then somehow went up another gear to scorch the earth as he made the line. Jonny Armitt added the extras to make it 10-12 in Perthshire’s favour.
The rest of the first half was about keen defence and Perthshire held out. Howe were throwing everything to get ahead, but the whistle blew with Perthshire in front at the break.
The next 15 minutes saw the energy levels of both teams rise. With the slope Howe of Fife were gaining good ground and eventually made the difference with an unconverted try. The referee was struggling to control both teams as passions ran high. Still somehow the scrum dominance did not earn penalties and many times Perthshire were unlucky not to win more penalties at ruck time with Howe playing to the limit of the laws. Mat Rae partnered well with Ross Goodison in the centre to make strong inroads; the latter must have a neck of steel for the number of high tackles he received, frustratingly most unsanctioned.
Another 2 tries from Howe would take them to a 27-12 victory. The bench was emptied as injuries took their toll. Andy “Combine” Jack has transformed in the past 2 games and had a run of carries and tackles that made a real impact, it was a blow when he was forced to leave after a knee rearranged his facial features. The back row covered acres of the pitch and if ever Howe broke through someone was there to track the ball down and kill off the attack. Debutants Rabson Chipakupaku & Angus McPherson performed admirably as did Kieran McLean who only recently made the step up from the Colts.
Late on in the match tempers flared with handbags & frank exchanges occurring off the ball. Eventually Captain Ryan Millar and a Howe prop were sent to the sin bin but Perthshire, for the most part, managed to maintain their discipline and gave no quarter.
Numerous boys in Black & White put in big shifts and the team spirit, aggression and desire has improved over the past few weekends. Of particular note were: the phenomenal work rate of Ross Dougan; Stevie Gray a constant thorn in the side of Howe; props Ewen MacDonald & Kieran Ramsay who dominated their opposite men in the scrum; and Jonny Armitt who deputised at fly half and controlled it well.
Next weekend, after the World Cup Final, Perthshire travel to face Murrayfield Wanderers where they managed an upset to win last year. If the energy & effort on the pitch continues to grow and with the impending return of a few injured players, the next part of the season could see Perthshire converting these halftime leads into full time results.
