Crowds come out in force to remember Granny G and witness performance befitting her memory

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Perthshire 20 – Berwick 32

There was an intense and emotionally charged atmosphere surrounding the North Inch on Saturday as Perthshire Rugby Club called on all members and former players to come down and pay their respects to our very own Super Gran, Granny G, who sadly passed away on Thursday night. She has supported and served Perthshire for over three decades along with her husband Graham who died almost 2 years ago and this is certainly the end of an era for Perthshire. Georgie was known and loved by generations of players and it was great to see such a huge turnout on Saturday and there is no doubt that this inspired the current crop of youngsters to put in what was arguable their best display of the season.

The opening 10 minutes saw Berwick in full attack mode as they settled down quicker than Shire and soon took the lead with a penalty. Perthshire fought back strongly though and a solid scrum and well drilled lineout provided a solid platform for the backs to mount several good attacking moves. Mat Rae, Adam Dearden and Sammy Isac combined well but the ball was lost just short of the line. This was followed by Jonny Armitt being halted on the line and a sublime crossfield kick was collected by Mat Rae but he was also halted by an impressive Berwick defence. Shire were inspired by the large crowd and must have been wishing they could have this sort of support every week as they pounded the Berwick line. Dearden slotted a penalty to even the score but Berwick responded quickly and raced upfield to score out wide.

End to end play followed and although Shire had a smaller pack they were well on top in the tight and their young and mobile front row were in magnificent form especially Kieran Ramsay who was found everywhere on the pitch doing the hard grind as well as his new role as auxiliary centre. Any team losing a player of the calibre of Duncan Clow would struggle to replace him but young James Mair at number 8 is quickly establishing himself as a highly rated replacement and his hard drives and tackles were a feature of the match. Andy Jack drove through the Berwick pack, the ball was quickly recycled a and a huge miss pass went out to Armitt, slicing through from full back and Shire were back in the lead. There was an aggression from this Perthshire pack which has been missing all season but there was a huge let off as Berwick found another gap in the midfield and only a forward pass prevented a try. For the 2nd week in a row Shire were leading at half time.

Berwick came out of the blocks like raging bulls in the 2nd half and scrum half Hardy ran straight through Shire’s midfield defence in the first minute to get back on the score sheet and only Sammy Isac’s brilliant last-ditch tackle prevented another try as Berwick tightened the screw. A penalty found touch and they launched a massive drive from the line out which was brilliantly halted by Shire but the try was only delayed as they won a scrum and Melrose escaped from the Shire back row’s clutches to squeeze over. The 15 -8 lead was now turned into a 15 – 22 deficit but the big crowd egged Shire on and Adam Dearden spotted a gap and pressed the accelerator to race through for a fine try. Berwick pressed again and rather than take the simple option of clearing from their own line, Shire tried to pass their way out of the 22 but conceded a penalty which Webster converted. It was all Berwick now as they threw everything at Perthshire but the home defence stood firm although players were tiring fast. With 10 minutes to go a lovely crossfield chip caught Shire out and Berwick full back Hill collected it to stride over for a bonus point and heartache for Shire.

As the minutes ticked by Perthshire camped on the Berwick line and attacked ferociously trying to score the try which would give them a 4 try bonus and a losing bonus point as well. Penalty after penalty was awarded to Shire who kicked to touch but Berwick kept pulling the driving maul down. With barely 2 minutes left the referee was getting frustrated by all the penalties and admitted after the game that he was on the verge of awarding Shire a penalty try the next time it happened. When Shire won their next penalty, instead of continuing with the line out and drive, they took a quick tap but Berwick’s defence held firm. Another penalty ensued and they did the same but there was no way through and Shire were left pointless but pride has been restored and it is onwards and upwards from here on.

Let’s hope that the large crowd have been persuaded that a Saturday afternoon at the North Inch can provide them with some good entertainment and there is certainly someone watching from above who would second that.

Club Statement: Georgina Watson

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Perthshire Rugby Statement: Georgina Watson

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have to tell you some sad news. The club received news this morning that a much loved and longstanding supporter of Perthshire Rugby, Georgina Watson, has sadly passed away.

As many of you were aware, Georgie had been unwell for some time. True to her nature, she did not want anyone to know how ill she was. Words cannot express our feelings. Georgie was unique, generous to a fault, loyal and loving.

Georgie was possibly one of the most ardent and enthusiastic supporters Perthshire Rugby has ever had. She put our Club first, an example to all of us. Nothing was too much bother for her. Few people know just how much she did in the background. Georgie served on our committee and has been involved in the organisation of our club for many, many years. Together with her husband, Graham, Georgie followed our teams enthusiastically in good times and bad, travelling the length and breadth of Scotland to cheer our players on.

In every sense Georgie is a huge loss to our Perthshire Rugby family. She is irreplaceable. Our thoughts are with her family. Claire has been an absolute tower of strength.

One thing I do know is that Georgie would not want us to be sad. Her view is that life was worth living.

Please come to the Club on Saturday, let’s celebrate a life that was certainly lived well.  Georgie would like us to support her boys. If she is looking down, she would love a victory.

There will be a card in the clubhouse for members to sign for Georgie’s family.

We can be together and remembering Georgie.

John McLaughlin

President

Perthshire Rugby

Perthshire Rugby’s 1st XV vs Berwick RFC, Saturday 19th October, 3pm.

Shire on wrong end of 69 point thriller but much improved performance

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Howe of Fife 39 – Perthshire 30

This was a hugely improved performance from Perthshire which beared no resemblance to the lacklustre performance of the previous week. There was an air of positivity about the team who had built up a fairly comfortable lead in the first half only to see it wilt in the 2nd half mainly due to injuries to two key backs. Callum Bruce and Jay Pettie were forced off and with no out and out replacement backs, Shire had to reshuffle with prop Kieran Ramsay moving to centre and Shaun Barton moving from back row to the wing.
Jonny Armitt kicked Shire into an early lead with a penalty after great work by the forwards and their magnificent work rate kept Howe pinned in their own 22 for long periods. The scrum was very solid and James Mair and Macca were securing good lineout ball. The Eagles continued to dominate and were attacking strongly when a Jonny Armitt kick was charged down gifting a try to Howe against the run of play.

Shire attacked down the right, Mair secured the lineout and Kieran Ramsay tucked in at the back of the maul as Shire’s pack steam rollered over the line for Ramsay to score a well deserved try. Armitt converted. Howe came back into the game with some good pick up and drives and they scored their 2nd try after hard work from their forwards. Undeterred by this Shire picked up the pace again and a wonderful break by highly promising centre Murray Ormiston gave Shire the lead when he outpaced the entire Howe defence to score. Armitt added the 2 points and just before half time he kicked a penalty following an Alcorn break to give the Perth boys a 10 – 18 lead.
An injury to Callum Bruce saw Shaun Barton move to the wing and within 5 minutes of the 2nd half Jay Pettie was also off having to be replaced at centre by prop Kieran Ramsay and all of a sudden Shire were deprived of two of their most effective forwards and influential backs. Barton had been causing chaos running all over the field tackling and harrying Howe and good as he and Ramsay are they are more effective forwards than backs. Howe were given a boost by this and upped their game accordingly scoring 4 tries in 15 minutes without reply to deal a hammer blow to Perthshire’s chances. Perthshire were stung into action again though and began a heroic fightback as players settled into their new roles and replacements Stevie Gray, Blair Twaddell and Adrian Venter all made their mark.  The intensity increased and finally Shaun Barton collected the ball and sped up the wing and over for Shire’s 3rd try.

All the pressure was on Howe now as Shire mounted attack after attack but a kick ahead and some poor tackling allowed Howe to score in the corner to seal the game. Perthshire went all out for the bonus point 4th try and received their consolation when Armitt scored and converted.
The signs are there that Shire are on the way back and a healthy and vociferous number of supporters turned up to cheer the team on. Berwick are next up on the North Inch and hopefully Shire’s injury list will improve and if the team show the same fighting spirit and get their defence organised then more wins should be on the horizon.

Perthshire pay the penalty as Hillhead take full advantage

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Perthshire 14 – Hillhead Jordanhill 34

Perthshire fielded what could arguably be described as their strongest squad of the season and the half dozen home supporters who bothered to show up to watch were treated to a lightning start from the boys in black and white. Ryan Miller set up the move and Adam Dearden sent Mat Rae on the run before he found young Murray Ormiston who finished off in spectacular fashion and with Dearden’s conversion, Shire found themselves 7 – 0 up with barely two minutes played. Hillhead had a very solid experienced pack though and with Shire giving away a penalty they hefted the ball downfield for a lineout 10 metres from the Shire line. From there it was a simple take and drive for the equalising try. With Miller and Dearden bringing a stabilising influence at half back Shire looked dangerous and a bit of Dearden magic gave Armitt Shire’s second try. Noticing the rush defence of Hillhead, he delayed his pass for just a second creating a gap for Jonny Armitt to fly through and the full back was unstoppable as he ran under the posts. Perthshire were winning ball in the forwards but some of the passing and kicking was deplorable and instead of turning the screw on Hillhead it just gave them possession and allowed them to impose themselves on the game.  The usual defensive lapses crept in and Hillhead scored after setting up a solid platform and slick passing found Twaddle unmarked as dived in at the corner. Shire were still leading 14 -12 at this stage but continued to waste good ball and the penalty count was mounting up against them. Hillhead realised that all they had to do was kick the penalties deep into touch and set up another attacking platform. After several penalties the referee had had enough and Shire were reduced to 14 men. The inevitable penalty, lineout, try combination worked again and just before half time it seemed as though Shire were not learning any lessons from the referee and the same sequence occurred again as Hillhead’s Reekie was driven over once more for the bonus point.
The 2nd half was a repeat of the first with Shire again being penalised umpteen times for not rolling away but for some reason persisted in doing it again and again and more yellow cards were shown. The defence tightened up and Hillhead were limited to 10 points in the 2nd half but although there were one or two flourishes, the Eagles couldn’t string together any prolonged attacks to get any points on the board.
The return of young Murray Ormiston, Ross Dougan, Ryan Miller and Adam Dearden has certainly boosted Shire and they have some excellent individual players but the team as a whole are not firing. Giving away penalties for not rolling away can be caused by a lack of knowledge of the laws, lack of fitness to move away in time, opposition holding players in or even refereeing mistakes but whatever the cause it certainly lost this game for Shire. Losing 24 points from 3 converted tries and 1 penalty directly as a result of giving away penalties would put any team on the back foot. The coaches have no respite next week as the team travel to take on old rivals Howe who have a huge support and are undefeated since losing their opening fixture.
Shire have been in this situation before and have pulled themselves out of it with hard training and an improved attitude and barring any more serious injuries they will do so again.

Perthshire RFC - Logo

Membership Fee Increase 2019

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MEMBERSHIP FEE INCREASE 2019

As a valued member of Perthshire Rugby Club, I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for the way in which our membership subscription increase has been conveyed.

All members should have received a notification direct from Perthshire Rugby of the increase prior to the direct debit increase notification and I apologise that this didn’t happen.

Every year costs to the club are increasing so it was proposed, supported and unanimously agreed at the AGM, held on 30th May 2019 to increase each membership subscription by £2.50 per month all as noted below. The increase was to become effective from the start of the 2019/20 season.

  • Eaglet – P1 & P2 – from £10.00 to £12.50
  • Mini – P3 to P7 – from £12.00 to £14.50
  • Midi – S1 to U18 – from £15.00 to £17.50
  • Senior Player – Over 18 – from £20.00 to £22.50
  • Family Membership – from £20.00 to £22.50
  • Concessions – from £12.00 to £14.50

We attach a benefits list which indicates what each membership level entitles you to. We believe this is extremely great value for money when placed against other sports in the area.

Every year we keep improving on the service we provide at Perthshire Rugby and would remind all members that 99% of the people involved are volunteers. Without such volunteers the club would not be in the place that it is today so we thank them dearly and are forever indebted to them for the hours they give up to make everything tick along seamlessly.

Can I once again apologise for the delay in communication and I look forward to seeing you in and around the club throughout the season ahead.
Yours in Rugby

Allan W Brown
CEO Perthshire Rugby

PRFC 2019.20 Member Benefits Oct 2019

 

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.