A Worthy Clash for the Capital as Perthshire Secure the Five Points
Royal High 21 – 46 Perthshire
After a positive week of training Head Coach Alan Clark’s men were ready for the trip to the capital to take on Royal High. Confidence levels were high and the boys were well prepared. After a last minute decision to change pitch, the stage was set, nice surface and the sound of aeroplanes flying low overhead. It was time for kick off, with Perthshire opting to wear their red & black strips.
Royal High got the game under way with Perthshire gathering the kick off and stringing some early phases together. Progress was hindered with a slight lack of discipline and a few penalties were award against the men in red & black. James Mair had his forwards organised with lineout defence and were causing some real problems for Royal High, who could not get clean ball from the set piece. The first 10 minutes was awash with knock-ons and penalties which whilst frustrating didn’t stop both teams trying to execute their game plans.
Royal High struck first with a few successful crash balls, finally breaking through and getting their reward, a successful conversion and it was 7-0 to the hosts. Captain Mat Rae rallied his troops under the posts and urged calm heads and a reaction. After some more dominant phase play from Perthshire, the effect of his words becoming evident, and a great lineout steal from Simon McGarry gifted Perthshire an opportunity. A monstrous carry from Dan Rae had High on the back foot, quick ruck speed released the backs and with slick hands winger Ross Goodison broke down the line, with an inspired basketball ball off load, Jonny Armitt was free and clear under the posts. AJ Guthrie made a successful conversion and it was all square 7-7. Contender for try of the season for sure.
It carried on to be a bit messy with handling errors, however, it was clear Perthshire were in the driving seat. Royal High showed a strong maul defence, turning the Eagles over and opted to box kick, only to find the safe hands of Jonny Armitt. Spotting the space the experienced fullback sent a chip over and winger James Armstrong plucks the ball from the air and with some hard running bundles over in the corner. A tough kick to add the two points fell slightly short. Another potential try of the season nominee?
Some more controlled play and with lineout dominance it was only a matter of time before Perthshire struck again. Ewen MacDonald like a charging bull broke the line, with a perfect offload to Simon McGarry who was hauled down just short of the try line. A super quick ruck saw number nine Lewis Murrie feeding Calum Chalmers and nobody was stopping him. Another tricky kick which drifted slightly wide, 7-17 to Perthshire.
More dominant play for the team in red & black, a great driving run from the towering Matt Stevens provided Perthshire with an excellent platform. Again quick ruck speed and some slick offloads proved fruitful and Ewen MacDonald crashed over the line for Perthshire’s bonus point try. The conversion hit the post and the referee signalled for half time; the score 7-22.
The start of the second half was much the same as that of the first, errors from both sides made for a scrappy affair. Rory Bayne was at the receiving end of a yellow card for a swinging arm and this provided the hosts with a bit of drive. Moving the ball through the hands and splitting the ‘Shire defensive line, to take a converted try, 14-22.
A late shot on James Armstrong and the numbers were balanced once again as a Royal High received their own yellow card. At this stage ‘Shire really began to take control of the game, albeit still a bit of a scrappy affair. A penalty awarded for diving over and AJ Guthrie slotted it over to extend the lead to 14-25.
Perthshire would strike again, this time with Rhys Darlington making a superb break , trundling towards the Royal High line, only to ground it on the five metre line thinking it was the white wash. Captain Mat Rae continued the charge with a sharp offload he sent, Man of the Match, Simon McGarry over. AJ Guthrie adding the extras, 14-32.
Strong carries and some good handling work was the theme for the Perth outfit. A piercing run from Simon McGarry, covering around 30 metres, to finish under the posts put the game out of reach of the hosts. Successful conversion and it was 14-39.
‘Shire were not done yet and a scintillating dummy pass from AJ Guthrie provided Lee Graham with the easiest of finishes between the posts. Successfully converted, the score was 14-46.
The hosts would have the final say in the match. After some strong runs, they approached Shire’s line, a great turnover from the visitors proved costly in the end as the clearing kick was charged down in-goal and grounded by Royal High. Conversion made and the referee blew for full time, 21-46.
Thank you to Royal High and the referee for providing an excellent afternoon of rugby. Supporters encouraged to come down to the North Inch next weekend as it is a double header with the 1XV playing Hillhead and the 2XV going up against Strathmore 2XV, both kick-off at 3pm. The Bowling Club will be open from 1:30pm.
Photos by Jazmine Tomlinson.
