Allan Glen’s 41 – 7 Perthshire

Highly motivated Allan Glen’s punish a lacklustre Perthshire.

Numbers at training were good in the lead up to the weekend’s fixtures and there were plenty available players for selection with both Senior teams able to put out full squads. That seems to be where the good news stopped for Perthshire.

Arriving at Allan Glen’s later than planned the 1XV never got off the bus. Within 15 minutes Perthshire were down 17-0 gifting 3 tries to the hosts. Weak tackles and poor decisions kept the Eagles on the back foot and Glen’s were ruthless in exploiting these.

Eventually Perthshire clawed themselves into the match. The lineout began to function and the scrum was holding firm. A promising attack worked into the 22 and Jonny Armitt chipped a kick to the corner, for Tom Colvin to chase. He won the foot race against the defence but was judged to have been in touch when grounding the ball. Returning for the penalty ‘Shire opted for the scrum and minutes later Colvin got his try after slick hands in the backline gave him the space on the wing. Aidan Watson added the extras.

With parity between the teams both traded attacks and kicks, lots of kicks, as the teams waited for the other to make a mistake. It was Perthshire who blinked first, seeing a gap on the blindside a short pass was made but the Glen’s defender managed to strip the ball then run in 40m unopposed to score under the posts, 22-7.

There were bright moments for Perthshire, Dan Rae smashed into tackles knocking back the Glen’s players and forcing them into errors and Aidan Watson was alive and threating with ball in hand. Unfortunately, the rest of the squad were not firing; support was not quick, rucks too slow and defence too soft. A strong home support were there to witness Glen’s first home match of the league and they were treated to a one-sided score board. Perthshire never really threatened again.

The second half came with more of the same Perthshire putting in a few attacks before losing possession. Glen’s would then kick down-field or get in behind and ‘Shire would be forced to defend, before regaining the ball and slowly working up-field again, before fizzling out. There were opportunities: a driving maul, a series of short picks 5m out, space in the wide channels; but nothing worked. Allan Glen’s absorbed it all then Perthshire heads went down and a calamitous final period saw Perthshire ship more tries through bad judgements and, it has to be said, a lack of determination.

This was a sobering and tough result to swallow. Not just the score line, but the manner of the defeat. There were minimal personnel changes, but the contrast to the team that came out all guns blazing and full of fight to beat Greenock the week before and the team that failed to turn up at Allan Glen’s was stark. A turnaround over at training is a must if Perthshire want to get back to winning ways when hosting Whitecraigs at the North Inch on Saturday. All supporters welcome and encouraged to cheer on the team and help lift them to a better result, kick-off is 3pm.

The 2XV fared little better, going down 59-10 away to Crieff in what was the first outing for the 2s this season. The league was struggling due to various teams failing to fulfil fixtures and has now been restructured. Hopefully a better more consistent run of matches lie ahead starting this weekend with Grangemouth 2XV on the North Inch, also a 3pm kick-off.

Photos taken by Eric Mair available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/18606813@N06/albums/72177720302402071

Perthshire XV 41 – 15 Dundee Rugby 2XV

Perthshire start slow before overcoming Dundee.

The lines were painted, railings reinstated and rain softened the pitch; the North Inch was ready for the return of rugby for the 2022-23 season. After a Tour match against Fylde RFC and the Lochside 10s last weekend this was the first opportunity the Senior Men had to play a full match (4x 20min periods) and put into practice the preseason training.

In fine conditions on the North Inch, Dundee kicked off and immediately had possession as ‘Shire failed to take the ball. The defensive press was good and within a few phases Jonny Armitt intercepted and sped down the pitch. Under pressure Dundee infringed and Perthshire kicked to the corner. The rolling maul was taken down illegally and the 5m scrum option chosen. No mistake this time, the forward pack heaved giving No. 8 Calum Chalmers the momentum to pick from the base and batter his way to the line for the opening score.

Perthshire again failed to take the restart giving cheap ball to Dundee. The defence this time was slow giving Dundee time and space. Within a few phases they sucked all the Black & White shirts in and spun it out for a 3-on-1 and pulled a try back to level the scores.

The match was stop-start both teams forcing plays with knock-ons, blind passes and penalties conceded at the breakdown or high tackles. Neither team really got into a rhythm. On one attack Dundee dropped ball in the Perthshire half. Mat Rae scooped it up, ran round the first defender and fended off two more as he completed a 60m dash to score in the corner.

The first period ended with both teams still failing to assert any control. Head Coach Alan Clark asked his players to up the urgency and consider their accuracy in the 2nd period. It started better, Perthshire really making the most of their scrum dominance, Ewen MacDonald and Rhys Darlington more than a match for the opposition props. The lineouts weren’t delivering and this was frustrating any attacking momentum. Jonny Armitt at 10 was playing aggressively and making it hard for Dundee, he was rewarded with a try after exploiting a gap in the defensive line. Scoring the conversion he made it 17-5.

Still there was too much panic in attack with neither team able to make convincing gains. It remained level pegging to the end of the first half.

Rejigging the backline Ben Cameron was in at scrumhalf and Alan Clark put on the Black & White to try and direct the play from flyhalf. The new half-back pairing proved their worth almost instantly. With a bit more control ‘Shire worked the Dundee defence left to right then a gap opened up for Alan Clark; Mat Rae took the ball in support worked further into space and offloaded to Ben Cameron who finished the move.

The restart was still hurting Perthshire and Dundee claimed it again. A cheap penalty allowed them deep into Perthshire territory and then they again sucked in the Black & White players, created a mismatch and scored in the corner.

Captain Mat Rae demanded more from his players and they delivered. Pressure from Perthshire won a penalty and the lineout provided the ball but it was stopped illegally. The 5m penalty was taken short to Ewen MacDonald who barged through, no-one could stop him as he crossed the whitewash to ground the ball.

Moments later back in the ‘Shire half, a solid scrum allowed Calum Chalmers to pick blind. Evading the first defender he was caught by the second but able to offload to Ben Cameron who turned on the afterburners and ran the 50m or so to score under the posts.

The final period began with tired bodies feeling the effects of 60 minutes. Dundee had run out of players so were loaned a few of the Perthshire bench to keep it 15-a-side. The spaces were opening up and in the centre Dan Rae burst through the midfield around halfway. Three men hauled him down but he squeezed the ball to Ben Cameron looping round and running along the touchline. With nowhere to go he kicked infield and it was a foot race. The Dundee fullback got there first but took the ball over the line. Trying to escape he was caught and the ball stripped from him by Ewan MacKessack-Leitch who fell backwards to claim the try.

As the game drew to an end both teams kept trying to go forward and there was time for one more consolation try by Dundee to make it 41-15. This was a mixed Perthshire team who showed some flashes of the work from preseason, but definitely not the finished article. The skills and match composure need to be honed over the next 2 weeks before the season begins.

No better test for this than the final preseason match against Kirkcaldy this coming weekend who will bring both their 1XV and 2XV. These teams present a real step up and chance for Perthshire to measure themselves against teams who compete in the leagues above the Perthshire 1s & 2s respectively. Kick-offs will be 1:30pm, supporters welcome to the North Inch.

Match photos available on Dundee Rugby Website.

Perthshire 7 – 64 Berwick

Season ends on the North Inch, as a work in progress.

After numerous ups & downs the 1XV League season came to an end on the North Inch. The squad should be commended for their resilience in the face of a whole manner of problems, not least COIVD-19 which disrupted the season multiple times. Now safely in the League for next year the mission for the 1s was to enjoy playing rugby and see if an upset was possible against promotion chasing Berwick.

Certainly in the first 30 minutes Perthshire were more than a match for Berwick. Keen defence and solid set piece were holding their own. Berwick were forced into mistakes and turnovers. Calum Chalmers and Matt Jenns particularly impressive at the breakdown generally disrupting Berwick and securing turnovers.

Aidan Watson and Lewis Murrie continued to build their 9/10 partnership and set up some promising attacks, that just came short. The referee’s interpretation of the goal-line drop out not helping. Later on, awarded a lineout within 10m Perthshire were caught in an accidental offside trap in the following maul. The scrums were solid, Captain for the day Ewen MacDonald, Will Campbell and Rhys Darlington getting the edge over their opposite front rowers.

Slowly but surely Berwick began to soak up the pressure and show their promotion credentials. Coming close to the line the score seemed inevitable only for Jonny Armitt to break the siege with an intercept and race up the pitch. Unfortunately the support couldn’t rally quick enough for the pass away and he was caught and the momentum lost.

The scoreline 0-0 with 30 minutes played and Perthshire were holding their own. However, Berwick went up a gear and managed with deft skill and benefitting from weak tackling to open some gaps in the home team’s defence to run in 3 tries before the half ended, 0-19.

Not disheartened Perthshire knew they could still turn it around in the second half. Kieran Ramsay entered the battle and immediately made an impact. Hard tackling and bursting runs causing havoc for the visitors. Winning a turnover while defending the try line Perthshire thought they were good to relieve the pressure. The referee however did not like some of Perthshire’s language and awarded a penalty which Berwick exploited to get the first try of the second half.

Undeterred ‘Shire hit back and Tom Colvin, having a great game, made the difference pressuring the defender to a force the knock on. A scrum penalty followed and ‘Shire had a lineout close to the Berwick line. The maul formed and made some distance before splintering. A few short phases infield then Kieran Ramsay called it to the blind side where he bundled over the line to score. Jonny Armitt adding the extras from a difficult angle.

The remaining 30 minutes were difficult for ‘Shire. Berwick showed real class in attack creating and exploiting space. Injury forced Simon McGarry off and a rejig of the backline. Though the set piece was equal, maybe even in Perthshire’s favour defenders started falling off tackles as the Eagles tired. The Northumberland men needed no second invitations and scored a good number of tries.

Despite clearly being on the wrong side of the results the Eagles continued to attack and defend as a team. Tom Colvin, Calum Chalmers and Kieran Ramsay leading the charge while Angus Walker never took a step backwards holding the line. Ross Goodison was a lively threat all day and relentlessly defended his wing.

The final whistle blew and Berwick with 2 games left are surely on course to promotion to National League 2. Perthshire meanwhile know they are a work in progress and Head Coach Alan Clark hit the nail on the head observing that ‘Shire were equal to top of the league for 30 minutes; off-season, and preseason will be there to make it an 80 minute performance and in 2022/23 challenge for top spots.

The 2XV season, however, continues until 14th May so there will still be rugby for supporters to watch for another 5 weeks. On Saturday the 2s travelled to Bannockburn, but due to player availability it was played under Game On rules with 11 a side.

With no-one on the bench it was a long hard day for Perthshire. Captain Jack Mcintosh was proud of the efforts from his team, the mindset was right and despite conceding 62 points managed to secure a try bonus point to take something from the match. The 4 tries coming from a Rab Pittendreigh interception, Peter Cowen burning round the outside defenders and 2 by Fraser Coldwell individually cutting through the opposition for one and later finished off a team attack starting from the ’Shire 22 for this second. Final score Bannockburn 62 – 26 Perthshire 2XV.

Next week the 2s will face Montrose, kick-off 3pm on the North Inch. Supporters encouraged and welcome to support the Eagles.

Photos taken by Peter Wilkinson.

Perthshire 22 – 22 Strathmore

Tense draw secures Eagles’ place in National League 3 for another season.

Following last week’s bonus point win over Greenock, Perthshire knew a single point would guarantee safety and avoid the possibility of relegation. However, in this local derby league considerations went to the back of the mind, as victory was the aim for both teams. The large crowd gathered on the Inch were not disappointed by the contest played out over the next 80 minutes.

It was a cool but fair day and Strathmore kicked off with Perthshire taking the ball well. After a few initial exchanges of possession, Strathmore opened the scoring with a successful penalty with 5 minutes played.

Soon Perthshire were into the Strathmore half and awarded a scrum in a good position. Tempers frayed between the backrowers as Perthshire’s pack heaved the visitors backwards. Matt Jenns and his opposite number given short shrift from the referee and sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes to cool down.

From the ensuing penalty, Perthshire kicked to the corner and won the lineout cleanly off the top. Sent out to the right, Lewis Murrie at scrumhalf heeded the call from Kieran Ramsay and switched it back left where Ramsay scored in the corner. Jonny Armitt missed the difficult conversion so Perthshire took the lead 5-3.

Moments later ‘Shire again found themselves back in the Strathmore 22. Andrew Sanderson at the end of a fine attack but just bundled into touch. With the 10 minutes sin bin over, the teams returned to 15 men. From this lineout Dan Rae took an excellent steal and immediately Perthshire were on the front foot. The forwards did the heavy lifting, bulldozing up to the line then Kieran Ramsay got his second for the day as he picked & scored from the base of the ruck; conversion missed the hosts had a 10-3 lead.

Having been starved of any quality possession Strathmore begun to get their players working together. A clever kick isolated Perthshire who conceded a penalty allowing Strathmore to kick for touch, but overly ambitious the ball went dead. Perthshire should have taken advantage but tried to run out their own half and were subsequently forced into touch, then compounded this by giving penalty in the next play. Strathmore made touch then won a controversial penalty at the following lineout which was taken quickly before the Eagles’ defence could reorganise. The quick hands found space in the backline with a looping pass opening up the defence for Strathmore to take a converted try and level the score.

Perthshire immediately went on the offensive, the defence forcing Strathmore into a knock-on. The play stayed in the visitors’ half as both teams forced mistakes from the other, Strathmore couldn’t exit, Simon McGarry key in winning midfield turnovers, but neither could ‘Shire break through despite opportunities created by Mat Rae and Aidan Watson.

Throughout the match Perthshire had the better in the set piece. The lineout maul was on devastating. With about 6 minutes to go and still in Strathmore territory the maul set and rumbled forward only to be denied as they were taken down illegally. Confident in his pack James Mair called it to himself again and from 5m the pressure was too much to defend. Kieran Ramsay secured his hattrick with another try in the corner as he peeled off the maul. Again the angle was not favourable and the conversion missed.

There was time for one more attack before the half ended. Perthshire has the option to go for 3 points but instead backed their maul. It wasn’t to be as the referee controversially judged the ball knocked on when Angus Walker went to ground it. So it remained 15-10 at the break.

With 3 tries to 1, Perthshire knew they had the ability to see the game out in the second half. All they needed to do was maintain composure and continue to exert pressure through the scrum & lineout.

The second half started at 100mph. It was a close, with the breakdown a particularly ferocious, contest both James Mair and Calum Chalmers excelling on the floor. The solid front row of Kyle MacKinnon, Angus Walker and Ewen MacDonald continued to provide a platform from the scrum.

Edging closer to their 4th try, tempers frayed and the referee sent ‘Shire back for a double penalty after an infringement on the clearing kicker. Perthshire were then lucky not to concede as moments later Strathmore broke through the midfield but the final, would be scoring, pass was knocked on.

Indiscipline was hurting ‘Shire now preventing any attacking rhythm and gifting Strathmore possession and position to attack. A couple of soft tackles in the midfield and the visitors were in behind. Hauled down just short of the line Strathmore reorganised quickly and after a few short picks took their try in the corner. Conversion missed the match was level 15-15.

Immediately after the restart Strathmore seized the lead. Receiving the ball on the left flank they attacked then sent a cross field kick to the right. Running down the wing as Perthshire scrambled the ball was grubber kicked infield where it was collected and scored under the posts. Within 2 minutes, Perthshire has gone from leading to a 7 point deficit.

The final 20 minutes saw mistakes and indiscipline hamper both teams. This suited Strathmore who were happy to run down the clock. After a promising few phases camped on the line James Mair crossed the line but the referee judged a knock on in the grounding.

Still applying the pressure the men in Black & White returned to the lineout maul but they were just held out. Changing tactic ‘Shire took a scrum 5m out. Forwards held in, Lewis Murrie sent the ball to the backs to no avail as an intentional knock on saw Strathmore reduced to 14 for the remainder of the match.

Constantly Perthshire pushed for the score, but scums and short penalties were defended. Eventually, in the final play and right on the line Will Campbell burst through the middle of the ruck to cover the necessary centimetres and cross the whitewash. Bonus point try secured, it was up to Jonny Armitt to see if he could add the extras to draw the match. If he was nervous he didn’t show, as he slotted it and the referee blew for full-time, 22-22.

Relief and elation in equal measure was expressed by the now sizeable crowd that had watched this entertaining match. Head Coach Alan Clark was pleased to see the resilience of the squad he has built to stick with it to the end and get more than the minimum from the match. The 3 league points secured sends Perthshire up to 7th in the table and above Strathmore.

The 2XV were also playing on the North Inch and also gave the squad a boost posting 45-12 win against Grangemouth 2XV. You can read the full match report, The Perth Men Come Up Trumps On The Inch, here: www.perthshire-rfc.co.uk/teams/2nd-xv

Next week is the final match for the 1XV as they host Berwick on the Inch, kick-off again 3pm. The visitors will be looking to extract as many points from the match as they seek promotion. Perthshire know they will have a handful to deal with but can go out and play with no fear and enjoy the chance to cause an upset. Meanwhile the 2XV travel to Bannockburn and look to build on the positive performance from this Saturday.

Photos taken by Peter Wilkinson.