Garnock 95 – 14 Perthshire

Perthshire struggle to hold back the flood.

Due to the terribly wet weather rendering the North Inch unplayable for a month, it was 4 week’s since the 1XV had played a match. Unavailability within the Senior Section and a few of late call-offs due to flooding left Perthshire staring at the prospect of traveling down to table topping Garnock with only 14 players. Head Coach Graham “Smudge” Smith bravely volunteered to roll back the years and pull on the boots so that the fixture could be fulfilled, however there was no-one more relieved when additional players were sourced on the bus journey down to fill out the starting XV and give him a reprieve.

Despite arriving in good time and completing a good warm up, Perthshire started the game as if they had just got off the bus. Having kicked off to Garnock, powerful carries broke the Perthshire line within the first 10 seconds of the game and this was a trend which Perthshire could not arrest for the initial 25 minutes of the game. Weak defence, a scrum operating in reverse and an inability to hold onto ball left Perthshire trailing by 40-0 before they managed to gain any level of territory or possession.

Perthshire gradually built phases and created opportunities to get on the scoreboard – most notably a Mat Rae linebreak and a series of pick and goes right on the Garnock line. However, these proved unfruitful with the Garnock defence holding strong, before punishing the ‘Shire at the other end. The most chastening on first halves ended with the score: Garnock 52 – 0 Perthshire.

Perthshire spoke at half time about standing up, getting on the scoreboard and putting a bit of pride into the jersey. Although Perthshire still struggled to contain Garnock’s attacking threats in the second half, they did manage to get a couple to tries on the scoreboard.

The first of these came following a fantastic 50:22 by Andrew Guthrie. This provided the attacking platform and although Garnock defended a number of phases inside their own 22, they were eventually penalised and a quick tap penalty was fed to Ben Marshall who touched down in the left-hand corner.

The second Perthshire try was score by Simon McGarry following a series of attacking phases inside the Garnock 22. Eventually Calum Bruce found James Mair with a flat pass and his half break allowed him to free his arms and feed McGarry to dot down over the whitewash.

In spite of these scores, when the referee’s final whistle blew it was with the score reading an incredibly disappointing, Garnock 95 – 14 Perthshire.

Perthshire are back at the North Inch this Saturday when they have a chance to redeem themselves against North Berwick. Kick off is at the earlier time of 2pm and any support would be greatly appreciated. The 2XV match against Rosyth was called off due to waterlogged pitches, they too return to action away against Grangemouth 2XV on Saturday.

We would also like to say a massive thank you to Josh, Jack & Connor who stepped in to play for the 1XV and all put in a great effort on what turned out to be a very difficult day.

Photos from Garnock Facebook page. 

 

Crieff & Strathearn 24 – 22 Perthshire Eagles

Late rally fails to overcome second half dip.

In total contrast to last weekend’s rain and flooding, Saturday was a windy yet bright sunny day. The newly christened Eagles (formerly 2XV) under Coach Craig Manson had a full squad of regular, new and returning players to pull on the Black & White of Perthshire. There was optimism following the last outing, a 36-22 victory against Waid Academy on the North Inch 2 weeks previously.

The opening plays were frantic. It was all Crieff, they took the ball hard to the line and asked difficult questions of the Perthshire defence. The Eagles held on, just, as Crieff hammered the line. Thomas Pounder seized his chance and intercepted on the goal-line, it was a sprint covering 95m he was just denied as an almighty cover tackle from the flying fullback bundled him into touch.

Perthshire used the field position to force a Crieff knock-on and from the base of the scrum Dane McGregor picked and went, his hulking frame just stopped short. The Eagles played a couple of phases but were illegally turned over. The penalty was tapped and taken back to the line, this time Alan Clark got the ball out to fly-half AJ Guthrie who’s dummy flummoxed the defence then a delayed pass found centre James Mair who dived over for the opening try. AJ duly converted, 0-7.

Keen to build the momentum from the restart, strong carries by Cameron Craig then Ross Goodison brought the Eagles right back into a solid attacking position. However, the support was missing and the ball lost. Defending, Perthshire swiftly regained the momentum courtesy of a Callum Coutts turnover but again impatience in attack lost possession.

Now it was Crieff’s turn to attack. They again worked the ball well but tackles from Alan Clark, James Mair and Ross Alexander kept them at bay. Winning the ball back, AJ Guthrie put in a sweet kick over the top to land a 50:22 and regain the upper hand.

A high tackle after the line out, gave ‘Shire a penalty which Alan Clark took quickly; Rab Pittendreigh nearly collected the floated pass with the try line beckoning. Instead ‘Shire with a few injuries and rejigging in the line settled down with AJ Guthrie kicking over for 3 points.

The tempo calmed for a few minutes and the Eagles switched off momentarily. The hosts took advantage and worked the ball out to the wing, where a sleepy defence did not respond, and crossed over in the corner for an unconverted try, 5-10.

This reenergised the match as both teams revved up again with play moving from end-to-end. James Mair won a crucial turnover defending on the 5m line, ‘Shire then crashed right up through the middle following a superb carry by James Whyte eating up the ground and swatting off defenders.

Crieff regained possession but a loose kick was gathered by Alan Clark who ran it back with added interest. The forwards ratcheted up the pressure as they barged their way to the line then Captain Ryan Beaton surged over to score. The conversion missed, the Eagles restored their 10 point lead.

It did not last to the end of the half. Missing first up tackles, ‘Shire were living dangerously and in their own half. Twice Perthshire won the ball back but could not escape their 22. The ball was held up over the line and Crieff came back again from the goal-line drop-out. The pressure told and on a switch of direction the Eagles were short and the home winger ran into the space to score in the corner.

Half time came and at 10-15, though ahead, the Eagles knew there was still a lot of work to be done.

The next 10 minutes were calamitous. The soft first up tackles continued and the scramble couldn’t compensate. Crieff crossed after gliding through the centre, despite Thomas Pounder covering and wrestling the scorer onto his back he was able to just ground the ball.

Minutes later, slicing through again Crieff ran over the dead ball, much to the home crowd’s consternation. This was amended soon after as the play broke up and Crieff ran it in under the posts, 24-15.

The second half tempo continued at a crazy pace. Both teams testing the limits of their skills in attack and not pulling it off. Despite Georgina Adams’ powerful shift repairing broken bodies the constant changes to the line up were affecting the Eagles’ ability to get into any rhythm or structure. Superb runs by Mikey Evans where he found the space dancing round defenders were not backed up and the forwards could not capitalise on barging carries by Ryan Beaton, James Marley & Kieran Maclean.

The momentum swung in Perthshire’s favour when, after one penalty too many, Crieff saw a player sent to the sin bin. The Eagles used the numerical advantage and sent the ball out to Thomas Pounder who again after covering most the distance was stopped short of the line and stretched to reach but was judged a double movement.

Camped in the 22, Perthshire struggled to get to the line. Eventually after multiple phases and repelled attacks Cameron Craig found the opening he needed. AJ Guthrie added the extras and it was a 2 point game with only minutes left on the clock.

The game ended as it had begun: high pace and chaotic. Perthshire were in the right position but a lack of composure allowed Crieff to win the ball back and boot it into touch to end an entertaining and breathless encounter.

The players knew they had let this one get away with lapses in concentration and weak tackles at times gifting Crieff the opportunities they needed. This was a performance to be proud of as the Perthshire Eagles seek to establish their identity and build into a force to be reckoned with. Huge credit to Connor Nicholls on his debut and to James Marley, Angus McGeoghie and James Whyte on their returns to Perthshire; all took their chance well and will be integral parts of the Eagles going forward.

That starts next week with a trip to top of the table Bannockburn. As the 1XV host Greenock Wanderers (location TBC after the North Inch flooding), Craig Manson needs as many players as possible to make themselves available so Perthshire can put out 2 full teams. Could YOU be one of them? All players of any ability are welcome to join, please e-mail senior@perthshire-rfc.co.uk for more information.

Photos taken by Mike Ryan.

Perthshire 22 – 27 Dunfermline

Frustration as ‘Shire make life difficult in close match.

Nearly a decade passed since Dunfermline’s last visit to the North Inch on 5th October 2013 when both teams were playing in Caledonia League 1. That year Perthshire’s 39-12 win put them well on the way to promotion up to the National Leagues whereas, always close to the top of the league, Dunfermline secured their promotion last season.

In was the Fife men who kicked off, and in a portent of how the match would unfold, Perthshire knocked on the catch. The defence was resolute with Kieran Ramsay leading the charge with precise and forceful tackles, to create the turnover.

Perthshire kicked away possession to clear but failed to find touch and Dunfermline were up in attack again. The pattern of solid ‘Shire defence winning turnovers, with Angus Walker prominent amongst the jacklers, but then cheaply kicking to allow Dunfermline to attack again repeated for most of the opening 10 minutes. With the first missed tackle on the 22, the visitors got clean through and made the final metres to score a converted try, 0-7.

The pattern repeated again, more determined and aggressive Perthshire defence, but too little ball & time in attack before it was kicked away or knocked on; relieving any pressure on Dunfermline who would bash it up once more.

Keeping the ball in hand the Eagles made a break. Strong runs from Simon McGarry and Ross Goodison put Dunfermline on the back foot. A delayed pass from Calum Bruce attacking right up to the line went to James Mair, who surged forward. Support was lacking after a couple of rucks and the attack ended. However, the potential to be dangerous was shown.

It wasn’t long until the opportunity came, Ben Marshall ran down the left touchline for about 40m bouncing off 2 tacklers before slipping the offload to Captain Simon McGarry to dive over in the corner, Calum Bruce just hit the post with the conversion attempt.

Overly keen, ‘Shire tried to play out of their own half but knocked on. From the scrum, Dunfermline worked the ball right to left to right stretching the home team and found the gap to burst through for their second try, 5-12.

Spurred on the ‘Shire defence continued to be aggressive & assertive. A turnover from Simon McGarry led to his fellow back rowers Garry Coull & James Mair blasting forward but isolated the ball was lost. Returning for the penalty Calum Bruce just pushed it wide of the posts.

The Fifers were really under pressure but they were continually let off by unforced errors or erratic decisions by the Eagles trying to force the play. When it did stick it looked good. From a breakdown at halfway almost the whole team touched the ball in the following quick rucks, phases and offloads before Lewis Murrie ran the support line to receive the final pass and dive over. Converting from the tee Calum Bruce levelled the match, 12-12.

At the restart Perthshire gifted a cheap penalty to Dunfermline who opted for goal and scored the 3 points, to nudge ahead at the break, 12-15.

Perthshire knew this would be a game of fine margins. Kieran Ramsay after an injury scare was back on & could create the go froward. Counter attacks from fullback Aidan Watson and the control of Calum Bruce would allow the score to happen. The team just needed to be patient and trust each other.

The first 2 minutes of the second half put ‘Shire up against it, Dunfermline awarded a scrum on halfway after the kick-off went short, took no time in adding an unconverted try. The ball went to the left touchline then the scrumhalf saw a narrow but clear blindside, he darted round and sprinted the 45m using his footwork to beat the cover defence to the corner, 12-20.

Shellshocked, now Perthshire were under a period of sustained pressure. The defence continued to hold but looked less assured. Dunfermline had more time & space on the ball and started to offload effectively. One try denied by a last pass knock on, and another held up over the line ‘Shire were just, and no more, keeping them at bay. The physicality was taking it’s toll with Ben Marshall and Garry Coull both off with injuries, a blow as they were highly effective before their departures.

Dunfermline also gained the upper hand in the scrum. The penalty count mounted and Dunfermline were unlucky, or maybe Perthshire were just determined enough in defence, not to gain any points. Somewhat against the run of play Perthshire scored next; with the first piece of attacking possession the Eagles were awarded a penalty which Calum Bruce knocked over to reduce the deficit, 15-20.

The pattern continued, both teams failing to take their opportunities: Dunfermline thwarted by the ‘Shire linespeed & aggression in tackling; Perthshire by their own imprecision and failure to link up in attack. The scrum dominance continued for the Fife men who slowly cranked the pressure up on a scrum that was repeatedly reset. With the forwards all tied in, the Dunfermline centre found space in the midfield and got in behind to set up their fourth try under the posts.

At the next scrum tempers flared and the referee spoke to both captains. The hits got harder it was trench warfare, stuck in the middle of the pitch neither team able to engineer a break-through. The contact was taking it’s toll on both teams, Dunfermline lost 2 players whose heads collided attempting a tackle and Simon McGarry had to leave the field prompting a rejig across the team.

In the final 10 minutes Perthshire worked into the 22 and a high tackle by Dunfermline saw a yellow card issued and they would finish with 14 on the field. A couple of quick tap penalties bought ‘Shire to the line; James Mair, nearly capping his Man of the Match performance with a try, went close then the ball was shifted along the hands to Will Campbell who had open grass in front of him to touch down out wide. Calum Bruce added the extras to give ‘Shire a chance of snatching victory in the remaining minutes, 22-27.

It wasn’t to be, ‘Shire were isolated from the restart and turned over. Dunfermline kicked for the corner and set the lineout. Defence was good and halted the attacks but the clock ran out and Dunfermline ended the match kicking to touch.

No doubt another match that “got away” from Perthshire. With 3 matches played all were close and within 10 points. Better composure and linking together at key moments will convert these fine losses into wins. That is the challenge for Graham “Smudge” Smith and coaching team to work on this week as they look ahead to visiting Ross High on Saturday, who have suffered a similar start to their campaign.

Photographs taken by Peter Wilkinson.

Pounder’s Half Dozen

Perthshire 2XV 85 – 12 Bo’ness

Eagles cross the line 15 times with Thomas Pounder claiming 6 of them.

For the second week in a row the mighty 2s found themselves playing “Game On” rules as new league entrants Bo’ness could only muster 11 players. Indeed Perthshire’s numbers hadn’t looked promising right up until Friday, but after some calls were made a match day squad of 20 assembled, giving new 2s coach Craig Manson something of a selection headache! A huge thanks due to Keith Millar & the players from Arbroath who came to bolster the numbers.

Perthshire drew first blood through some lovely evasive running from winger Thomas Pounder who was making his league debut for the 2XV. Bo’ness to their credit never gave up and fought back to score a couple of tries through slack Perthshire defending.

With some of the front row carrying injuries, coach Manson shuffled the lineup and put Captain Angus “Stoorie” Macpherson in at tight head prop! The veteran centre able to play there as the scrums went uncontested. This allowed some of the more youthful and mobile backs onto the pitch to exploit the space and keep the scoreboard ticking over.

After 40 minutes with the score at 46-12, injuries further reduced Bo’ness but player matching is a key part of Game On so spaces opened and the game stayed alive & competitive for the final 20 minutes.

With thoughts turning to next week’s match away at Strathmore, Coach Manson was keen to try and execute some more of the game play worked on in training, and the team were at times able to show their progress here. However, with Bo’ness tiring spaces were opening up all over the pitch and the tries kept coming from the pace of Mikey Evans and Thomas Pounder. The try scoring was completed in the last play by Chris Wallace, playing his first game in 10 months, who powered his way over the line from short range.

Counting back the scores: Thomas Pounder, on his debut, ran in 6 and made 2 conversions; David Webster crossed the line 4 times and added 2 conversions; Mikey Evans scored 2 with 2 conversions; and there was a try apiece from Angus Macpherson, Rab Pittendreigh & Chris Wallace. Final score 85-12.

Overall a much needed confidence boost for the 2XV but still plenty to work on in terms of structure and defence before next week’s game against Strathmore 2XV at Inchmacoble Park, Forfar. It shows that when the team has the players, the results will follow. Still time for players new and old to join us and help in the league campaign, contact senior@perthshire-rfc.co.uk for more information.

Photos taken from Dave Morgan Pix.