Winning start failed to last long for EK
Coach Steel is back but faces an uphill challenge
East Kilbride Rugby Club’s unbeaten start to the 2017/18 season turned out to be t he briefest of runs – with returning head coach Allan Steel unable to motivate the side to add to last week’s opening day victory over Helensburgh.
Last Saturday’s win, the final game of the Fraser Watt era, was built around forward dominance but this area of strength was just a memory on Saturday as the line-out fell apart and the scrum struggled for parity.
The outcome of the set-piece inconsistency was that any time East Kilbride sought to build pressure in the Garnock half they were undone by a lack of control and certainty up front.
There were one or two moments of excitement when EK moved the ball wide but these were unfortunately few and far between and a fitter, hungrier Ga rno ck were seldom unduly worried beyond tries from Roddy Beaton and Scott Shankie.
EK now slip down to fifth spot, four points behind a triumvirate of BT West Division One pacesetters, made up of Allan Glens, Kilmarnock and Carrick.
Seen scribbling furiously, Steel should have plenty to work on at training this week in advance of round three when unbeaten jointleaders Kilmarnock come to Torrance House.
Kick-off on Saturday is scheduled for 3pm.
EK TEAM: Mclellan, Anderson, E Beat on(c),Da lg leish,Rosie,G Blackwood, Irvine, R Beaton, Stott, B Blackwood, Connelly-Tennock, Shankie, Greenfield, Murray, Ellison.
•Meanwhile, East Kilbride’s reserves were again second best by a distance, going down 56-27 at home to Dalziel.
Despite suffering defeat the side at least had the compensation of picking up the try bonus point with scores from PatQuigg(2),Wil lie Roslin, Andy MacDonald and Mark Donnachie.
The Under-16’s were always likely to be up against it when they faced GHA shorn of seven front-line players through injury or Duke of Edinburgh commitments, and so it proved.
The city side ran out comfortable 55-22 victors, as the EK tries came from Cameron Ren nie (2) and Nathan Wilson.
The mini-section had one of their biggest tests of the season attending a Biggar tournament which traditionally draws the top clubs in the country and the 2017 iteration was no different.
Faced with sides of the quality of Stirling County, Mel rose, Currie, Boroughmuir and the hosts it was not anticipated that many victories would be forthcoming.
The primary six unit lost all three of their games while the P5’s at least had the satisfaction of a win over Biggar to counter defeats at the hands of County and Melrose, but it was the primary four side who took the plaudits.
After opening with a comfortable victory over Big gar,EastKil bride took on Scotland’s premier junior academy in the shape of Stirling County and shocked everyone with a 6-4 win.
Jack Red dick set the defensive tone and with Finlay McKinnon in belligerent form EK secured a semifinal against Currie, Jaiden Grimley snatching it for EK at the death in a nine-try thriller.
This left East Kilbride to face Boroughmuir in the final and the 5-3 scoreline flattered the Edinburgh side, such wasEK’ s dominance, with tries going to Scott Brown, Zac McQueen, Ailia Aziz, Lewis Clark and Callum Russell.