Bulls grind out win in Sunday mudfest
STIRLING COUNTY .................................. 0 AYRSHIRE BULLS ..................................... 8
The rain waited almost exactly until the 2pm kick-off before coming down in biblical proportions but, to look on the bright side, at least the River Forth that flanks Bridgehaugh didn’t break its banks.
This game was a terrible advert for anything other than washing powder and even that presumes that the players’ shirts come out of this mudfest the right colour.
Gale force winds blew directly down the field and, with the option of Christmas shopping available, the crowd stayed away in their droves. Who can blame them? The most interesting thing on the field was a few flare ups between the players.
At the end of the 80, the Bulls remain second with just one loss to their name. County actually moved up one place, from fifth to fourth in the table thanks to points difference, and the same two teams go at it again next weekend.
When they turned around at half-time nursing a 3-0 lead it never looked remotely enough given that they were playing into the elements in the second 40 but their big men somehow managed to score the only try of the match against the odds and the prevailing conditions, to seal the victory 10 minutes from time. Even then, the sole try of the afternoon was somewhat fortuitous.
County turned the ball over as the Bulls’ big men ground their way to within inches of the home try line. However, Stirling placed the ball over their own try line, but still inside the ruck, and the Bulls’ Argentine prop Nico Griffiths simply came around the breakdown, as he is allowed to do, and touched the ball down. It was another farcical moment in a match that wasn’t short of them.
Head coach Ben Cairns said: “I thought we were in a good position at half time at 3-0 down. We could have been in the lead with a couple of good opportunities close to their line that we didn’t take.
“It was a strong wind in that second half but trying to get the ball into that back right corner where we would be in a good position, we just really struggled to get the ball where we wanted it and to kick on the front foot at all. I thought our management of our exit was poor.
“We didn’t get a chance to get into the right areas of the pitch to really sting them so that is the learning, how to manage the game better.”
Both teams were probably guilty of playing a little more rugby than was strictly necessary or even possible in the conditions. Almost every attempt to put width on the ball came to grief as someone was certain to make an unforced error and it was almost impossible to step a defender in the wet conditions.
Connor Gordon in the first 40 and Cameron Henderson in the second both made superb line breaks for County but it was a day for collective effort and Ayr’s forwards probably did just enough to justify this win.
Stirling County: MacGarvie; McLean, Kent, Hayes, Trotter; Goudie, Korteweg; Dineen (Brown 39)(Wood 66), Kennedy, Walker, Davidson, Henderson, Bartlett (Smith 50), Gordon, Taylor-Menzies (Pow 56).