Angus is hero for County in Bridgehaugh late show
STIRLING COUNTY .................................................... 27 BOROUGHMUIR BEARS ........................................... 23
They may have been holding up the wrong end of the FOSROC Super6 League table at the start of this match but these two teams put on an exhibition of running rugby in glorious autumn sunshine.
County just about deserved their win by scoring four tries to two from the visitors. They also boxed a little smarter on the day but there was precious little to choose between these teams.
This one was only decided at the death, all square, 20-20, inside the final 10 minutes. Tom Pittman had kicked what looked like the winning penalty for the Bears on 74 minutes only for County to land the sucker punch, a maul try with 59 seconds left on the clock through replacement hooker Angus Fraser.
The first try illustrated the essential difference between the two teams on the day. Having won an attacking throw, County stacked the line-out with at least two extra backs and made light work of marching the Bears big men back over their own try line just 10 minutes into the match, skipper Reyner Kennedy the last man up with the ball.
Bears spent the final 10 minutes of the opening 40 knocking on Country’s door. The visitors had at least five attacking lineouts, and numerous open field opportunities, but failed to convert a single one of them after relying almost exclusively on grunt to get them over the line. County’s defence was solid but the visitors persistence with route one rugby in the opposition red zone suggests a tactical error.
In fairness Boroughgmuir’s challenge was undermined as early as the fourth minute when they lost their skipper Dan Winning to injury and their set-piece had mixed results thereafter, losing at least three line-outs with the scrum creaking throughout.
They did score one cracking good try on what was just about their first visit to the County half. An attacking maul was going nowhere quickly so fly-half Pittman dinked a cross-field kick-pass and winger Jordan Edmunds rose to collect the ball and score the try with just a little too much ease.
County responded with a great score of their own right on the 30 minute mark. Centre Grant Hughes made the initial break just inside the Bears’ half of the field. He fed inside to fly-half Andrew Goudie, who then executed a clever switch with winger Tom Roche, who raced away to dot down under the sticks.
The Bears had their 10 minutes in the sun at the end of the first half but, with nothing to show for all their pressure it was almost inevitable that County would fill their boots with a breathtaking score on 53 minutes.
The home side moved the ball slickly to the right where centre Archie Russell made a half break and flicked the ball out of the tackle to Craig Robertson. The full-back looked for any money like he would make the Bears’ line only to be collared, but not before an audacious offload ‘out-the-back’ landed perfectly for flying winger Steven Hamilton, who had tracked play brilliantly and was duly rewarded with a try which gave County what looked like a unassailable 10 point lead.
County fluffed an easy conversion and this boosted confidence in the visitors’ camp. They won a soft penalty in front of the posts which they gratefully turned into three points, before home prop Will
Skinner saw yellow after diving on the ball in the shadow of his own posts.
The Bears took immediate advantage of the numbers with winger Edmunds finding a gap to barrel his way over the line for his second touchdown of the afternoon, and Pittman’s conversion made it a 20-20 match. Ten minutes after looking dead and buried, the Bears had worked their way back into this contest and better things were to come.
Six minutes from time County’s replacement winger Ross McKnight conceded a penalty for barging a man off the ball and Pittman stepped up to kick his side into the lead.
With time running out, County won a kickable penalty but showed admirable admibition by opting instead for the attacking line-out. Again the home team stacked the line and marched the Bears backwards in an agonising slow motion replay of the opening score. Centre Grant Hughes added the extras and the Bridgehaugh faithful celebrated a rare victory.
“We are happy with the result,” said County coach Ben Cairns after the whistle, “but we cannot be happy with the performance. We didn’t build any pressure and we wouldn’t have won it without that maul dominance.”
County’s next Super6 match is at home to Watsonians on Sunday, kick-off 1.30pm.
Stirling County: Robertson, Hamilton, Russell, Hughes, Roche; Goudie, Korteweg; Lamberton, Kennedy, Skinner, Pow, King, Arnott, Gordon, Taylor-Menzies. Replacements: Fraser, Dineen, Breese, Jackson, Cruickshank, Cunningham, Hayes, McKnight.
IAIN MORRISON
www.theoffsideline.com
Stirling Wolves went down 24-9 to Ayr at Bridgehaugh on Friday night in their latest Tennent’s National League Division 1 fixture.
On Saturday they are on their travels tothe Borders when they visit Kelso.
The women’s team defeated Cartha Queens Park 25-12 at Bridgehaugh on Sunday in a Tennent’sPremiership fixture.
This Sunday they will be at Hillhead/Jordanhill.