Three-try burst in first half settles it for cruising Currie
● Chieftains consolidate top-four position
0 Edinburgh Accies’ Michael Badenhorst attempts to shake off a tackle during Saturday’ defeat by Currie. end 20 and pretty good in the middle,” said Currie coach Ben Cairns. “We had a few silly passes early on that let them into the game. Their kicking game was good and our backfield coverage wasn’t brilliant. But once we got on top of that, the middle 40 was pretty good for us.”
Accies dominated the first 20, racing into a ten-point lead with a converted try by scrum-half Robbie Davis and a 35-metre penalty by inside centre Richard Mill.
But when Currie woke up to thefacttheyhadarealcompetitive game on their hands they reacted by running in three tries before half-time scored by captain Robbie Nelson, full-back James Mccaig and winger Ben Robbins, with Joe Reynolds converting two out of the three.
The third quarter began with
too big a deficit as the clock ran down. “I thought we were very calm in the last ten or 15 minutes,” he said. “I thought we did well to control the game in that last period. We have won four out of five home games so we’re making this a place that’s a bit difficult to come to again.”
County had slipped to 10-0 down early on as Hawks scored a try by Robert Beattie that Ross Thompson converted before adding a penalty.
Stirling had fluffed a number of chances before a coruscating three minutes saw touchdowns by Ali Mackie, Andrew Chieftains attacking again and threatening to overrun the home side. When Accies try scorer Davis slapped down a pass to stop a likely try, he went to the sin bin and Currie went on the rampage. Before he got back on the pitch another trio of tries were scored by replacement prop AP Mcwilliams, No 8 Scott Mcginley and Edinburgh professional scrumhalf Charlie Shiel. Reynolds converted the lot and Currie were out of sight.
To their credit, Accies persevered and applied enough pressure to get full-back Robbie Chalmers in for a late consolation try. Accies coach Derek O’riardon was pleased with the performance as far as it went but anxious about how to manage the team for the rest of the year in the absence of clear guidance on relegation and the advent of the Super Six next season.
“The first 20 minutes and last 20 minutes are an example of
Goudie and Grant Hughes, all of them goalled by Goudie.
Thompson chipped over a penalty to reduce the gap and Jack Macready crossed the County line soon after the restart, Thompson adding the extras to bring Hawks to within one point.
James Couper then scored, Thompson on target again and adding a penalty with a little over ten minutes left. But Ross Bundy’s try brought Stirling to within touching distance before the final score by Matt Emmison in the 84th minute won the game. where 20 boys buy into the shape and system both sides of the ball and we look great,” he said. “When we go a score down or there is a poor refereeing decision we feel sorry for ourselves and we go inside our shells and a team like Currie capitalise when they get a sense you are on that curve on the way down. We didn’t react at all – we let in 40 points in 40 minutes. Irrespective of the result today, a win is not far away. We will come good.
“But relegation is back on the cards. The reality is that you need to win four games at least in that second phase of the season. What we are playing for at the moment is trying to avoid going straight down.
“Nobody has said anything but the ambiguity is enough. Do you go to agents and try to bring in players to save our season or do you stick with the guys you have? We need some leadership from Murrayfield. Give us an answer.” Melrose had reason to celebrate with a victory over Boroughmuir made sweeter when the Ayr defeat filtered through to The Greenyards, writes Atholl Innes.
There was special praise, too, for the young players in the side who have made an impact this season with injuries to key personnel.
“They are getting more comfortable at this level, showed they are making the step up and I am pleased with their all-round contribution to the side,” said coach Rob Chrystie.
Thehostsscoredseventries but Boroughmuir replied with five of their own to pick up a bonus point. However, they were undone when Melrose scored twice in three minutes after the visitors had scored the first of their tries.
Boroughmuir coach Peter Wright said that the game
in four further tries to ease themselves to victory 50-14. Scrum-half Alex Ball was the main man with a hat-trick.
“We did not look energised in the first half, we kept making mistakes and coughing up the ball and Hawick made sure they still had a chance,” said Smith. “We explained what we wanted at half-time and, fair play to the boys, they went out there and delivered.”
Hawick’s miserable run away from home continued – having not won on the road this term – and their head coach George Graham said:
had been lost early. “You cannot give teams a lead of 25 points or so and expect to come back,” he said.
Early tries by Murdo Mcandrew, Anderson and a penalty try put Melrose in the driving seat at 21-0. Dale Robertson pulled a score back before Michael Mvelasejulyan and Anderson scored in the space of three minutes to earn a bonus point.
Boroughmuir kept their hopes alive as Matt Walker touched down on the stroke of half-time to trail 33-14 at the interval. The visitors may have won the second half 15-12 thanks to scores by Gavin Parker, Rory Drummond and Will Wardlaw but Melrose’s young hooker Finlay Scott and Mcandrew completed the scoring.
Struan Hutchison and Robin Weersham added conversions and Boroughmuir left in the knowledge that they have the opportunity to gain revenge when the clubs meet again in the league and cup, at Meggetland.
“Normally there is a drop off when you play away, but not as much as that, and when you capitulate in the second half and lose 31 points when you were only five points behind at the break, well it is really hard to take.”
Heriot’s were 12-0 up early onthankstotwotriesbywinger Craig Robertson. Their other try scorers after the break were back-row Jack Mclean and centre Ross Jones. Hawick’s two tries, both scored before the break, came from stand-off Lee Armstrong and centre Andrew Mitchell.