LATE WINNER FOR MILLBRAE MEN
Stirling Co .......... 25 Ayr Rugby .......... 27 Millbrae men lethargic in Stirling
That was far too close for comfort, writes Ron Evans.
At Bridgehaugh, Ayr were mere seconds away from surrendering top spot in the Tennent’s Premiership after a lethargic performance in the face of a feisty young Stirling squad.
The fact that they didn’t take the lead throughout the game until the final moments is evidence of both a side who played well below par but also of a desire to grab whatever they can to stay on top.
An early flurry saw Grant Anderson put Ayr on the front foot but like so much of the afternoon’s efforts, it fizzled out with a try butchered, unlike Stirling who hit back and after seven minutes were on the board.
Stirling No. 8 Ali Mackie was the man who completed a multi- phase attack for Jonny Hope to convert and that needed a response.
Ayr produced that reply in the next minute with Kyle Rowe blazing down the wing, fending off opposite number Logan Trotter then sending Frazier Climo in under the posts.
Climo converted but that was Ayr’s only shot at parity until the driver was warming up the bus for what was looking like being a miserable trip home. For a pack with the exceptional back row of Blair Macpherson, Tommy Spinks and Pete McCallum along with a pair of locks in David Corbenici and newly arrived Kiwi Lars Morrice, Ayr were surprisingly awful in the forward encounters.
The breakdown was ineffectual, the scrums were just even and no more while the line out failings had the coaches tearing their hair out.
With quarter of an hour gone, Stirling drove a line out mercilessly to five metres from the Ayr line, held on for a couple of phases to suck the Ayr defence in then swung the ball wide for Ewan MacGarvie to capitalise on the open space in front of him.
It would be inaccurate to say that the next try took a leaf out of Ayr’s book since the visitors had provided less than an A5 flyer never mind a book but the Stirling drive from the 22 to the Ayr line was impressive and deserved the try credited to hooker Andrew Orr which again Hope failed to convert.
On the half hour, after much mid- field grumbling with little achieved, Paddy Dewhirst snaffled a Stirling fumble and galloped away for Ayr’s second try and although Climo missed the conversion he nailed a beauty of a penalty just after the restart to keep Ayr in touch at 17- 15 adrift at the break.
The second half started with an Ayr SNAFU involving an overthrown line out which Peter Jericevich nabbed and skipped over and although Hope’s conversion was wide, he made no mistake with a penalty after Macpherson was penalised, harshly some thought, for a high tackle to put Stirling 25- 15 up.
With 20 minutes remaining, Ayr had to pull out something but they spent 15 of those minutes trying to penetrate a stubborn and disciplined Stirling defence. Then came line out SNAFU number two, this time perpetrated by Stirling. Steven Longwell pounced, defenders bounced and he was over for Climo to convert and, at 25- 22, the scene was set for a dramatic finish.
As with most dramas a certain amount of violence was involved although the handbags deployed were more Gucci than Tarantino, things calmed down, then sub Scott Lyle changed the game.
His outrageous break was all that was needed to clear the room for Dewhirst to apply the coup de grace and grab all five points when one or even nul points with five minutes left was a distinct possibility.
There was hardly time for the restart, the whistle brought proceedings to a close and the feeling among the Ayr faithful was that the team ought to hightail it out of Dodge sharpish before they were done for larceny.