Reds continue winning run despite low key performance
Royal High were the visitors to Mains Park on Saturday in an East League Division 1 fixture and as expected provided a real test for the home team. Playing conditions were good with no rain and only a gentle breeze. The Reds fielded a much changed side from last week with 6 changes in the squad and only 5 players starting in the same position as last week. The home side were missing the rising star of the season in outside half Conor Finlay and the cornerstone of the forward pack Colin Devlin both of whom suffered serious hand injuries last week. Hopefully they will make returns to the team in the not too distant future.
The Reds started well in the first 2 minutes but eventually conceded a penalty when deep inside the Royal High 22 metre area which led to a period of Royal High domination of both ball and territory. The game was punctuated by a huge number of penalties which meant that there was little fluidity to either side’s game and slowed the pace of play. For the 3rd week in a row the Reds were forced to defend early in proceedings and coughed up the opening try on all 3 occasions. After some desperate goal line defence Royal High eventually barged over under the posts for a converted try to make the score 0-7.
The revamped front five in the scrum were holding up well against heavier opposition with Kyle Ormond in particular turning in a man of the match performance when playing in the unfamiliar role of loose head prop. The solid scrum platform allowed the Reds to equalise the score with Mark Caddle taking off from No 8 and careering through the Royal High defence to touch down just beside the posts. Jack Frame added the extra points and the game was tied at 7-7.
There followed a period of stalemate as the 2 teams battled for supremacy and the referee’s whistle continued to dominate the game which stopped any real flow of play. Eventually the Reds took the lead with a straight forward penalty kick from captain Frame and then with the last action of the half the home side finally got an attacking phase working slickly and ended the half with an excellent team try. Left wing Eddie Beamish made ground in the middle from a pre-planned move and the ball moved through several pairs of hands until centre Murray Johnstone took on his opposite number and was able to flip a well timed pass to Eddie Beamish to dive over at the corner flag and score the try. Jack Frame struck a fine conversion from the touchline to give the home side a 17-7 lead at half time.
Almost immediately from the kick off, Royal High kicked to touch and hooker Stuart Cunningham found Mark Caddle with the throw in and the ball reach Jack Frame who spotted that the opposition full back was out of position and chipped a well weighted ball over the defence for Eddie Beamish to outstrip everyone to touch down for the try. The conversion was missed but the Reds now had a 22-7 lead and looked ready to stretch away. However to their credit and aided by some poor defence by the Reds, Royal High worked their way upfield and scored 2 tries in quick succession to bring the score back to 22-17. Frame added a penalty to stretch the lead to 8 points but this was countered by a penalty for the visitors to make the score 25-20 with 10 minutes to play and both sides seeking the win and a Bonus Point try. Thankfully the home defence began to function much better and in particular Jamie Tulloch and Oscar Davies forced some key turnovers to allow the last few minutes to be played deep in the Royal High half of the field. The game ended without the Reds securing the BP try despite 3 opportunities not taken when clear overlaps were created but white line fever took over and the ball carriers were tackled. This was a disappointing conclusion to the game and these types of opportunity must be converted to scores in future games if the team is going to continue the winning run.
Final score Reds 25 Royal High 20
With so many changes it was still a good result and maintained the 100% league record this season and keeps the Reds 2nd in the Division. The revamped pack handled the changes in personnel well and both the scrum and lineout were solid. The young squad continue to get over the finishing line week on week but there is still room for improvement. With so many changes it is difficult to build partnerships and this was evident in midfield where there was some solid but unspectacular play and a lack of sharpness and creativity some of which comes from a lack of familiarity with fellow players’ movement and style. One area requiring some work on the training field is kick offs where more variety could be introduced alongside an improved kick/chase to apply more pressure on to the opposition receivers. In the 4 games to date, the Reds have given up 17 tries which is poor and the first up tackling needs to be better and the coaches will need to address this issue before heading for Langholm.
Next week the Reds travel to Langholm who moved up from Division 2 this season but who are always tough at home. The Reds will need to field a strong team and expect a real battle to maintain the 100% record but it is well within their capabilities.
Team list:
Kyle Ormond, Stuart Cunningham, Adam Scott, Eioan Magee, Kieran Cochrane, Oscar Davies, Jamie Tulloch, Mark Caddle, Archie Rusack, Jack Frame (c), Eddie Beamish, Murray Johnstone, Ewan Curran, Shaun Lamb and Luke O’Hara
Replacement (used): Ross Martin
Replacements (not used): Adam Buckley, Lewis Herdman and Gregor McLean