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| CAITHNESS 3 - LINLITHGOW 13 by Iain Grant |
| Fri 25th Jan 2008 |
A failure to convert long spells of possession into points meant the Greens emerged with nothing to show for their efforts on Saturday.
While no-one could question their industry and application, an all-too-familiar lack of cutting edge in the red zone proved terminal to their hopes.
The defeat pitches the Greens back into relegation trouble as they set out for tomorrow’s match with leaders Howe of Fife just four points off second bottom in the Scottish Hydro-Electric National League Division 2.
For the seventh time this season, they failed to breach their opponents’ try-line, with a solitary Blair McIntosh penalty a paltry reflection of their dominance.
A livewire start by the visitors saw them rack up 10 points in six minutes but for just about the remainder of the contest, they were forced to play second fiddle.
The defeat was particularly tough on the Caithness pack who may have had better days in the setpiece but who throughout bossed the exchanges in broken play.
They turned the tables on Lithlithgow whose decisive advantage in the forwards was a feature in their 64-10 pummelling of Caithness in the earlier encounter.
On the cloying surface on Saturday, there were times when the home side could have done with sustaining driving mauls in the visitors’ 22.
Had their three-quarters been regularly cutting swathes through the enemy defensive lines, it would have been different. But it must have been galling for the spearheads of the mauls to have their sorties aborted, only to find themselves supporting the next breakdown well behind the gain-line.
Adopting more of a direct, route one approach would not have been particularly pretty but may well have been more fruitful.
Linlithgow were regularly corralled in their own half without the ball but their defence did not have to resort to heroics to cope with open-field onslaughts which were all too predictable.
They were also helped by crucial handling errors and errant decision-making by the Greens when scoring opportunities beckoned.
The match – the first played on the main Millbank pitch since the major drainage works in the close season – was the first action either side had in over a month. Linlithgow made light of the long lay-off as they raced into an early lead.
Their full-back and skipper Matt Dixon, out since October with a broken thumb, quickly asserted his re-appearance by landing a third minute penalty.
The toss had a good won to win for the visitors as not only did they opt to play with the strong wind but Caithness had also to face a troublesome low, winter sun.
The latter factor played a part in the game’s only try scored by centre Graham MacKenzie and converted by Dixon. It was created by fly-half Euan McDavid’s steepling, crossfield punt into the tennis court corner. Greens full-back Kris Gove and winger Jamie Sinclair were both well-positioned to field the kick but were left grasping air after being temporarily blinded by the glare of the sun. MacKenzie profited in snatching the ball after it bounced to steal over the line without a hand laid on him
Fears among the Greens’ faithful that this could be the beginning of another rout were soon allayed.
From a sequence begun by the catch from the restart kick, the Greens came the closest they were to come all day to a try.
After a series of thrusts had over-stretched the visitors’ defensive resources, Greens hooker Stevie Campbell stepped past two opponents on a determined run from the 22. He would have gone all the way but for a last-ditch tackle by Dixon a metre or so from the line.
Linlithgow cynically prevented quick release at the resultant ruck and McIntosh duly potted the penalty to reduce the deficit.
His side kept on the front foot with the pressure resulting in two more kickable penalties in the first quarter. McIntosh was short with the first attempt before pushing the second wide of the left post. Shortly afterwards, Dixon went very close to converting a wind-assisted penalty shot from his own half.
The lively home back row were winning more than their fair share of the contests in the loose, with Linlithgow rarely seen in an offensive capacity.
The line-outs were messy with players in both camps falling foul on half-a-dozen occasions of ref George Whitecross for closing the gap. He also penalised both scrum-halves for squint feeds at the scrums, where neither side enjoyed an obvious advantage.
Linlithgow enjoyed a brief purple patch towards the end of the half when an offside decision against the Caithness midfield backs allowed Dixon to stretch his side’s lead to 13-3.
The pattern established in the first half continued after the interval, without the early Linlithgow blitz. Indeed, it was not until 10 minutes from the end that the visitors managed to mount their first foray beyond the Caithness 10 metres line.
Another try-scoring opportunity materialised soon after the restart when home fly-half Gary Mackay dinked a chip into the bottom right-hand corner which Sinclair almost got on the end of. It was a rare chink of light in what developed into a soul-less battle of attrition, with the Greens continuing to batter away without possessing the nous to pierce the visitors’ well-marshalled defence.
A 54th minute penalty after Linlithgow infringed at a ruck gave McIntosh another shot at the posts, which he failed to splice.
As time wore on, the home effort became increasingly frantic and error-strewn. A prime example came after 69 minutes when they were awarded a penalty 40 metres out. Mackay’s faultless touch-find set up a genuine scoring opportunity, only for the visitors to steal David Pottinger’s throw.
They got a second chance from a penalty after Linlithgow offended at the ensuing breakdown, only for that to be blown with a rushed pass which Danny Budge was unable to hold.
The game was marred shortly afterwards by an outbreak of mass fisticuffs. Mr Whitecross showed tolerance in not reaching for any cards on that occasion but shortly after had no compunction in sin-binning Greens captain Ewen Boyd following a bust-up with an opponent.
It was only after this that Linlithgow managed their first serious attack of the half which could easily have led to a try.
It followed a glorious break from his own 22 by winger Mark Green, which replacement Andy McGowan sustained before he was hauled down near the line.
Linlithgow president Gavin Brown was delighted to return with a win. He said: “We made a tremendous start but unfortunately we could not sustain it.
“Caithness dug in and came back strongly. “I though we played doggedly in the second half when Caithness had by far the more possession but rarely looked like scoring.
“This is never an easy place to come and win and we’re just happy to have done that.”
Greens coach Jim MacMillan was left to bemoan the failure of his side to capitalise on the clear advantage his charges had in terms of possession and territory.
“It was a pretty awful game,” he reflected.
“We just didn’t have enough ball-carriers in the forwards and not enough guys in the backs capable of breaking the gain-line. “For the amount of possession we had, you would expect us to have won two or three games.”
The coach felt his side had conceded a soft try, accepting the sun had played a part but also blaming a lack of communication between Sinclair and Gove.
He was also unhappy about the lineout display, claiming absentees at training contributed to its malfunctioning.
The Greens were also hit by the loss of Campbell when the hooker had to retire just before the interval with sprung rib cartilage.
The injury is almost certain to mean he will not be in the squad which sets out for Cupar tonight.
Also ruled out are scrum-half Kris Hamilton – who missed Saturday’s match because of a back strain – and lock forward Grant Anderson. Both are due to be with a Caley under-19 training squad.
MacMillan’s main problem is at scrum-half as Fryer – one of the Greens’ top performers on Saturday – is back offshore.
The coach is in no doubt his side face a scrap to avoid ending up in one of the two trapdoor spots.
He said: “The message to the guys is that they really are going to pull their fingers out as we are right back in the relegation mix.”
Anything gained from tomorrow’s tussle would be a real bonus but the Greens’ safety will probably hinge them registering wins from their outstanding home matches versus Newton Stewart and Grangemouth.
Caithness – K. Gove, J. Sinclair, D. Gordon, B. McIntosh, G. Macleod, G. Mackay, G. Fryer, H. Pottinger, S. Campbell, J. Foubister, E. Boyd (cpt), G. Anderson, D. Pottinger, A. Morris, E. Sutherland, Replacements – D. Budge, H. Coghill and R. Mackay (all used).
Linlithgow – M. Dixon (cpt), M. Green, E. Richardson, G. MacKenzie, S. Cunningham, E. McDavid, M. Walker, J. Cavana, B. Edment, E. Gunn, S. Jamieson, S. Waddell, C. Reid, R. Martin, S. Dobie. Replacements – A. McGowan, S. Gordon and C. Blair (all used).
Referee -- Mr G. Whitecross, Elgin.
The scrap at the bottom of NLD2 intensified on Saturday as a result of Alan Glens’ 17-10 home victory over Stewartry. City rivals Accies put up a tough fight versus promotion-chasing Dumfries before going down 20-10 at New Anniesland.
Highland’s hopes of going up were snuffed out though they did secure a losing bonus point in going down 15-8 at home to Howe. Newton Stewart meanwhile moved into fifth after extending their excellent recent win with a 15-12 win at Kilmarnock.
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| 1st XV Season (2010/11) |
| Caithness 25 - 27 Kilmarnock |
| 4th Sep 10 - KO: 15:00 |
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