|
|
 |
| CAITHNESS 6 - HOWE OF FIFE 41 by Iain Grant |
| Fri 15th Feb 2008 |
The Greens faithful approached Saturday’s Scottish Hydro Electric Cup tie at Millbank with a mixture of fear and foreboding.
Realistic expectations of earning a fourth round place versus Premiership 1 side Edinburgh Accies were outweighed by concern to avoid a repeat of the recent humiliating defeat at Cupar.
The 105-7 monstering by the National Division 2 leaders was also etched in the psyche of the home players.
The pre-match team talk was all about regaining respect and delivering a performance that could help inspire the club’s forthcoming battle to avoid its first ever demotion.
The first object, at least, was achieved with Howe of Fife held to a six point advantage at the interval and relying on four tries in the final quarter in order to post a convincing winning margin.
For much of the contest – and contest, it thankfully was – the Fifers were well-contained by a gutsy and determined home side. Until tiring badly midway through the second period, they had tackled their hearts out and seen plenty of the ball.
What continues to be a major worry as they prepare for their remaining four league matches is their continued estrangement from the opposition try-line.They share with the national side an abject try-scoring record.
The Greens have fired blanks in six of their last 10 matches and are on course for one of their leanest hauls of any season.
Though they spent most of the first period in Howe territory, they struggled to find any cracks in a well-marshalled defence. Two Blair McIntosh penalties were scant reward for the pressure they exerted.
Howe, in contrast, carried a threat every time their slick three-quarter line was given the chance to execute their impressive repertoire.
The Greens artillery could also learn from the momentum generated and quick possession produced by the visitors’ pick and goes and rolling mauls. Here too, Caithness mirror the national side’s less-than-impressive showing in these vital areas.
The youthful home backs too often worked off a static platform, and, while industrious, lacked a leader to enforce the game plan and vary it as the match unfolded.
The Greens went into the third round tussle missing a handful of regulars, including injured skipper Ewen Boyd.
Howe arrived minus several who were watching Scotland continue their miserable form at the Millennium Stadium.
Their starting XV was however not far from a first pick though they struggled for a squad, with the club’s 51-year-old president Jock MacDonald pressed into bench duty.
He watched on as his side weathered an encouraging start from the hosts, who quickly took advantage of a blustery tail-wind.
Leading try-scorer Andy MacLean was hauled down in the right corner in the prelude to the opening try on eight minutes.
After two penalties conceded in quick succession by the Greens, a sharp inside pass opened up a clear run to the line for prop Graham Steedman. Former Scottish junior cap Peter Horne added the extras.
Howe kept the initiative though a series of impressive drives was summarily halted by a crunching team tackle by McIntosh and Stevie Campbell. The dislodged ball was hacked upfield and nervy Howe defence resulted in a scrum five after they carried over their own goal-line. The visitors were then penalised at a ruck to allow McIntosh to open his side’s account after 14 minutes.
A couple of minutes later, the lead was cut to 6-7 after McIntosh again did the needful after scrum-half Graham Fryer was felled by a late tackle.
The Greens continued to batter away to no great effect with their opponents losing out on the possession stakes but looking by far the more menacing when they did cut loose.
After 22 minutes, Horne would have put full-back Ewan Jack over put for an all-enveloping tackle on the latter from home captain Andy Morris.
It proved a temporary reprieve as Howe quickly sent play across the width of the park to allow their bustling left winger Terry Turpie to cross.
McIntosh was the Greens’ most potent attacker with the centre making two cracking line-breaks in the course of the match.
The first just before the interval took play into Howe’s 22. Campbell was up to support but the danger was snuffed out when the flanker’s pass was intercepted.
The half ended with a speculative, long-range drop-goal attempt from Greens fly-half Gary Mackay, which drifted just wide of the target.
McIntosh’s second incursion, sustained by a powerful thrust from replacement Dave Lewis-Saunders, featured in a strong start by Caithness after the turnaround.
Any lingering hope that they could upset the odds all but disappeared with Howe’s third try on 49 minutes.
Prop Josh Fox-Clark was over the line but unable to ground the ball after a sterling piece of defending from Campbell among others. But from a training ground move from the resultant setpiece, scrum-half Stuart Lathangie fed number eight Chris Mason who sent MacLean racing over.
The Caithness effort soon started to fade and Howe’s three-quarters became increasingly influential.
On the hour-mark, a searing break from Lathangi ended with centre James Smith putting Turpie in for his second of the day. Within two minutes, Caithness conceded again when Mason emerged from the final phase of a driven maul to plunge over.
Caithness were firmly up against it and they deserve credit for not crumbling in the face of incessant pressure.
After 69 minutes, Howe stretched their lead after centre Girvan Imrie blasted his way through to the line unopposed.
The final score came six minutes from the end when a sweeping move was rounded off by an arcing run by MacLean as he outflanked the defence to dot the ball down. Horne landed two second half conversions.
Greens coach Jim MacMillan was reasonably satisfied with Saturday’s performance.
He said: “We were playing with quite an inexperienced team. “We had a tyro second row and Keith Foubister came on to make his debut in a back division, which was very young. “I thought we could maybe have made better use of the wind in the first half and we were maybe a bit too predictable in attack. “But there were a lot of positives to take out of it.
“We completed well for long spells against Howe who are a class act.”
He was pleased to see Campbell back in action after recovering from his latest knock and singled out McIntosh, Fryer and Morris for particular praise.
Caithness – J. ‘Pop’ Sinclair, J. ‘Pigeon’ Sinclair, D. Gordon, B. McIntosh, G. Macleod, G. Mackay, G. Fryer, R. Pottinger, H. Pottinger, S. Dunnett, H. Coghill, R. Macintosh, G. Anderson, A. Morris (cpt.), S. Campbell. Replacements (used) – C. Smith, D. Lewis-Saunders and K. Foubister. Unused – J. MacMillan.
Howe of Fife – E. Jack (cpt), A. MacLean, J. Smith, G. Imrie, T. Turpie, P. Horne, S. Lathangie, G. Steedman, C. MacNab, J. Fox-Clark, P. Black, L. Wilson, W. Pickard, C. Mason, I. Wilson. Replacements (both used) – G. Baillie and J. MacDonald.
Ref – Mr W. Murray, Perth.
. The defeat pitches Caithness into the first round of the Scottish Hydro Electric Bowl where they will be away to the loser of Crieff & Strathearn and Banff, whose scheduled game last Saturday was called off as the Crieff park was waterlogged. The match has been re-arranged for tomorrow which gives the Greens a day off.
The bad news is that their Bowl tie now looks likely to go ahead a week tomorrow – when a handful of Caithness regulars will be on the club trip to watch Scotland’s Six Nations’ clash in Dublin.
The club intends to arrange a bounce game on Sunday, involving the senior side, the under-18s and as many fringe players as can be mustered. The club is particularly keen to attract new blood to resurrect a Seconds side to take part in the Brin Cup. It is included in a pool of three, which involves a home match with Orkney 2nds and an away tussle with Inverness Craig Dunain.
Other third round ties involving Caledonia sides on Saturday featured Moray’s impressive 23-15 home win versus Orkney which earns the Elgin men a juicy home tie versus Hawick. Highland’s 34-5 away success in Strathmore pairs them in Inverness versus Perthshire. There were also wins for Gordonians (43-12 away to Madras) and Aberdeenshire (10-0 at home to Hillfoots / Alloa).
|
| Back to News |
|
 |
|
|
|
| Hawick YM |
2 |
10 |
| Kilmarnock |
2 |
9 |
| Waysiders Drumpellier |
2 |
9 |
| Glasgow Accies |
2 |
7 |
| Berwick |
2 |
6 |
| Annan |
2 |
5 |
| Highland |
2 |
5 |
| Aberdeenshire |
2 |
4 |
| Stewartry |
2 |
4 |
| Caithness |
2 |
3 |
| Newton Stewart |
2 |
1 |
| Alan Glens |
2 |
0 |
|
 |
| 1st XV Season (2010/11) |
| Caithness 25 - 27 Kilmarnock |
| 4th Sep 10 - KO: 15:00 |
| Venue: Millbank |
 |
| 1st XV Season (2010/11) |
| Stewartry vs Caithness |
| 11th Sep 10 - KO: 15:00 |
| Venue: Greenlaw |
| :: More Fixtures |
|
