Stew Mel vs Edinburgh Accies, 7/10/06

Inverleith Angle

Welcome to Inverleith for our only home derby of the season, against Edinburgh Accies. This has been the most eagerly anticipated game of the season since the fixtures were published, and we look forward to renewing our rivalry on the pitch - and, indeed, hope we can continue our recent good record against Accies which has seen us win 6 of our last 7 meetings and score over 200 points in the process. To Edinburgh Accies President Robert Miller, his fellow committee members and the Accies supporters, enjoy your day and let us hope for an exciting game of rugby.

The Stewart's Melville rollercoaster of a season shows no sign of slowing down. Having come from behind in our first two home games this season to win the matches at the death, our support were feeling a bit more relaxed two weeks ago against Biggar when, early in the second half, a 36-20 lead had been established. A sin-binning and an impressive kicking display from Conan Sharman kept Biggar in touch, however, to such an extent that they took the lead with 10 minutes to go, meaning another uncomfortable afternoon for the Stew Mel support. Thankfully Shaun McMurchy popped up to clinch the game and our first five point haul since October 2005. Other tries came from Alex Cox (2), Richard Borthwick, Jed Gordon and Andrew Statham.

Last Saturday saw the team travel through to GHA, and a game which was there for the winning slipped through the hands, mainly due to a couple of untimely injuries to Nick Wood and Dave McCall. The loss of Woody proved pivotal, and we failed to exert any control after he left the field, slipping to a 20-13 loss. It looks like Woody may be out for a couple of months with a knee injury, and we wish him a speedy recovery. For the record, the tries were scored by Stuart Ker and Richard Borthwick.

We have suffered in the last couple of weeks from missing 27 points in kicks at goal, which has seen our success rate drop from 84% after the first four league games, down to 61% after six games. Having watched Borth kick in his warm up before the Biggar game, I don't think I have seen him strike the ball better than he is currently doing; it is just direction issues which need to be addressed. There is no better time than today to get the show back on the road!

The 2nd XV have had disappointing results in the last couple of weeks, being on the losing side of close and high scoring matches. Against Glasgow Hawks two weeks ago, they went down 30-21, whilst last Saturday they lost 29-26 at GHA. The 2nd XV are scoring enough points, but need to tighten up in defence. Much of this stems from the training pitch; with some players not committing to training at this stage of the season, they really need to look at themselves and try and give that wee bit extra which will see these losses turned into wins.

The 3rd XV finally got their league defence off the ground last Saturday, after Biggar failed to fulfill the opening fixture then they had Week 2 off as it was their free week. Boroughmuir were the visitors to Inverleith, and, in another high scoring encounter, the 3rd XV suffered a 42-31 defeat. The 4th XV ventured out two weeks ago against Livingston 2nd XV and recorded a 12-10 win thanks to tries from James Park and Richie Munro. Ross Logan kicked one conversion, and I'm told, if it hadn't been for great defence from veteran scrum half Malky Rennie, the game would have been lost. One has to think Danger is in with a shout of the Player of the Year Trophy, even at this early stage.

Two weeks ago saw the first social event of the season with the Race Night being held, and a good crowd had an enjoyable evening, with some even winning some money! After an excellent turnout from the females, the players have been inspired to organise a Ladies Lunch before the next home game against Selkirk on Saturday 21st October (all three XVs are at home that day). The cost is £10 per head, including food and drink, and the event will start at 1.30 pm upstairs in the clubhouse. Please let me know if you wish to attend; all Ladies are very welcome.

The Sportsman's Dinner takes place next Saturday, 14th October, with well over 100 tickets already sold. There are a few more places still available at £35 per head, so, if interested, please contact Allan Munro. Tickets for the Rugby Club Ball on 25th November continue to sell well, with over 15 tables sold so far. Again, tickets are £35 per head and are available from me.

Finally, congratulations to Ross Rennie on his selection for the Scotland squad session this week, along with another ex-player, Calum MacRae. We also welcome to the club Areta Tanoai, and wish him an enjoyable stay in Edinburgh.

Riggers

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