Stew Mel vs Ayr, 28/1/06

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Squad

The Stewart's Melville FP RFC team to play Ayr at Inverleith on Saturday, kick off 2.30 pm, is:

The back line is slightly changed from the one that featured in our Cup defeat last week. With Craig Joiner available once again, Shiely reverts to Stand Off to accommodate him, while Jed Gordon replaces Pete McLean on the wing.

Up front, Shaun McMurchy returns after missing the Stirling game due to suspension (three yellow cards) and the GHA game due to an eye injury. This means that Hotili reverts to prop, while Andy Statham drops to the bench. With Ross Rennie away on Scotland 7s duties, fit again Dalgy slots into the back row, with Richie Vernon starting on the bench.

Ayr's away form this season is pretty much the equal of ours, but we are sure of another tough game on Saturday as we attempt to forget our Cup performance and return to the rich vein of League form that has seen us win three on the trot.

Please use the Schools Cup Final tomorrow evening as a timely warm up for your vocal chords, then make your way to Inverleith on Saturday afternoon to cheer the 'big' Stew Mel team on to victory.

Malky's Musings

Saturday saw us secure our fourth consecutive league victory against a powerful Ayr fifteen and further shorten the odds of our survival in the top flight.

Although much of the press coverage of this and other recent displays has criticised us for playing a less expansive brand of rugby (during the depths of winter), I felt that Saturday was one of our best performances of the season and one which was full of passion, determination and intelligence. I also suspect that our own supporters, and perhaps also those traveling from Ayrshire, appreciated the committed defensive effort of the Stew Mel team and the display from the pack, which bettered a well drilled Ayr unit which must have had a weight advantage of at least a stone a man.

The game started with a bang as Ross Samson made a sharp sniping break from the side of a ruck close to the halfway line. The young scrum half then placed a well weighted chip over the visitors' last line of defence and into the dead ball area. Before he could touch down, Ross was taken out by Ayr's covering right wing, Eddie McLaughlin, and the referee was left with little option but to award a penalty try inside the first minute of the game. Iain Heard then took the brave decision also to yellow card the Ayr player for the offence, and the visitors were reduced to fourteen men. Borth slotted the conversion and we led 7-0.

We failed to extend our lead during the next ten minutes as Ayr's well organised defence restricted us to a limited number of line breaks, most of which were deep in our own territory. The visitors narrowed our advantage on twelve minutes as stand off Nick Lavelle placed a well struck penalty goal between the uprights following a breakdown infringement twenty five meters out.

During the following twenty minutes, both teams enjoyed a fair share of possession, however, the defences held tight and neither outfit was seriously able to threaten the try line. This changed on thirty three minutes when Ayr finally stretched the Stew Mel tacklers once too often and we were unable to prevent full back Cameron Taylor from surging across the line following some efficient handling in the midfield.

We endured a further blow shortly after this as Dave McCall was forced to limp off the pitch following a heavy tackle from the Ayr outside centre. The team refused to let their heads drop and continued to attack the opposition, both around the fringes and in the wide channels. Our endeavours were rewarded deep in injury time when replacement winger Colin Goudie fought his way across the line, finishing a move which had dragged the opposition to both touch lines. The conversion was narrowly missed and we went into the break 12-8 ahead.

The defensive qualities of both teams were again in the ascendancy for much of the second half, though it was clear that our pack was playing with ever increasing confidence and there were signs that they were gradually wearing down the visiting eight. It was particularly pleasing to see us prevent the visiting forwards from making many yards with their well regarded mauling game, and also to see us retain our own possession well whilst bombarding the fringe defenders with wave upon wave of runners.

Although we restricted Ayr to few excursions into our own 22, there were many anxious faces amongst the crowd as our supporters understood that they were witnessing a pivotal passage in our season. Thankfully Andrew Easson alleviated the tension by scoring his first league try for the club with around five minutes remaining on the clock. Andrew smashed his way through the opposing defence in the far right corner following a prolonged period of pressure within the Ayr 22. This score was just reward for another excellent day's work from the young centre, who has consistently produced first class performances for the team. We again narrowly missed the conversion and led 17-8 with only a handful of minutes remaining on the clock.

We launched another penetrating attack on the Ayr line shortly after the restart, and the visitors were penalised for killing the ball on their own five meter line. With a four try bonus point still up for grabs, a bizarre communication mix up led to our Tongan prop, Hotili Asi, kicking the ball into touch to end the game. Although this was somewhat disappointing, it should not be allowed to take any of the gloss off what was a superb, well earned and well deserved victory.

Our recent performances have left us with a real chance of survival, though there is no denying that the task ahead remains hugely tough. Next Saturday we travel to the Greenyards to play a Melrose team that sits fifth in the league. The Borderers will be seeking to exact revenge on us following our win at Inverleith in the corresponding fixture earlier in the season. We travel full of confidence, however, with strong momentum behind our campaign, and with the knowledge that one win could see us climb out of the relegation zone. We continue to be hugely appreciative of the support which is lent to the team both home and away, and hope to see a large number of you swelling the crowds in Melrose at the weekend.

Malky

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