Berwick vs Stew Mel, 15/12/01

• Click here to jump to Match Report
• Click here to jump to Riggers' Review

Squad

The Stewart's Melville FP team to play Berwick at Scremerston on Saturday (kick off 2 p.m.) is:

Not surprisingly, an unchanged team for the game against Berwick on Saturday. We couldn't really have asked for more from the team last week, but the challenge is there for them to play with the same intensity and application this week. As all games are now, it really is a must-win game. Hopefully the Scremerston hoodoo can finally be buried on Saturday.

Willie Laidlaw is unavailable this week due to family commitments, Ben Searancke is still in plaster with his broken thumb (but should resume training before the end of the year) and Steven Reed is out for the foreseeable with a knee injury picked up in his fleeting appearance against Hillhead/Jordanhill. Reedy might need an op on the injury, so hopefully this can be done quickly to have him back available for the run in to the league campaign. Scott Stewart is still struggling with a rib knock picked up in training for Edinburgh Under 20's.

Sam Hendry played for Scotland Under 19A on Monday evening at Murrayfield against Australia Schools and is in the squad for the full game this afternoon at Fort Matilda. Well done, Sam.

Other than that, everyone is fit and primed for action.

Any supporters wishing to travel on the bus down to Berwick should assemble at Inverleith at 10.45 a.m. - allowing for a 'pit stop' or two on the way home, we should be back in civilization by 7 p.m. or thereabouts.

Riggers

Match Report

You'll have gathered by now that we managed to return from Berwick with 5 points last Saturday, instead of our customary 1. I can only apologise for the delay in getting this report to you, but, hell, it's Christmas! So, without further ado, here's how the game went:

2.01
Berwick are awarded a penalty after a scrum on our 22. Their number 12 misses what looks like a pretty easy 3 pointer.

2.02
Berwick are awarded another penalty after Benzo breaks too early from a scrum on our 22. No mistake this time: 3-0.

2.06
Spike and Fraser P are heavily involved in a promising Stew Mel attack over multiple phases, our pack recycling the ball well. Berwick are eventually caught offside on their 22, but Fraser P hooks the penalty to the left of the posts.

2.13
After we kick a penalty into the right hand corner, Kelly and both of our centres feature in a flowing, pacy move that ends with Lindy touching down for the try to the left of the posts. Fraser P converts to make it 3-7.

2.26
As Berwick stage a rare attack near the half way line, they fumble the ball. Fraser Deeming picks up and feeds Spike, who motors in for our second try. Fraser P, with the wind at his back, lands the conversion from way out - a great kick: 3-14.

2.30
We continue to exert pressure, backs and forwards interacting well as we recycle the ball and look for an opening in the Berwick defence. It's Benzo who finally makes the breakthrough, driving to near the right hand corner flag then popping the ball up for Fraser P to score at the corner. Fraser celebrates with his worst kick of the day, looping it way left of the posts, but that's three tries: 3-19.

Half Time

2.50
Berwick must have had a tough team talk, as they up their work rate and really start to apply the pressure in the first ten minutes of the half. After we're penalised for offside on the 22, they kick to the corner and nearly drive over for the try, but Twicki manages a nice kick to clear our lines. The first fight of the afternoon ensues.

2.52
Berwick continue to push after kicking another penalty to the corner, but our defence holds firm until they knock on and we're awarded the scrum.

2.55
After Berwick are awarded a penalty midway between our 22 and the line, more fighting breaks out at the ensuing scrum. Cadz looks to be one of the main protagonists, but, as the handbags are put away, it's Lindy who's yellow carded, along with one of the Berwick forwards.

3.06
After our scrum finally start to knuckle down and provide some decent ball for the backs, we make it into Berwick territory for the first time in this half. Spike nearly scores, but the ref (like us, having a poor second half) calls him back for reasons unknown.

3.20
As the game draws to a close, we finally get the all important fourth try, Spike touching down to the right of the posts after good work from Si Rowan, Fraser D and Benzo. Other Fraser converts nicely to make it 3-26.

Cheesy and Dougie Rycroft replace Benzo and Si Capaldi.

3.25
We end the match with a flourish, Si Rowan nearly barreling through for the try after good work from both Frasers and Struan.

So, a happy road trip back from Berwick, at last. You'll have gathered from the few words I had to say about the second half that it was pretty dour, with Berwick threatening to impose their preferred trench warfare gameplan on the match. But, to our credit, we stuck to the task in hand, with the front row, in particular, displaying real stamina and, well, balls. The back row were excellent, once again, while, as Riggers has pointed out, our backs continue to tackle like men possessed.

It has to be said, in the interests of objectivity, that Berwick are not the side they used to be, with backs and forwards looking pretty interchangeable (and ineffective). That said, the fact that we managed to impose our preferred style of rugby on one of the 'trench warfare' sides against which we've struggled at the tail end of recent seasons bodes well for at least three of our remaining fixtures. Biggar, Musselburgh, Southern ....

Bill

Riggers' Review

Buried. Finally laid to rest. The hoodoo is gone. Scremerston is no longer the bogey ground where some of our hopes have been buried in the past few years. Yes, we won. A 26-3 victory, with 4 tries in the process and therefore the all important bonus point, sees us close the gap on H/A by a point to only 7 and increase our lead over Biggar in third place to 4. Second place in the league at the turn of the year with six games to go. However, the battle is now on to ensure that we can keep the momentum of what we have achieved so far over the next sixteen or seventeen weeks.

Yes, that is the problem of Scottish Club rugby. We've played fifteen important games over sixteen weeks, and it has been easy to motivate players and keep spectators interested. Now, we have six games that determine our season, all spread out over the next three and a half months. As per usual, we will have players involved in U21 and U20 squads, and trying to keep the squad together could prove tricky. But, we must pull together if we are to achieve what we set out to do at the start of the campaign - namely, get promoted. Six games stand between us and that goal.

Well, what about Saturday? An unchanged team from the previous week took the field, and, whilst never quite reaching the heights scaled at Auldhouse, we were still good enough to clinch the victory. Our defence hasn't been breached in 160 minutes of rugby and December has been particularly Scrooge-like. Only fourteen points conceded in three games. Only one try conceded in three games. That has been the character of the side. Watching from the sideline, it is very impressive to see the marshaling of the defence. A quality we seem to have picked up is communication, and that is a key to good defence. Simon Capaldi is a key man regarding this and is excellent at organising things.

On Saturday, some of the hits going in from Struan, Lindy, Lee and Andy Kelly made you wince, and it was no surprise that it took some of the Berwick lads a fair while to get back on their feet. Struan, in particular, put in some tremendous tackles, and he must be aware that King of the King Hitters, Dave Wright, is close to making his comeback after a year out with injury. On this form, though, Struan is going to be a mainstay of the team for years to come, and it is great to see him come through this year.

It was also good to see Spike score a couple of tries on Saturday. Spike was again popping up where you never expected him and his work rate is so high that other players seem to feed off him. Spike was the scorer of the all important fourth try on Saturday after great lead up work by Benzo. Benzo was in a very giving mood on Saturday, as he also gave the scoring try for Fraser Pollock's try when it was easier to score himself. Let's hope he is as generous at the players' Christmas Party next weekend! Lindy was the other scorer and, apart from his sin binning, had another excellent game.

Two of the older members of the team deserve special mention for their contributions on Saturday, as their minds could easily have been elsewhere. Andy Cadzow gave another wholehearted display despite the imminent arrival of his second child. Zoe was due to give birth on Friday, but did the decent thing and allowed Andy to come down to Berwick and bury his personal hoodoo. Unfortunately, the child is now going to be called Scremerston Cadzow, which will be most unfortunate if Zoe produces a girl!

The other senior player whose mind was elsewhere on Saturday was Mark Paton. Mark was very excited about the prospect of the Rural Demonstration March in Edinburgh on Sunday and couldn't believe there were going to be 20,000 people there with the same dress sense as him. For those who haven't seen Mark's dress sense, the thought of another 20,000 people dressed like him is very scary! Thankfully, Mark put this to the back of his mind and gave another tremendous display, even winning a lineout two handed.

Well, that is the end of Riggers' Reviews for 2001. Hopefully, 2002 will bring success in the form of promotion and an appearance in the Shield Final at Murrayfield, although quite why we would want to win a trophy we can't drink out of is beyond me! Won't stop us trying, though.

Enjoy your Christmas, have a good New Year, and, if you want to come training, then the times and dates are posted on the front page of the website.

Riggers

Return to 1st XV Fixtures page