Biggar vs Stew Mel, 17/9/05

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Squad

The Stewart's Melville FP RFC team to play Biggar RFC on Saturday at Hartree Mill, kick off 3 pm, is:

The squad is largely unchanged from the one that defeated Currie at Inverleith last week, with no changes at all in the pack. In the backs, Matt Dey is unavailable because the Edinburgh back up squad have a game against Munster at Murrayfield on Monday (kick off 5 pm). Craig Joiner therefore switches to inside centre for the trip to Hartree Mill, with Jed Gordon returning to his traditional wing berth.

On the bench, Euan Clark has recovered from injury and returns to provide cover for Ross Samson at 9. Kev Stuart replaces Neil Malloy.

The bus for Biggar will leave Inverleith at 12.15 on Saturday. Supporters should, however, note that, because we are taking two teams to Biggar, there are unlikely to be any spare seats on the bus, so travelling by car is recommended.

But please do make an effort to get down to Hartree Mill, as the players have very much appreciated the excellent support they have received in the games played to date.

Riggers

Malky's Musings

Saturday saw us renew our rivalry with Biggar, and, as has often been the case, the crowd witnessed a close and hard fought encounter. The home team ran out the eventual winners 25 points to 20 in a game where the lead changed hands five times. We left a characteristically windswept and sodden Hartree Mill disappointed, however the performance represented a major improvement from our last road trip (Hawick) and we can take heart from the fact that, had one or two decisions gone our way late in the game, we would have taken home five points rather than one. There is a fine line between success and failure at this level.

We started the first half positively, stretching the home defence more than once in the opening ten minutes. Unfortunately, we failed to capitalize on these early opportunities, and the home team intelligently slowed down the game and kept possession whilst playing into a stiff breeze. The Biggar fly half, Quentin Sanft, and Richard Borthwick traded penalties before the home team took advantage of a rare missed tackle in the Stew Mel midfield to score a try in the corner. The consistent Sanft then slotted the tricky conversion. We responded well to this setback, with our forwards exerting serious pressure on their opponents, most notably in the set piece area. The efforts of the pack were rewarded just prior to the break with Graham Lind touching down from a push over scrum. This brought the half time score to Biggar 10, Stew Mel 8.

The second half also opened well from a Stew Mel perspective as the impressive Craig Joiner finished off a sweeping move where we displayed handling skills which belied the difficult conditions. This try gave us the lead, but, shortly after the restart, Biggar scored their second try following a sloppy turnover. Sanft converted his own score. At this stage our outside center, Sam Hendry, was missing from the action, having suffered a dislocated finger late in the first half. Sam reentered the game with 30 minutes left on the clock and he soon reestablished our advantage by barging through the midfield to score under the posts. Borth took our tally to 20 points by slotting the conversion.

We were looking the better team at this point and Biggar's defense was struggling to cope with our phase play and constant shifts in the point of attack. Yet a lapse in concentration handed the initiative to our opponents once again, Sanft capitalizing on a Stew Mel mistake to score his second try of the game. This took the score to Biggar 22, Stew Mel 20. The home team stretched this lead with a penalty goal, and, in spite of a huge effort on the Biggar line for 10 of the final 15 minutes of the match, there was no further scoring.

There are many positives to be taken from the match, not least the performance of our forwards. Our clearing out at breakdowns has improved markedly, our lineout functioned well and we bullied a well respected Biggar pack in the scrum. The front five deserve special praise for their endeavour in energy sapping conditions. Elsewhere, Craig Joiner displayed some excellent flashes and Euan Clark performed well when he was introduced from the bench. Finally, Sam must have been close to snatching the Leading Lion prize as few players can have gone on to score a try having earlier dislocated their finger.

We will work hard at training again this week and we will continue to improve. I strongly believe that we are competitive at this level and I look forward to seeing us take on Boroughmuir at Inverleith next weekend.

Malky

Stew Mel Stats

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