Boroughmuir vs Stew Mel, 7/11/09

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Squad

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

Injuries mean a couple of changes to the team that defeated Watsonians at Inverleith last week.

Ruairi and Hayden are the men to drop out, with Ross replacing Ruairi in the starting lineup and Liam starting at 15.

Jamie Allan also returns from injury to replace Ross Grant at 10, with Stu Ker retaining the scrum half slot.

Sam Blackwood makes a welcome return to the bench after missing the Watsonians game through injury.

Hope to see a strong Stew Mel travelling support on hand at Meggetland to cheers the boys on against a Boroughmuir side that must be almost as desperate for points as we are!

If you are heading up to the south side, please bear in mind that Hearts are playing Hibs at lunchtime, so the roads around Gorgie could be rather chaotic. And please note that our kickoff is still 3 pm, as there are lights at Meggetland.

See you on Saturday for the weekend's main Edinburgh derby!

Mike Sims

Match Report

On a bright but cold November day, Stewart's Melville were determined to make it two wins in a row as they arrived at Meggetland for today's derby encounter against Boroughmuir.

Playing away from home, it is never easy to come out the victor. But there was a good vibe coming from the Stew/Mel camp as they went through their pre-match warm up. 'Muir's indifferent season - they're currently lying mid table - was also further reason for the Inverleith men's mood of optimism before the game. Achieving a win would be a big 'ask', but, going on our team's recent form, they might just pull it off.

Boroughmuir are a side that use their big players' physicality to disrupt their opposition's defence. Stew/Mel were well prepared for this, and, from the kick-off, they went into every challenge bravely and showed the hosts that, whatever our young team may lack, it certainly isn't courage. Perhaps we were too intent on neutralising the 'Muir 'tough guys', as, within two minutes of the start, winger Rob Cairns touched down for a try to the home side, which they failed to convert. Yet again we had left the same gap in our defence that has been exploited throughout the season by the teams playing against us.

To go behind so early into the match could have been our cue to assume the losers' mantle, but not a bit of it. It was as if 'Muir's try had ignited our 'blue touch paper'. We went on the rampage. Some nice play and accurate kicking later led to us winning a lineout deep into Boroughmuir's territory. Another well taken throw by Callum Mackintosh (who was winning the contest of the hookers hands down) let our pack create a nice rolling maul that powered forward, dismissing the 'Muir defence and setting up Phil Hendry to cross the try line. Six minutes into the contest, Stuart Ker's kick having gone wide, the scores were level at 5-5.

Our backs were showing some excellent ball skills; Richard Borthwick, Craig Marshall and Liam Steele were combining well and beginning to set up opportunities. Forcing 'Muir to make errors was eventually rewarded with a penalty on 12 minutes, but, once again, Stu failed to get the points. We were more than matching their pack, so, when Stew/Mel earned another penalty, we went for the scrum. A good call, as we were getting to them - in particular, Blair Tweedie at flanker was making life extremely difficult for the 'Muir men, but, by contrast, was providing the visiting support with great entertainment.

Stewart's Melville, by the end of the first quarter, were dictating the play. They were looking like the team that could claim their second victory within the week. We needed a score, and Harry Boisseau obliged, whizzing through like a rocket as he lit up the faces of both his team mates and their supporters. And Stu was on target for the extras. 5-12: game on!

After coming back as we had done, taking the game to our hosts and playing in their half, more of the same would have been in order. But that tactic doesn't appear to give the Stew/Mel boys a big enough adrenaline rush, so they once again invited Boroughmuir to seek out scoring opportunities within our half. Liam did provide good cover during the 'Muir first half rally, as did our stand off Jamie Allan and Callum, who put in a smashing hit on 'Muir's James Fish. As no tries appeared to be forthcoming from our opposition, we did the 'decent' thing and gave away not just one but two penalties in quick succession. Fortunately, the ability of the 'Muir kicker limited the points to a further 3, bringing the scores closer at 8-12 with 34 minutes played.

Then we got back into 'Muir territory, and, after some precise passing, were heading to their try line when Alex Cox was pinged by the referee for allegedly crossing. Still we piled on the pressure, scrapping for the fifty-fifty ball and winning it. Colin Phillips, together with Ben Leathes, was ferocious at the breakdown, and Stew/Mel won another great kicking opportunity with a penalty just before the break. But Stu's boots just weren't working, leaving the half time score at 8-12.

Regular readers will know that we've had many partial victories this season - that is, instances where we've won half of a game but not the full game. Was today to be another example of the same? Having just won yet another 40 minutes of rugby, what of the next 40?

Minutes into the half, both sides made some tactical substitutions. Boroughmuir introduced Scotland cap David Callam to help them even up the sides. It was, however, 'Muir's indiscipline that swung the balance back in our favour when their number 6 was carded. The hosts continued to make mistakes, and, as a result, we earned a kickable penalty in the fifty-fourth minute that Stu slotted home, taking the score to 8-15.

Boroughmuir then began to get better organised as they took on the shape that appeared to be lacking in them earlier. Their scrum now had professionalism behind it. But we weren't mere pushovers, as the 'Muir centre discovered after coming up against Ben in a ruck.

With three-quarters of the match gone, we were still looking 'OK', and, with a little bit of luck, we could hold on to (or even increase) our lead. Then, with fifteen minutes to go, the former Hawick, now Edinburgh and Scotland Number 8, Callam crossed over our line to score. The try was converted, bringing the scores level at 15-15.

Still 'Muir came forward. On one occasion, an adventurous run towards our goal was only brought to an abrupt halt by the ever-vigilant Borth, who made a first class, try saving tackle. Not content to settle for a draw, Stewart's Melville went looking for the winner and had our claim for a penalty upheld. With the pressure now very much upon him, Stu Ker made no mistake and converted his kick beautifully to take us back into the lead with only six minutes left to play. The electronic scoreboard read 15-18 in our favour.

BANG! BANG! ED (as in IED, Improvised Explosive Device) MILLS (as in bomb) scored not just once but twice for 'Muir! The first of his tries was four minutes from the whistle, when, receiving a nicely laid off pass, he nipped around the side of the posts to score. Then Mills' second came within time added on, when he was the beneficiary of a dreadful (suicidal) tap penalty kick by Stew/Mel, which was gratefully collected and passed to him to place between our posts. Both tries were successfully converted. All our earlier pyrotechnics had turned out to be just a damp squib - final score Boroughmuir 29 - Stewart's Melville 18.

So that's the midway point of the season reached. We now meet the other teams in our league for a second time, starting with Hawks at Inverleith. This match is on Sunday, 15th November with a 2 pm kick-off. Hawks were defeated at home today by Dundee, 10-33. With our recent home win and today's unlucky defeat away from home, I wouldn't rule out a Stew/Mel win on Sunday.

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