Stew Mel vs Currie, 10/9/05

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Squad

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

There are a number of changes to the squad for Saturday's game against high flying Currie. With Stephen Dalgleish having put in a couple of excellent performances in our league matches so far, he moves into the back row for his first start at number 6. This will hopefully mean we will see even more of him getting around the park, carrying the ball and making his trademark big hits. Scotty Riddell drops to the bench to accommodate Dalgy in the back row.

In the backs, Craig Joiner has recovered from the knock he picked up in the game against Heriot's, and replaces Jed Gordon on the wing. Sam Hendry also makes a timely recovery from his ankle injury to replace the injured Andrew Easson - the fact that we can bring last year's club Player Of The Year into the squad shows the real strength of our back line this season.

Dave Sutherland joins the bench after impressing for the 2nd XV in recent weeks, while Phil Hendry is absent, sunning his ginger body on a beach somewhere.

After the excellent crowd at our opening game of the season, the players would very much appreciate it if you could make it down to Inverleith this Saturday to cheer them on in what is sure to be a hard-fought match.

Malky

Riggers' Review

It's been a decade in the making, but, when it finally happened, it was well worth the wait. A victory in Premier 1 is what I'm talking about, of course, and it was a much improved performance from the horror show at Hawick. The bar has now been set at a level, and the players now know what level of performance is needed - and is, indeed, acceptable - if we are going to compete and confound all the critics who already have us playing Premier 2 rugby next season. We can't afford to drop below this level again.

After a tough week's training where there was a 'back to basics' feel about all that was going on, the whole team fronted up on Saturday afternoon. It was especially pleasing to see the forward pack take control and afford some protection to Ross Samson at the base of the scrum and at rucks and mauls. The pack had been guilty of leaving Ross exposed down at Hawick, but not on Saturday. Ross showed he has the potential not just to develop into a very good scrum-half, but to make a difference in Premier 1 games for Stewart's Melville this season. With Wee Clarky due back into the mix soon as well, it is a healthy position to be in.

The back line also played much better as a unit, and, with Shiely controlling things at stand-off, the right decisions were made at the right times. It is easier to do this if the ball is cleaner and quicker, and it was this week. The whole performance was built around the defensive platform, and the back division were key to this effort. We finally have seven backs on the field who seem to relish their defensive chores as well as the attacking opportunities that come their way, and it is a good balance to have.

I could sit here and write about a telling contribution each individual made on Saturday, and that is a good position to be in. But it is difficult to single anybody out. When asked my opinion as to who my 'Leading Lion' had been, I think I offered five players to the webmaster. He chose someone I hadn't even mentioned - no offence Lindy, but there were just so many good performances.

A final word must go to Steph De Beer, who played his fiftieth 1st XV game for the Club on Saturday. I'd asked Steph if he was planning to mark the occasion with anything special, such as a drop goal or a try. Steph's response had been that a win would be special enough, so I didn't quite expect the cross kick from him to Zane to set up our third try, but it worked all the same. Just as well he didn't hit it where he was aiming ...

Next week we're off down to Biggar, where tough encounters always seem to be the order of the day. We've played Biggar in six league encounters over the last few years, and they just edge us in victories. There have been three wins for them at Hartreemill, with us winning two and drawing one game at Inverleith. It would be great to have a good support to cheer us on our way, so I look forward to seeing you in Biggar.

Riggers

Stew Mel Stats

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