Dunfermline vs Stew Mel, 26/10/02

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Squad

The Stewart's Melville team for Saturday's game with Dunfermline, 3 pm kick off at McKane Park, is:

A few changes from the team that won last week as we still strive for the blend that will finish off the chances we are creating.

In the backs, Fraser Pollock starts at full back in place of Mark Welch, who is unavailable due to business commitments. Euan Clark comes into the team at scrum half to replace Stuart Thom, who gets married on Friday 25th, and Richard Borthwick returns for Stuart Bartwicki, who picked up an injury teaching at Uni on Wednesday afternoon. The injury necessitated a visit to A&E, but no more than a badly swollen ankle is reported.

Up front, the pack are playing well, so it is same again for them. On the bench, Dougie Rycroft returns after concussion; he replaces Ally Maclay, who wants to play a full game.

Riggers' Review

Halfway through the league campaign, and we are tucked nicely in fourth place after grinding out another win at sunny, windy, hail-lashed and rain-sodden McKane Park on Saturday afternoon. Once again we were slow out of the traps and allowed a competitive Dunfermline team to build up a bit of momentum in front of a 200 plus crowd and a mobile disco.

What is it about this Stewart's Melville team that takes us so long to get going. The error count in the first half was horrendous, despite being played in great conditions. This seems to be the case in most games. We have a belief that we will be good enough to win, and the boys on the pitch remain calm. I doubt the same can be said for the coaches, management and supporters! Saying that, Koli's try in the first half, when he finished a great move will, be a contender for one of the tries of our season. Great play by forwards and backs left Dunfermline in our wake, and Koli flopped over to score the try.

After 50 minutes we found ourselves 11-7 down, playing up the slope and into the wind, when the hail storm arrived. I don't know why, but we suddenly clicked into gear. Some of the driving play was top class and we had Dunfermline on the back foot. Fraser Pollock, who was Dunfermline's Stew/Mel man of the match, brought us within a point, and the heads were up. Amazingly, in the conditions, the passes that were being dropped in the first half were now sticking, and it was an assured Stew/Mel team who started pounding at the Dunfermline line.

Despite there being no way through, Struan Samson amazed us all (and himself) with a beautifully struck drop goal to edge us ahead. Speaking to Struan afterwards, he confessed that he only decided to go for the drop goal after the ball had left his foot. A great decision none the less.

We continued to press, and a penalty near the posts put us five points clear with about 10 minutes to go. And then came the sight many people would have paid the admission money to see: Koli, peeling round the back of a lineout and pirouetting like a Tongan ballet dancer on heat, beat five men to score near the posts. The scenes of celebration that greeted the score would be fitting for a team winning the World Cup. I guess that is just what it meant to the team.

Once again, they had been under the cosh, under performing, but they stayed together as a team and pulled it round as a team. All 19 players in the squad today have every reason to be proud of this win. With the grit and determination shown by this team, believe me when I say we will not be far away come the shakedown at the end of the season.

Riggers

Stew Mel Stats

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