Stew Mel Rugby















Stew Mel vs Melrose, 15/10/05

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Squad

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

15
Sam Hendry
14
David McCall
13
Peter Jorgensen
12
Andrew Easson
11
Peter McLean
10
Graham Shiel
9
Euan Clark
1
Paul Wharakura (captain)
2
Shaun McMurchy
3
Stephan De Beer
4
Ben Leathes
5
Stephen Dalgleish
6
Graham Lind
7
Ross Rennie
8
Richard Vernon
   
16
Alex Edmonstone
17
Neil Malloy
18
Phil Hendry
19
Nicky Wood

After our tough away trips to Stirling and Ayr, it's great to be back to the relative sanctuary of Inverleith this weekend for the visit of Melrose. The backline is the same as the one that started at Millbrae last week, while, up front, Shaun McMurchy and Ross Rennie are fit again and return to the starting lineup.

Richie Vernon has also returned to full match fitness and replaces Lindy at Number 8. Lindy switches to flanker, Phil Hendry drops to the bench and James Constable will play for the 2nd XV in their home tie against Melrose. Ben Leathes is available again this week and returns to partner sober again Stephen Dalgleish in the Boiler House.

It's vitally important that we win on Saturday to get our league campaign back on track, so the boys and I hope to see another bumper crowd at Inverleith for the 3 pm kickoff.


Riggers' Review

Melrose at home, 15/10/05 - Sam prepares to notch another three points

The 'News Of The World' stated on Sunday that our 44-17 victory over Melrose was 'Stewart's Melville's best result in a decade'. Whilst, in terms of results in Premier 1, that is factually correct, there have been bigger winning margins in that time, and also some narrow victories in important matches, some of which have saved us from National League rugby.

What can't be understated, though, is the importance of this victory in terms of this season. After two tough weeks on the road, we had plenty to prove, not just to the supporters, but also to the players themselves. We are lucky to have a head coach whose belief in how we should play the game has not wavered, and who has backed the players to produce the game plan.

Melrose at home, 15/10/05

It was by no stretch of the imagination a perfect execution of the game plan on Saturday, but it was a massive step up on the previous weeks. We still made a number of unforced errors and were lucky that we found a Melrose team not at the top of their game. In the first half, especially, they missed a number of tackles which one would imagine was uncharacteristic of them, but, as before this season, we never put the points on the board in the first half when we were dominant.

We managed one opportunist try by Dave McCall after Clarky took a quick free kick and created the gap for Dave, but we should have scored more. We all thought Dalgy had romped home from the 22, but the touch judge correctly spotted a forward pass and it was ruled out. A 13-3 half-time lead was satisfying, but at 20-3 we would have felt more comfortable.

Melrose at home, 15/10/05

This comfort was quickly established in the first quarter of the second half when we produced some of the best attacking rugby of the season. Dave added a couple more tries to score the first hat-trick by a Stew/Mel player since Stuart Clark last season at Kelso. Interestingly, it was the first by a back since Mark Welch scored three against Hillfoots in the Cup during Macca and Benzo's first game in charge back in 2002, and it was the first hat-trick at home by anybody since Steven Reed romped in for five against Berwick in 2001. Happy with that, Bill?!

Richie Vernon also scored to secure the try bonus, and, at 37-3, it was a fair reflection of our performance. Melrose, however, managed to score two late tries whilst we were down to 14 men, but the victory was never under threat. Woody, on at Stand Off for Shiely, managed to win a kick and chase to score our fifth try right at the death, and, with Sam kicking all five conversions and three penalties for a 19 point haul, we had got back to winning habits on the green, green grass of home.

Melrose at home, 15/10/05

Next up is a trip to Aberdeen to face Grammar in what will again be a tough encounter on the road. If the boys can just bottle what they produced on Saturday and unleash it at Rubislaw, we will have more than a chance of getting something out of the game. I will, however, miss watching my first Stewart's Melville 1st XV match since September 2000 - some 120 games on the trot - to attend the wedding of a work colleague. No offence to the bride and groom, but I know where my thoughts will be come 3 pm on
Saturday. Come on Stew Mel!

Riggers


Stew Mel Stats

Result Won 44-17
Sequence 3-0, 3-3, 8-3, 10-3, 13-3 (half time), 16-3, 21-3, 23-3, 28-3, 30-3, 35-3, 37-3, 37-8, 37-10, 37-15, 37-17, 42-17, 44-17
Tries David McCall 3 (12, 57 and 62 mins), Richie Vernon (60 mins), Nicky Wood (83 mins)
Conversions Sam Hendry 5
Penalties Sam Hendry 3 (3, 40 & 52 mins)
Cards

Alex Edmonstone given the 'Capaldi at Biggar' treatment on 69 minutes for some mysterious ruck offence

Referee David Jack of Madras FP
Single Sentence Summary It may be a tad premature to start calling Ross Rennie the 'heartbeat' of the team, but there's no denying we play a hell of a lot better when he's around - the dogged defence and willingness to make the hard yards demonstrated by all the players during this great victory was very much in the Rosco mould
Leading Lion

Ignoring the cries of 'Woody!' from the legendary George, we really have to go for David McCall for his superb hat trick. I'll let Riggers tell us the last Stew Mel player to perform such a feat in a competitive game, but Dave was awesome today - great hands, lightning pace and dizzying moves. His tendency to do mad stuff in defence still needs to be worked on, but ... we'll let him off this week!

Bevvy Bulletin

A five try horsing of Melrose, plus a Race Night to follow ... yup!

 

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