(PEEBLES
RUGBY FOR PN EDITION 22nd DECEMBER)
FREE-SCORING HOOKERS KEEP HOME
FANS HAPPY
H.L. Parker reports from The
Gytes
Peebles 20 Perthshire 14
In this their final SHE Premier III outing of 2007, Peebles maintained
their promotion challenge thanks to four league points from their 3 tries to two
victory over an impressive Perthshire outfit.
Scores by home hookers Ryan McConnell and Trevor Keen plus a penalty try
and 5 points from the inevitable boot of Dan Boughtwood accounted for Peebles’
points.
Incidentally, their two touchdowns take the hookers’ joint tally so far
this season to a remarkable 10 tries.
Meanwhile, Dan Boughtwood’s opposite number Rob Mitchell added the
conversions to both Matt Smith’s and Pete Saunders’ tries for the fired-up
visitors.
Indeed, so pumped-up were Perthshire for their Gytes visit, it was as if
they’d donned the mantle Peebles wore with such fierce pride the week before
at Netherdale.
Said Peebles’ forwards coach Steven Ferguson, “I was impressed with
Perthshire and I’m certainly glad we got that game out of the way. Bruce and I
knew this was going to be a hard game for us.”
“Those fans who said after the game that Peebles didn’t play well
against them – well it just isn’t true.”
“You play as well as your opponents let you play,” Steven went on,
“I didn’t think we played poorly, it’s just that we were up against a
decent side.”
“Their scrum was solid and their line-out caused us a lot of problems.
Their ball retention was really good and they had pace out wide. On top of that
they pressed us well when we had possession.”
“Perthshire were a complete, well-balanced side. But of course their
prop being sent off was the turning-point in the game.”
In an early home attack, a Boughtwood chip down the right was followed by
a Duncan Macdonald grubber on the opposite flank, the No 13 clearly looking in
lively fettle again.
Though inside centre Craig Borthwick and No 7 Neil Cruikshank combined
from right wing Neil Hogarth’s ‘steal’ of enemy ball, Perthshire were
first to put points on the board when slick interplay from halfway ended with,
No 14, Smith diving over. Mitchell added the points to put the visitors 7-0 up
after 7 minutes.
And it might have been worse for Peebles soon after but Donald Anderson
made a try-saving interception prior to Hogarth, Boughtwood and McConnell
linking with Ross MacNish who’d materialised on the right wing.
Despite the visitors having the bulk of possession at this stage,
Anderson almost scored at the left corner from Hogarth, Cruikshank and
Boughtwood’s link.
But the move had its origins in skipper Drew Moore’s superb break out
of defence in what seemed an unpromising situation.
Next, Peebles almost scored at the same corner as David Harvey’s
line-out take spawned a driven maul.
Back came the Taysiders, but a series of outstanding tackles exemplified
Peebles’ resolve in defence: First came Neil Clark’s textbook hit on player
coach Kaleta – a challenge of the David-and-Goliath variety; next a Kiwi Dan
‘special’ on the flying Smith; No 3 Clark then repeated the dose on fly half
Mitchell before Adam Clark kept up the family tradition with a thumping tackle
on full back Fleming.
But it was a Macdonald tackle that led to Peebles’ first points – a
28th-minute Boughtwood penalty that reduced the gap to 3-7.
Four minutes later came the red-card incident as prop James Whyte was
dismissed for stamping.
Peebles capitalised only a minute later when No 6 Tig Jocelyn’s
line-out catch saw McConnell dive over to put the homesters in front for the
first time at 8-7.
Despite Peebles threatening through No 8 Davy Paton, Borthwick, Harvey,
Anderson and Boughtwood, the attempted push-over at the resultant 5-metre scrum
ended with a “ball held up” decision and Referee Ian Clark (Haddington)
blowing for halftime.
With Keen on for McConnell, the 50th-minute saw Peebles profit from
Perthshire’s depletion with a penalty try goaled by Boughtwood for a 15-7 home
lead.
However, prop, Tapelu’s retiral brought the visitors the relief of
uncontested scrums before good handling beneath the Gytes’ Gallery ended with
a Saunders try which Mitchell converted to reduce the home lead to 15-14 in 58
minutes.
Two minutes later however, quick hands out left saw Peebles celebrate
when Keen blew the years away as he raced over at the left corner for a 20-14
home lead.
Jinking runs up the middle by wingers Hogarth and Dale Clancy almost won
Peebles a bonus-point try but Borthwick’s yellow card in 68 minutes forced the
home side into defensive mode.
MacNish however won vital enemy line-out ball to set the home forwards
rumbling up the park while crucial tackles came from a wide variety of players.
None of them more important than the five or so crunching try-saving
efforts that the tireless Boughtwood put in.
Thus his Tweed Homes Man-of-the-Match award later on – Matt Smith
taking the award for Perthshire (although it might just as easily have gone to
full back Fleming or centre Saunders- and that’s just the backs)
Said Dan, “After last week at Gala we were on a massive high. But
facing up to really tough opposition today for the second week in a row was
really difficult for us. But we got the result we were after.”
PEEBLES
: D.W. Anderson, N. Hogarth, D. Macdonald and C. Borthwick, D. Clancy, D.
Boughtwood and A. Moore (captain); A. Clark, R. McConnell (T. Keen 40), N.
Clark, D. Harvey and R. MacNish, T. Jocelyn, N. Cruikshank, D. Paton.
UNUSED REPLACEMENTS : David A. Anderson, Andrew Brown, Steven Irvine