Glasgow Accies RFC v Kirkcaldy RFC
Played on 29th February 2020 at New Anniesland
Accies forwards produce a dominant display
We started today’s game with a minute’s silence in remembrance of the 3 year daughter of past Captain Jamie Doig. Jamie, his wife Kirsty and their 3 children, Hunter, Lachlan and Darcy emigrated to South Africa 2 years ago. A tragic accident resulted in 3 year old Darcy drowning in the family pool, a tragedy that all parents hope will never happen to them. We hope that the Doig family know that they are very much in our thoughts and hearts
After the minute’s silence the game got under way in cold and windy conditions but on a playing surface that was in magnificent conditions despite the atrocious weather. Once again the result of the efforts of Robert and his team were much appreciated by all who were there but most importantly by the players. Kirkcaldy kicked off and with what was perhaps an indication of what was to come; the ball ran into the dead ball area and out. Scrum back on halfway and the first evidence of the power of Accies pack was demonstrated when they drove their opponents back and gave their halfbacks the platform. From the start young Robert McNaught at scrum half was giving the opposition big back row something to think about and as is said –“kept them honest” whilst his half back partner and Captain, Ross Cowan, was using this possession to keep the opposition on the back foot with some clever and accurate kicking.
Kirkcaldy are a big side with a strong back row and a 10/12/13 setup that would do credit to any team in the Premiership. However after a couple of sorties into Accies half using their big forwards to try and batter down Accies defence, Kirkcaldy conceded two penalties in quick succession as Accies defence applied the pressure. This allowed Ross Cowan to get his forwards to within 7 metres of the try line and from the ensuing lineout the forwards drove the ball over for the first try out wide on the right. A really tough conversion for the right footed Gregor Macewan, into the swirling wind and from the right side of the pitch, however much to the delight of the crowd he was successful. 7 – 0
It was clearly encouraging for the players to hear this large crowd, who had braved the cold and windy conditions to come out and support them, now in full voice. There followed a period of sustained pressure from the hard running Kirkcaldy back row and centres but some superb defence kept them on the back foot. The defensive attitude and commitment was another feature of the game in which every one of the Accies players played their part. Ross Cowan once again used the good possession that the pack was providing and with a couple of clever kicks had Accies deep inside Kirkcaldy’s 22. Accies came close on a couple of occasions but a knock on and a missed pass meant that they came away empty handed. Some good driving from their forwards and a great break by the big and strong running blindside wing forward, saw Kirkcaldy break into Accies 22. During this period of severe pressure the referee gave several penalties to Kirkcaldy and in fact put Accies on a formal warning. Kirkcaldy declined the 3 points and went for the lineout on the 5 metres, but again strong defence kept them out. It was perhaps more of a boost to Accies that no matter how hard Kirkcaldy tried they could not break down Accies defence. In fact Accies were able to drive Kirkcaldy backwards and the second try, which was at a crucial time and started to swing the game and scoreboard our way, was all started by a Robbie MacNaught 15m sniping counter attack down the blindside on our 10m from a ruck built out of good defence, who flipped it to Ronan Joy who took it on a further few meters, only for Connor Elliott to take it on, spin beautifully out of a tackle, the ball was collected by Connor Elliott who broke clear, crossed the opponents 10 metre line, drew the fullback and passed to the supporting Tommy Spinks, today’s man of the match, who romped home from 35 metres out. A great try in good conditions but superb in today’s conditions. Tough conversion missed. 12 – 0
There followed a period of intense pressure as the Kirkcaldy players worked really hard to get back into the game. It was Accies dominance in the scrums and lineouts along with their superb aggressive defence that kept Kirkcaldy out and prevented any more scoring in the first half. Half-time 12 – 0 The second half started, as did the snow, producing horrendous conditions to play any style of rugby and so despite having the majority of time on the ball, Kirkcaldy could not break down the Accies defence and in truth did not look like scoring. Their stand-off tried hard to keep the pressure on Accies with some quality kicks into the right hand corner, but again this was well defended by the Accies backs.
When Kirkcaldy tried to vary their attack and move the ball along their backs Accies put real pressure on the ball carrier and forced them backwards thus pushing Kirkcaldy well out of Accies danger zone. Then from a ruck just inside Accies half, Calum Duke collected a bouncing ball and breezed past the first line of defence, leaving several Kirkcaldy defenders in his wake, took the ball 20 metres inside Kirkcaldy’s half and when he was finally stopped he managed to offload to the supporting Sean Alton who drew another three desperate defenders and when he looked to his supporting teammates, who should be on hand, yes Calum Duke, who race in the final 20 metres to the line and even sidestepped the last defender. This was a try that would have done credit to any team in our National Leagues. I think the excitement of the try was a factor in Gregor missing the conversion. 17 – 0
Accies were now 3 scores ahead and a few supporters were clearly feeling more relaxed. Kirkcaldy were now having to chasing the game and it was again some superb attacking defence that forced their scrum half, who had had a good game, to try and move the ball forward, however his kick was charged down by Sean Alton, who then hacked it the 30 metres to the try line and drop on the ball, to the absolute delight of Accies supporters. This time the conversion was good. 24 – 0
This had proved to be a great day for Accies and despite a last minute try for Kirkcaldy, Accies had demonstrated how well they are capable of playing, both in attack and defence. . The missed conversion saw the referee bring the game to a close. Full – time 24 – 5 I think it would be safe to say that most who had turned out at New Anniesland had expected a very close encounter and with Kirkcaldy still in the race for promotion and having beaten Accies 45 – 23 in the first encounter at Beveridge Park they were probably expecting a win for Kirkcaldy. Well clearly nobody had mentioned that to this Accies side. Accies pack dominated the scrums and lineouts and therefore deprived Kirkcaldy of a platform to attack off and despite the hard running of their large forwards and centres they were getting nowhere with their game plan. Accies coaches will have learned a great deal about their squad today and will no doubt have areas of the game that they can improve on, but a great deal of credit has to go to Andrew Jackson, Ryan Grant and Tony Smith for the way they have managed to turn this team around and take them to 32 points, a great result. Our next encounter is on Saturday against Hamilton Bulls who sit one place above Accies but will be formidable opponents especially on their own turf. Our next home fixture is against Falkirk who we narrowly beat in the first encounter.
