Glasgow Accies RFC 1st XV v Newton Stewart RFC 1st XV
&
Glasgow Accies RFC 2nd XV v Marr RFC 2nd XV
The day started off with a lovely well attended lunch at which Roger Baird gave a very entertaining speech and all present enjoyed good food, good wine and some great rugby chat.
The rugby was preceded by a minute’s silence to remember one of New Anniesland’s greatest supporters the legendary Andrew Howie, who was represented at the lunch and at the game by Ker Malcolm his grandson. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his presence at New Anniesland will be greatly missed.
So, on a rather dreich and at times wet day the games got under way. The whole squad have been working hard all summer with great competition for places and I have to say that it showed today. As the coaches also commented the players commitment over the pre-season build-up has been great.
On the 1st XV pitch a good crowd were entertained to 78 minutes of controlled, well drilled rugby from an Accies side that really looked as if meant business from the kick-off. One of Newton Stewarts great strengths has always been their strong and mobile pack but today Accies 8 were clearly in control. Driving their opponents off their put in and controlling their scrum when it was ours. The line outs were also well managed but what really impressed was the pressure that the players demonstrated at the breakdown.
The first 10 minutes Accies were driving at Newton Stewart with hard running by the carrying forwards and then moving the ball wide with great accuracy, but as one would expect from the Borderers their defence was strong and aggressive, and when it was their job to defend, they never gave their opponents an inch to move about. Throughout this match Accies played with control and discipline and it was a pleasure to watch.
The movement of ball in hand was silky smooth and always in front of the oncoming player, I did not see one dropped pass, and not only that but the timing was of the highest quality. The first try of the afternoon came after the ball had been moved right, then when it was stopped the opposition were penalised for an infringement but Accies move the ball left to another ruck just to the left of the posts where very accomplished Finlay Neilson, playing at 10, turn to his right and using the advantage of a “free ball” chipped a perfect ball into the right-hand corner for Oli Nash to collect and touch down. The really tough conversion attempt by Gregor Macewan just wide 5 – 0
An unfortunate clash of heads meant that Rob McNaught and Phil Farren had to come off, both players were performing superbly and their departure could have really unsettled the side, but Fin Neilson moved to 9 and Ross Cowan to 10, with Oli Nash moving to 15 and Mark Ashdown replacing Phil in the front row and Sean Alton going onto the wing. As a testament to the drilling and preparation for the game the crowd would see no diminishing in the performance.
A single try seemed scant reward for Accies dominance but it has to be said that you never get anything for nothing when the opponents are Newton Stewart, you really have to earning it. Accies kept up the pressure and looked close to scoring from close range but were held up just short of the line. Penalty awarded for offside and our two Captains for the day, Kane Greggain and Ross Cowan decide as there was no more time left on the clock, before the excellent referee Craig Clark, would blow for half-time, they handed the ball to Gregor who added the 3 points. 8 – 0
Half – time 8 – 0
There were a few nervous supporters, who I think felt that we had not taken full advantage of our dominance of possession and that we might regret that. Well fear not for it is clear our coaches have used the good numbers and committed attitude of the squad over the summer to create a well drilled team that is capable of following a game plan and working it to their advantage. The level of forward dominance lapsed only once but for the rest of the game our forwards were feeding a smooth and dare I use the word, silky, back division.
Accies were awarded two penalties and from these Fin Neilson put the ball to within 5 metres of the line. Another aspect of the summer work was the accuracy and clever use of the kicking game. The ensuing lineout and maul were superbly executed and resulted in a well-earned forwards try. Gregor made no mistake with the conversion. 15 – 0
The 2 minutes of lapsed concentration came when a loose ball, just inside the opposition’s half was hacked well into Accies territory and despite the attempts of several players to get on top of it, a Newton Stewart player collected the ball and ran the last 20 metres to score to the right of the posts. Conversion missed but points on the board. 15 – 5
This incident focused Accies players minds and they were soon back well inside the opposition half. A feature of today’s game was the timing of passes, the ability of all players to at times delay the pass to give it maximum effect. After some superb interplay Gregor Macewan put boot to ball into Newton Stewart’s red zone, where the Newtons Stewart’s winger, under severe pressure scrambled it into touch. Yet another good line out and drive from the pack was held up several times but with good control of the ball and no sign of ”white line fever” the forwards took the ball to in front of the posts and then with impeccable timing the ball was moved right and another floated pass from Ross saw Gregor over for the third 3rd try. He was clearly running on adrenalin and slotted the conversion from out wide on the right. 22 – 5
The boys clearly wanted the bonus point try and went about getting it in a calm and controlled manor. At no time during the 80 minutes of rugby did this reporter feel that Accies were not totally in control of their game plan and their approach.
With the game drawing to a close, Accies scored what some would see as the try that most summed up the day for Accies. From a lineout on the stand side the ball was moved to the left, good hands and silky passing saw the ball going down the left wing. Cover defence, as it had done all day was there for Newton Stewart but the ball was recycled and two runners off the ruck took the ball towards the line, again defended well, but then the ball was shifted to Gregor and he delayed and timed his floated pass to tight head prop Scott Hilton who almost danced over the line from 5 metres out. Unfortunately, the ball fell off the tee and the conversion was missed.
A fitting way to score the bonus point try and complete what was a very successful start to Accies season.
Full – time 27 – 5
Tired but happy players left the field to be greeted by the 2nd XV players who had just pulled off a memorable victory over Marr RFC 2nd XV, no mean feat when you reflect that last season Marr’s 2nd XV beat Accies comfortably both home and away. So, a 25 – 14 win was very satisfactory. 2 wins on the opening Saturday in September - a real rarity for New Anniesland but something all the players and coaches have worked very hard to achieve.
Our coaches are working hard to develop a squad that means there is competition for all places and that both the 1’s and 2’s are playing to the same game plan. A solid start but as one of the coach’s commented, we’ve got another big game next week!
I felt it was worth adding as a postscript the comments sent to me by one of our most loyal and regular supporters.
“Many of our loyal supporters commented to me after the game not just about the excellent win against a very strong Newton Stewart side, but more about their pleasure in seeing an Accies side working together in every aspect of their performance, and committing to controlling the game in every aspect. Even after the early double injury blow to both scrum-half Rob McNaught and prop Phil Farren, the replacements slotted right in to the tactics without any apparent unsettling effects. Such a disciplined performance reflected well on coaches Ryan Grant and Ruaridh Jackson and the others who have clearly set out their tactics, and gained the respect and support of the players. It was a real joy to witness such a great team performance – congratulations to all concerned!”
Report written by Donald Reid
