You are here: Match Reports/2007-08/1st XV/Biggar 8th September 2007
Click here for printable version of the report
Click here for the Biggar view
Click here for printable version of the report
Click here for the Biggar view
| “HILLS” BLOWN AWAY BY ( AIRTRICITY ) BIGGAR Biggar RFC 62 pts Hillhead Jordanhill RFC 0pts This was as comprehensive a defeat as “Hills” have suffered in many seasons, with Biggar racking up seven goals, two tries and one penalty goal without conceding any. For the statisticians, the scoring was neatly symmetrical with 31pts in each half; and the bonus point, awarded for Biggar’s fourth try, obtained as early as the 28th minute. The root cause of the “Hills” travails at Hartreemill was not in first phase ball winning but rather in the all the breakdown and second phase contact areas where the physicality of the Biggar pack reigned supreme. Any time “Hills” tried to make progress, it was impeded and frustrated by their opponents pirating and winning all the turnover ball they required to launch their stinging counter attacks which “Hills” fragmented defence struggled all afternoon to cope with. In a game, which in terms of scoring was so one sided that some neutrals would wonder if “Hills” had turned up, there were, however, some passages of enterprising play from the visitors, which on another day, would have brought rewards: tight head prop, Douglas Walker’ s fine barnstorming touch line run,; Andrew Gilman’s dart for the line which was halted only by a desperate tap tackle from former “Hills” player, Sam Muir; Cammy McCulloch’s solo run for 60 metres and replacement winger Hamish Locke’s despairing charge for the line. Yet, these were all essentially fine individual efforts lacking vital support to convert the chances into scores, whereas Biggar’s scores mostly arose from their dominant performance in the loose, releasing quick ball for their wide players to run free to score. If there was a collective plus mark it was in the “Hills” scrummaging which was steady throughout with Gavin Blackburn on the loose head being unmovable, and “Hills” man of the match on the tight head, Douglas Walker, dynamic until being replaced late in the game by Calum McConachie “This was a sore lesson for some of our younger players, noted Keith Robertson, “Hills” head Coach. We have now had a sharp lesson from a mature group of players about the level of intensity which is required for rugby at P 2 level where the focus is for 80 minutes. We shall lift everyone up at this week’s training sessions.” “Hills” 1st XV – Dan Witko, Gavin Mahindru ( Hamish Locke ), David Paterson, Will Marshall, David Mitchell, Cammy McCulloch, Andrew Gilman, Gavin Blackburn, Stewart McMillan ( Ewen Weir ), Douglas Walker ( Calum McConachie ), Stuart Rose, James Howarth ( Douglas Crichton ) , Stuart Ross, Cammy Kerr ( C ) and Stuart Todd |
