No shocks were predicted in Round 9 of the GPS: joint leaders Newington were expected to account for winless Shore at Northbridge, and although Kings were improving, Joeys should account for them at Hunters Hill.
Riverview were to play “giant killer” in the last two rounds, against both joint leaders, and had every chance to win at home against Scots in Round 9, but they would have to play their best rugby.
Riverview v Scots
by “Crackerjack”
A cliche, maybe, but this one would indeed “be a game of two halves”.
First half
Bucolic sunlit hillocks greeted Scots at Riverview, but it was a scratchy, almost “nervy” start from both sides, with “dropsies” and offside penalties killing momentum.
View settled first, and off dominant displays from their forwards in the set pieces, View’s Tom O’Reilly (11) and half Josh Noonan (9) went in; Noonan, like all nippy No.9’s, cooly using the referee as a shield on his scrum-base dart to grab some meat. A 14-0 View lead, early.
Scots’ response from a Ryan McCauley (5) break, recycled to dam-buster James Hawkins (13), finally had Scots stirring up scoreboard attendants, 20 minutes in. View up 14-7.
View steadied again, and hooker Alex Hamilton (2) with locks Nicholas Tracy (4) and Michael Fenn (5), had good things going in their lineouts.
From declined penalty shots, attacking lineouts deep into Scots’ red zone, and rolling-maul combinations View created two tries. First, View’s blindside flanker Chris Scott (6) crashed over and with only four minutes to oranges, View repeated the dose, setting up rolling maul #5, or was it #6? – of the half – for Chris Scott (6) to get his second, though it was officially recorded as scored by Hamilton.
View were up 26-7. Newington spotters were busily texting across to Northbridge that the action at Lane Cove was not going according to script, but oddly, despite their team’s healthy lead, the home crowd was quiet. Even the Riverview bass drum was eerily silent: no-one willing to dare the upset to actually be ‘on’?
On the stroke of halftime, Scots spread the Gilbert to John Eales-mimic, McCauley (5), who crossed wide out in heavy traffic. Scots still in this.
Half-time score: Riverview 26 – Scots 12
Second half
Pumped by halftime orations, and reminded that Scots had been behind at the half in recent weeks against top-shelf Newington and Joeys, View sprang from the blocks, hammering Scots’ line. Penalty shots declined; attacking lineouts; rolling maul set ups; pick and drives; a “held up” decision; and yet another five-metre scrum—but View’s first half dominant scrum had noticeably waned.
Scots clung on. Grimly. Stoically. A sage nearby observed “If Scots do win this, they can look back at their defensive effort right here on their line.” He wasn’t wrong.
Scots wriggled out of their 22, and the late great coach David Brockhoff, a Wallaby player and coach – and a Scots old boy – would have enthused: “Like a shark through a school of mullet!”, OC Hawkins (13), Gilbert tucked under his wing, went in for his second.
Scots now had a sniff. Dylan Woods (2) and Charlie Smith (7) were everywhere, and with big Max Girdler (6), were running straight and hard, building platforms for Scots’ attacking raids.
In short order, Scots went from just having a sniff to cleaning house. In a ten-minute spell which devastated the home side, Scots scored a treble.
Dan England (12) spun like a whirling dervish on his way to the line; a Theo Strang (9) ball was passed inside to flyhalf Dylan McLachlan (10) to go in; then Smith (7) popped another to ol’ mate Girdler (6), who scored after careering into the upright.
Three quick tries, all converted by Nic Shannon (15), and Scots led 40-26, Coach Brian Smith bellowing to his charges to “Stay on it!”
Indeed, they did. McLachlan’s (10) toed ahead for Shannon (15) to fingertip regather at speed, smack between converging View defenders to score, and Scots were safely ahead, 47-26.
View’s replacement winger Malu Nona (16) ended the try-fest with a solo cameo down the left flank, converted, to give Scots a final scoreline, 47-33.
Full Time: Scots 47 -. Riverview 33
The players
Scots:
3pts: Dylan Woods (2) – played “enormous”; front-foot led all day, in both defence and attack.
2pts: James Hawkins (13) – asked hard questions across View’s three-quarters, and scored a couple of gems.
1pt: Ryan McCauley (5) – led in Scots’ fightback, instrumental in turning around View’s dominant set piece, and scored a crucial late first-half try.
(Unfair really, to nominate just three. Could easily have added Strang (9), Smith (7) and THP, Zylstra (3) to the ‘Best’ list.)
Riverview:
3pts: Alex Hamilton (2) – View’s first half dominant set piece revolved around him, plus he got across the stripe.
2pts: Tom Lenehan (10) – stepped up into the big shoes of McGregor and went well.
1pt: Malu Nona (16) – a surprise packet who added starch out wide when he came on. One to watch for next year?
The wrap-up
A tale of two halves. Riverview living off their quality set pieces early, starving Scots of possession. But Scots never folding, digging in, urging the tide to turn which it did with their gutsy five minute long goal-line stand early in the second stanza, to then get clear air and run amok on the scoreboard, putting this one out of reach still with ten minutes to go.
Scoring
Scots 47 (J.Hawkins 2, R.McCauley, D.England, D.McLachlan, M.Girdler, N.Shannon tries; N.Shannon 6 cons) def. Riverview 33 (C. Scott 2, T.O’Reilly, J.Noonan, M.Nona tries; T. Lenehan 4 cons)
Video of tries Riverview v Scots by the one and only “sidesteppa”. Thank you.
Click on Page two below for a report on Joeys v Kings by “Lee Grant”
