Shore v Scots
by “Gary Owen III”
After a beautiful and sunny July morning, the weather turned somewhat sour as the clouds rolled in and showers loomed at Northbridge ahead of the 1st XV fixture. The Shore crowd were jammed into the cover of the Hawker Stand and were full of anticipation, after being buoyed by a last minute converted try in the 2nds to snatch a draw against Scots.
The two 1st XV side ran out to the centre of Northbridge A ground and the size difference was apparent immediately. Scots have some big boys.
First half
The first play of the game maybe showed what was to come as the tallest player on the field, Scots’ Ryan McCauley fielded the kick-off and ran straight into the shortest player on the field, Shore’s Ed Gregory. A foot into touch saw a line-out and the battle began.
It didn’t take too long for Scots to click into gear, but some poor handling in the slippery conditions saw many attacking raids break down from both teams. A Shore scrum after about 10 mins saw Theo Strang show lightning speed to reach the Shore flyhalf (Oli Cowley) almost immediately after he received it. The pressure saw the ball spilt and Strang toed it thru and regathered to open the scoring under the posts. Dan England converted and it was 7-0.
From the restart, Scots had the ball deep in their own half and a couple of phases saw the fullback Jarrod Cullen make a scything break through the Shore centres whom hadn’t numbered up and he passed to Dylan Woods whom scored under the posts. Scots had their second in less than two minutes and things looked ominous for the boys from Northbridge. The conversion was unsuccessful and it was 12-0.
After about 15 minutes Scots lost their No. 7 Charlie Smith to what looked like a shoulder injury and he was replaced by No. 17 Hugh Green. But not much changes – Scots were dominating possession and their defensive line-speed was incredibly quick. Strang was having a field day and was in everything, he truly showed he was a class above. The Scots backline seemed to be creating overlaps at will and only some desperate defence was preventing more points.
Shore didn’t give up though and soon after Shore’s halfback Will Haskins made a sharp break up the centre. The recycled ball went quickly left and Shore No 11 Ed Gregory was pulled down just short of the line. But the Shore boys move the ball quickly and No 15 Lachie Patrick scored their first of the day. The conversion was held up by a strong wind and it was 12-5.
The restart wasn’t kind to Shore as they turned over the ball and had Scots on the attack. Will Haskins was forced from the field to the blood bin and Hamish Sheehan (No. 18) replaced him at fullback with Patrick moving to half. Scots soon had the ball swinging right and no. 10 Nick Shannon broke the line and eluded the fullback to score. Dan England converts and it was 19-5. Haskins back on.
Soon after Strang sent the ball wide and the left wing (Jake Prindiville) for Scots joined the line to go over down the right hand side. Kick missed and it was 24-5 after about 25 minutes.
Shore then put on probably some of their best parts of the game as a short interchange of passes down the right hand side nearly created an opportunity, with a last pass going to ground. A Shore scrum soon after saw the backs given an opportunity to spin the ball wide, but Scots caught Oli Cowley on the wrap around and the move faltered. Quick thinking from Will Haskins sent the ball wide left and Ed Gregory made a small break which had Haskins backing up on the inside to take the pass and make a larger break down the left and draw the fullback and offload to no.8 James Doyle to score. Kick missed and it was 24-10.
Scots then turned up the heat and spent the rest of the half attacking – turning down a certain three points when Shore infringed directly in front of their posts. The final raid of the half was thwarted by some solid defence from Shore’s Captain Fergus Bragg and that was the score into the break.
Second half
Shore had the wind in the second half and from the restart, they marched down into Scots territory on the back of a couple of penalties. A chip kick through saw Dan England at the back and in one of those comic moments he attempted a big dummy as the defence approached – only for the ball to fly from his grip and disappear over his own dead-ball line. Shore were unable to convert this field position and Scots were soon attacking the Shore line again.
A penalty against Shore 10 metres out had Theo Strang take the quick tap and charge over the try line only to lose the ball. Shore defended well from this and the ball moved back to the other end. Shore then lost both Haskins (blood bin again) and hooker Jake Hedge (head knock). Soon after Prindiville made another break and I am fairly sure it was him backing up to receive again and score his second. England added the extras to make it 31-10. Haskins returned again.
Shore had a couple more chances in this half both that could have ended in points – both from chip kicks as the bounce of the ball eluded the left winger. These moments also coincided with Theo Strang leaving the field as he was replaced by the No. 23. Scots had lots of attacking opportunities late in the game and No. 5 McCauley scored under the posts from a pass from the replacement halfback. A small scuffled died down after the try and the extras were then added.
Haskins finally succumb to a facial injury late in the game and was replaced. Then Scots No. 13 James made a strong charge down the side dragging in three defenders and scoring in the corner. Kick missed and it was full time. Final score 43-10 (although after the match the Shore scoreboard did add another Shore try – wishful thinking?)
The teams
Scots were dominant. Big and fast they left a few points out there, probably due to the slippery conditions. Their size up front was obvious over the smaller Shore pack, but it was the speed of their defensive backline that shone on the day. The Shore inside backs were under pressure all day and I doubt there was a clean backline ball that made it to the wings all game.
Shore played with much heart and can be proud of their performance. They showed glimpses of what they can do and as is often the case will certainly improve over the course of the competition and take a prize scalp in the process. The forwards definitely play above their weight and the backs need only stick a few passes to create some real opportunities.
The Players
Scots – Captain Theo Strang was outstanding, his service and leadership were second to none, but his speed and aggression were superb. He stood out as a shining star in a team of stars. Ryan McCauley and Max Girdler caught my eye with impressive displays in the forwards and the new fly half Nick Shannon didn’t look out of place in this team and is one to watch.
Shore – James Doyle was fantastic for the Shore pack, with some huge hits in defence and powerhouse running making sure that the Scots team didn’t have it their own way. His backing up for his try a testament to his work rate. Captain Fergus Bragg was also leading from the front and his defensive efforts were an inspiration to his teammates. In the backs Will Haskins showed the form that took him to a Combined States representative jumper, whilst Ed Gregory was solid in defence and consistently beat his man every time he touched the ball.
Scoring
Scots 43 (J. Prindiville 2, T.Strang, N. Shannon, R. McCauley, J.Hawkins, D.Woods; D.England 4 cons) bt. Shore 10 (L.Patrick, J.Doyle tries)
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