Linlithgow 28 – 41 Dunfermline
Saturday 12 October 2024
Report by David Mitchell
Photos by Graham Black
Last Saturday, Dunfermline were the visitors to Mains Park in this Arnold Clark National League Division 4 contest. Both sides entered the game with 3 wins and 2 losses to date and a close encounter was expected.
Weather conditions had been horrendous pre-match with heavy rain and a very strong wind, but the sun made an appearance just before kick-off and conditions throughout the match were mainly dry. The pitch held up well and neither side could use the weather or ground conditions as an excuse.
Reds made 2 changes in personnel from last week’s victory over Stewartry with Eioan Magee replacing the unavailable Ross Martin and Ruaridh Stewart replacing Ewan Curran. The visitors started strongly and made clear their intention to run the ball wide early and it was no surprise when they scored an early converted try after 2 or 3 minutes.
Thankfully the Reds responded well and were level within 5 minutes. After solid ball delivered by the forward pack, Jack Frame managed to get outside his opponent and make ground before passing to Luke O’Hara who fed Murray Johnstone only for him to be held just short of the line. The ball was quickly produced and passed to Eioan Magee and there was no stopping him as he charged over for a try which was converted by the captain.
Dunfermline were playing a simple game with strong ball carrying by their forwards allied to moving the ball quickly along the backline. However, the home side repelled these attacks comfortably in the first half. The forwards were just about holding their own against a bigger pack and at the lineout Oscar Davies was prominent in taking good ball but also in disrupting the visitors’ line out.
The Reds took the lead midway through the half when after some excellent forward driving play and slick handling, Jack Frame wriggled through a gap and popped the ball to Euan Mochrie who powerfully carried a couple of defenders over the line as he scored the try. The conversion attempt just missed the left-hand post to give the Reds a 12-7 lead which they nearly held on to until half time however the referee added on quite a bit of additional time and Dunfermline were able to score a converted try with the last move of the half. This was a crucial moment as turning around with a lead and playing with the strong wind behind them in the 2nd half would have provided a great platform to go on and win the game. H-T 12-14.
An injury resulted in Ruaridh Stewart being replaced just before half time by Cammy Murrie. This required a reshuffle in the home back line with Jack Frame moving to centre, Ross Tulloch moving to full back and Cammy Murrie playing on the left wing.
Other changes were made during the 2nd half with Adam Buckley, Stuart Cunningham and Jonny Pegg all getting much needed game time and showing the strength of the replacements bench.
The Reds started the 2nd half well and a great take by Luke O’Hara from Conor Findlay’s opening kick-off put the visitors in trouble and they conceded a penalty which Jack Frame stroked between the posts to regain the lead at 15-14. The home crowd were understandably expecting the Reds to push on and they were rewarded when another try was scored. Euan Mochrie took a quick tapped penalty and made his usual strong drive towards the line. The ball was recycled several times with Oscar Davies, Kyle Ormond and Player of the Match Eioan Magee all carrying strongly and forcing the visitors into some desperate defence and when the ball was passed along the backline, Ross Tulloch had a clear run in to score an excellent and well constructed team try. Frame added the extra points and with a lead of 22-14, the home support was anticipating a victory.
However, what happened in the final 25 minutes has been all too familiar this season with an inability to control the ball or territory and poor defence leading to a 5 try response from Dunfermline. All credit to the visitors who continued to run hard at the home defence which virtually disintegrated, especially out wide where 4 of the Dunfermline tries were scored. The Reds’ tackling looked very brittle in the 2nd half and this was ruthlessly exploited by the visiting team’s attacking prowess.
The Reds did manage 2 further penalties by Jack Frame and somehow entered the last 5 minutes only 6 points adrift and needing a converted try to snatch an unlikely victory. The frustration on the field and along the touchline was clear to see as the Reds failed to find a way into the opposition half and in fact things got worse when Dunfermline scored a late converted try to complete the scoring.
Final score: Reds 28 Dunfermline 41
Having been well beaten by both Ardrossan and Strathmore, this game was an opportunity lost as the Reds capitulation came late in the game after having looked like potential winners when 22-14 ahead. The Reds need to fix some basic problems e.g. tackling and game management/decision making. The coaching staff and players will surely review these aspects of play and ensure that they eliminate such issues and develop an 80-minute approach playing a more pragmatic brand of rugby. The team needs to continue to attack with flair and purpose but also must pick and choose wisely especially in possession by taking time to set up good ball rather than trying some dangerously risky offloading under pressure.
Dunfermline operated to a simple plan with which they persisted throughout the match and were rewarded in the final quarter of the game. They combined hard direct forward drives with slick passing through their backs and running hard and straight. Although the Reds handled the attacks well enough for the 1st 60 minutes, the dam broke towards the end and the visitors scored far too easily in the latter stages. By contrast, the Reds failed to play smart rugby after taking the lead at 22-14. What was required involved using the elements to gain territorial advantage, a simple but solid driving game and retaining possession, reducing the offloading and wild passing and finally defending strongly. None of these were successfully achieved by the Reds especially in the last 20 minutes or so.
On a positive note, the team is now aware of the size and strength of players in Division 4 and will surely develop methods of overcoming any physical deficits, but they need to do it soon. The forward pack hung in gamely and special mention goes to Eioan Magee and Oscar Davies who ran aggressively all afternoon and Euan Mochrie who rumbled through defenders using an effective swatting action. In the backs, the fluency was not there and also the opposition tackled and covered well, reducing the Reds to only a few clear running opportunities.
Dunfermline just about deserved the positive result as they did win the try count 7 to 3 but it was well within the range of the Reds to have won the game. As a general observation, things are going quite well with 3 wins and 3 losses to date. We have also played the top 4 teams in the Division and sit in mid table and the next few weeks will see the Reds play 3 teams who currently sit below us. Next week sees North Berwick at Mains Park for a 3pm kick off and it would be great for a large crowd to be there to cheer on the Reds.
