Reds go top of the class after good victory over Haddington
Linlithgow 32 – 24 Haddington
Saturday 14 October 2023
Report by David Mitchell
After a break week, rugby returned to Mains Park with the visit of East League Division 1 leaders Haddington. Both teams had perfect 5-0 records so far this season and the large and vociferous crowd were expecting a tight contest in good conditions.
The home side only had 9 starters from the recent win at Langholm but there was still plenty of talent on show in the home ranks. In a bold move, the Reds moved in-form Mark Caddle from Number 8 in the pack out to the backs. Andrew Graham started at tight head prop and new member Alex Kenny started in the 2nd row after a promising debut off the bench at Langholm. The experienced Ross Tulloch and Ross Plenderleith both returned to action and Luke O’Hara was at right wing in a reshuffled back division.
After a bright start by Haddington, the Reds soon got into the game and opened the scoring with a fine team try. Ross Tulloch sold a trademark dummy in midfield and strode through the gap where after some neat offloading, Euan Mochrie powered over after brushing aside the last tacklers. Jack Frame hit the post with the conversion and then was just wide with a long range penalty attempt.
At this point the game descended into a farcical 5 minutes where the players were left standing about as the referee and both coaching staffs argued about Haddington’s request to move to uncontested scrums due to a single injury. Despite the team sheet showing suitable replacements were available the decision was taken to go uncontested which baffled the crowd, coaches and players. I do not think that we will have heard the last of this decision!
If anything the decision to go uncontested sparked even more life into the home team and from a line-out catch and drive led by Euan Mochrie, the Reds’ pack drove forward before Archie Rusack set the backs running and Ross Plenderleith threw a long pass that Ross Tulloch controlled very well and he sent Luke O’Hara over for a try at the corner flag. The conversion was missed to make the score 10-0.
Haddington replied with a try from one of their centres and the conversion made it 10-7 after 20 minutes. Again the Reds responded well and were awarded a penalty under the posts. The easy 3 points on offer was declined and that decision was justified when after good drives to the line by Euan Mochrie and Kieran Cochrane, the ball was recycled into midfield where captain Jack Frame went through a gap to score and he then converted his own try to make it 17-7. The home side were obviously keen to get a Try Bonus Point by half time and this duly happened when Mark Caddle showed real power and pace to evade defenders and run in from about 30 metres to score under the posts. Jack Frame added the extra points to give the Reds a healthy lead of 24-7 as half time approached.
However, and not for the first time this season, the team were caught out by some quick thinking by the opposition. Despite appearing to have a penalty advantage in their favour, the Reds were themselves penalised at the next ruck and a quick tapped penalty ensued and the home side were caught flat footed as Haddington quickly moved upfield to score unchallenged. This made for a more uncomfortable half time score of 24-14.
The second half was a tighter affair with effective tackling by both teams restricting the scoring. The Reds did score a 5th try when after good line-out play, the ball was moved into midfield where both Ross Plenderleith and Ross Tulloch were held short of the visitors’ line before Alex Kenny crashed over for his debut try for the Club. Jack Frame again hit the post with the conversion attempt. Oscar Davies was replaced by the experienced Ross Martin after another great show by this promising young back row forward.
To their credit the visitors were still full of running and after a series of good runs by their full back and left wing and some poor tackles by the Reds, they crossed for a try which went unconverted. They scored another try to take the score to 29-24 and also missed some kicks at goal which allowed the Reds to maintain a slender lead. Stuart Cunningham and Cammy Murrie entered the fray and both showed their usual commitment and energy to keep the home side advancing upfield. Ross Martin made some breaks and controlled his offloads well, one of which released Luke O’Hara on a long run up the wing with only the final pass going astray inside the 22 metre area.
The final scoring action came from the boot of Jack Frame who kicked a penalty to make the final score 32-24. This gave the Reds 5 league points whereas Haddington only got 1 point for a Try Bonus after their 4 tries. The result sees Linlithgow leapfrog over Haddington to the top of the table after 6 games.
Another hard fought win for this very young team who continue to grind out results playing some attractive rugby but also showing real fight when the matches get tight. The home defence was solid for most of the game and there was a much improved kicking game with both Jack Frame and Ross Tulloch regularly turning the Haddington defence. Several players made good breaks with Alex Kenny and Kieran Cochrane both making ground regularly with strong carries. The continuity play was good although the miracle offload attempts were often made in haste when a more measured approach would have sufficed. However the ambition to play a fast and open game is to be admired. The back row again covered the field well and won several turnover balls and the line-out functioned well despite the loss of main jumper Mark Caddle. The half backs provided a solid platform and kept the ball moving quickly and accurately to allow the outside backs to make regular inroads into the visitors’ defence. The replacements all contributed and in particular the experience of Stuart Cunningham and Ross Martin was key at the business end of the game when the score tightened up.
Linlithgow
Calum McKeown, Kyle Ormond, Andrew Graham; Alex Kenny, Kieran Cochrane; Oscar Davies, Jamie Tulloch, Euan Mochrie; Archie Rusack, Jack Frame (c); Ross Plenderleith, Murray Johnstone, Mark Caddle, Luke O’Hara and Ross Tulloch
Replacements: Adam Scott, Stuart Cunningham, Ross Martin and Cammy Murrie