Weekend Action Round Up

European success for U18s

With the Reds’ away match being called off by Leith (waterlogged pitch) Saturday’s spotlight was on the Reds U18s as they welcomed a Dutch touring side Amstelveen to Mains Park. Amstelveen are “the international and inclusive club of Amsterdam” and run 6 senior teams (including a women’s team and a social team), as well as youth teams from U8s through to U18s. It turned out to be a cracking match up against a very good Reds U18s, with the home team eventually running out 29-14 after being behind in the first half.

Excellent Win for Young Reds U15s

Linlithgow  15 – 5  Musselburgh

Saturday 28 October 2023

Report by Nick Smith

We all knew that today’s game was going to be a tough one, with both teams riding high in the league – and tough it certainly was. Both sets of teams, coaches and parents were more than a little disappointed to be relegated to the bottom pitch, particularly given the state it was in – I think its fair to say that if we looked carefully there were indeed a few blades of grass to be found in amongst the mire.

During the warm up we talked tactics. Musselburgh possessed some big forwards and we didn’t want to get drawn into close quarter battle in such heavy going conditions.  George Bernard-Shaw once said “Never wrestle with a pig. You both get muddy and what’s more the pig likes it.” And so it was his advice we followed, looking to avoid contact and off loading where we could to avoid getting drawn in.

Ewan was captain this week – perhaps leading more by deed than word – and Dougie kindly agreed to ref. And so we kicked off. Our attack clicked into gear early as Thomas picked up a clever intercept and took us well into their 22. From the line out we moved it left with Duncan crashing up the middle. A quick recycle meant we could move it again and with Alfie holding his width he was able to put Scott over for the first try. This was a great start.

Then came the first scrum of the game. Half of those on the touchline were nervous but we had no reason to be as the pack worked together to drive Musselburgh off the ball and turn it over. Cameron and Fraser in particular leading the drive up front. That was a huge statement.

Our second try came fairly soon after this, with Scott making a break giving us territory.  From the line-out that followed Duncan was able to get over and score.

Musselburgh then rallied and came back into the game. This was a strong test for our defence. And the boys stood up well. Scott and Alexander in particular making memorable hits which kept our try line safe throughout the game. The back row and second row were also immense with Angus, Greg, Finlay, Angus, Ewan and Thomas tackling whoever moved towards them. 

Our concentration started to go at times and we gave away a few soft penalties – however our defence was strong, Elliot in particular remaining alert at one penalty and putting in the tackle of his life to halt an oncoming Musselburgh forward and prevent an almost certain try.  It was with relief that the half time whistle blew.

This was going to be a tough second half with Musselburgh scoring pretty much from the off with an intercept try.  For the next 10 minutes or so Musselburgh then continued where they left off from the first half and kept us under pressure. However Rory took the ball from a line-out and rather than kick saw a gap and was through it. On a drier pitch he may have got further but he brought us out of our half and this marked a turning point. It was now us on the attack.

From this point on we played the game largely in their half. Despite this we went through a spate of giving away a number of penalties mainly for offside and high tackles. This disrupted our flow and gave Musselburgh a lifeline back into the game, particularly when it felt in the balance. 

However as the game reached the final 10 minutes we were in the ascendancy and it looked like we would score when the Musselburgh defence held strong and didn’t allow us to get the ball down. On another occasion we were slightly in front of the kicker, but the decision making and chase were spot on.

Finally though the third try came. It was a classic team try with the forwards securing good ball before we spun it through the hands, smartly drawing the opposition in before passing on to the outside. The ball came to Joe who still had work to do, but nothing was going to stop him and as he stepped and dived in to score.  When the whistle went we found ourselves three tries to one up and were able to retire to the clubhouse for a well deserved pie. (Thanks again to the volunteers in the kitchen who produced such a good batch.)

This was a great result and a real team performance and all the boys played their part.  The defence from both teams was incredibly strong – perhaps aided slightly by the heaviness of the pitch. But both forwards and backs put everything on the line. A great example was Max felling a larger forward he had no right to bring down.

Choosing moments for the match for this report was difficult as there were many – even though the game was perhaps for the purists at times due to the conditions.  Choosing a player of the match was equally difficult. All the boys were excellent and the team spirit and camaraderie on show was amazing – as was their show of good rugby values.  However two players stood out this morning, one from the forwards: Elliot – for his tackling, intense rucking and all round game awareness; Joe – for his smart running and tenacity as well as his electric pace and step. Both boys deserve the accolade this week not just for their performance in the game but also for what they have done in training.

Spirited Performance from Young Reds S2s

Linlithgow  14 – 52  Musselburgh

Saturday 28 October 2023

Report by Nick Drainey

The team spirit and determination shown by Linlithgow S2 in the final quarter of their match against Musselburgh was a sight to be admired.

Yes, they were ultimately beaten by a heavy scoreline, but the willingness to keep going and maturity shown by the leaders who emerged on the pitch – positive encouragement rather than moans and groans about the ref, opposition or their own teammates – allowed the team to carry on with purpose and was a real step forwards for the team.

This is not an attempt to “find the positives”, it is what the players actually achieved and definitely something that will put them in good stead in the future.

Things started brightly despite going down to an early converted try (0-7). Soon after, a line-out led to some good play down the line, started with a lovely step by Fergus and then an offload from Finlay before Blair went over and Fergus converted. (7-7)

Musselburgh were straight back at them and scored to take the lead again (7-14). There then followed two more tries from their full back to leave the score (7-24) at half time.

In previous years the fear at this point would have been that morale had dropped so low there was no getting anything from the game. Not on Saturday.

The boys came back out with energy levels high. However, things got worse with three more tries against Linlithgow (7-45).

But the way some players were talking to each other below the posts as they waited for another conversion attempt was as impressive as you can get on a rugby pitch without using the ball. There was talk of “getting something out of the game”, “leaving it out there” and a general call to action.

It seemed to energise everyone and a brilliant break by Charlie was only thwarted by an impressive last-ditch tackle that put him in touch.

Their full back again got in on the act (7-52) but still the boys ploughed on. Archie was inches from a try but good rucking by Musselburgh just stopped him.

It seemed that whatever they tried it was “just not going to be their day”. But even then they refused to be cowed when many others would. Some superb tackles had been seen from all quarters during the game, not least Harry and Blair with crucial interventions. As the end neared it was Will’s turn to crunch into a Musselburgh player breaking away. It ultimately led to a turnover and a couple of good drives which gave Rory the chance to go over. The last play of the game saw Fergus convert the try (14-52) and it was the very least the team deserved.

From this game we will obviously have to work on positioning, tackling etc but the effort and attitude will be referred to again and again as a great example of never giving up.

Thanks must go to Ken for great refereeing of what in the past has been a rather fractious fixture. His control of the game helped ensure it was played in the correct manner and his explanations of decisions to the players was very much in the mould of proper match officiating.

SQUAD: Blair, Ethan Mc, Euan, Marshall, Fergus, Archie, Aaron, Charlie, Will, Ethan S, Louis, Lyle, Zack W, Rory, Matthew, Jason, Zac N, Finlay, Jack, Jamie, Harry, Ali.