Reds bounce back with strong performance against Moray
Linlithgow 42 – 22 Moray
Saturday 28 September 2024
Report by David Mitchell
After successive defeats in the last 2 weeks, the Reds needed to put in a winning effort against Moray in this Arnold Clark National League Division 4 encounter and they did so in some style. Moray were the only team to defeat the Reds last season and there was a great atmosphere and a sizeable support on hand to cheer the team on in this revenge encounter.
Conditions were perfect for good rugby with a firm pitch and only a light breeze to contend with as the Reds, playing in their new change strip of black, kicked off towards the clubhouse. Moray had control of the ball for the first few minutes, but it was the home side who soon got on the scoreboard. After good thrusts by Conor Findlay and Eioan Magee the Reds won a penalty near the posts, bravely electing to take a quick tap penalty, and were rewarded when Luke O’Hara gathered a fine long pass from Conor to score in the corner see
Moray responded with several attacks, but the Reds’ defence held out well. Gradually, the home side worked upfield and after a strong drive by Kieran Cochrane, the ball was quickly recycled and passed to Ross Tulloch on the left wing. Ross went on one of his trademark solo runs and, when held, managed to flip a pass to Jack Frame who outstripped the cover defence to score under the posts. He added the conversion and then a penalty to make the score 15-0.
At this stage of the game, the Reds had shown their scoring capabilities and also a solid defence and seemed set for a straightforward victory. However, in a mad two-minute spell, Moray were gifted 2 tries with some very poor tackling by the home side to tighten the score at 15-12. Thankfully the Reds regained the upper hand and Jack Frame added a penalty as half time approached. The key moment of the half occurred in the last minute when the Reds elected to refuse a kickable penalty and opted to go for the line-out in the Moray 22 metre area. From the line-out, Luke O’Hara and Eioan Magee attempted to break the defensive line and with the Moray players on the back foot, Conor Findlay made a half break and a neat offload sent Ruaridh Stewart over in the left corner for an excellent try. Jack Frame added the touchline conversion to give the home side a 25-12 lead at half time.
Although a healthy lead, many home supporters were remembering the game in Elgin where Moray came back from a 15 point deficit to win in the last minute of the game so no complacency was expected in the second half.
At half time, Colin Devlin, Stuart Cunningham and Michael Doneghan were introduced to the game with Ross Plenderleith waiting in the wings for the chance to get game time. All 4 of these experienced replacements were prominent during the 2nd half of the game, showing the strength of the squad.
The visitors started the 2nd half with some strong driving and running but the Reds handled it well for 10 minutes until Moray finally scored their third try. It was important that the Reds responded quickly, and they duly did when Conor Findlay timed a nicely weighted pass to Mike Doneghan who ran a beautiful line, drawing 2 tacklers before giving a short pass to Luke O’Hara who made 20 metres before the ball went to ground. The ever-present Jamie Tulloch hacked the ball on, and the ball bounced up into Jack Frame’s hands and he offloaded a back hand pass to Ruaridh Stewart who cruised round behind the posts for an excellent team try giving the Reds a Bonus Point Try. Jack Frame added the conversion to make the score 32-17 with 20 minutes to go.
The clinching score came after another clean line-out ball was sent into midfield where Ruaridh Stewart was stopped, but the ball was quickly recycled to allow Eioan Magee and Jamie Tulloch to barge forward. Archie Rusack quickly fed the ball to Conor Findlay and he found Jack Frame with a long pass allowing Jack space to beat his man and link with Ruaridh Stewart who in turn sent Luke O’Hara over for his 2nd try of the day. Jack Frame added the extra points to give the home side a 39-17 lead with only 10 minutes left to play.
Moray did finally score a Bonus Point Try in the last minute before Jack Frame added a penalty kick with the last action of the game.
Final score Linlithgow Reds 42 – 22 Moray
Overall, mainly a good performance taking the Reds into 5th place in the Division with the next 3 weeks providing opportunities to improve on that placing. Next week the long trip to Castle Douglas to play Stewartry followed by two home games in succession against Dunfermline and North Berwick.
The Reds rediscovered their firing power with 5 good tries and also the decision making seemed better and more akin to what is required by league rugby. The scrums seemed even over the piece with both teams gaining the upper hand at different stages. The line-outs were competitive and there were excellent takes by Ross Martin and Oscar Davies enabled by some very good throwing by Kyle Ormond. The work rate of the forwards was first class, and they won some excellent turnovers with Jamie Tulloch very prominent again. Special mention to Eioan Magee who had probably his best game ever for the 1st XV with his aggressive driving runs a feature of the game.
Ross Martin continued his great start to the season with some tremendous work in both attack and defence.
In the backs, Archie Rusack has begun to develop his running game and is looking for opportunities to break as well as pass. Conor Findlay is still developing his variation of play with some good decision making as well as individual breaks and kicking from hand. The centre pairing is working well with Ewan Curran’s consistency allied with Ruaridh Stewart’s eye for an outside break. The back 3 are always a danger to the opposition with Luke O’Hara converting a very high percentage of the opportunities he gets. Although not scoring on the day, Ross Tulloch fielded high balls safely and often made ground when running the ball back at the Moray defence. Jack Frame contributed 3 penalties, 4 conversions and a try for a personal haul of 22 points.
There are still areas where improvement is necessary e.g. individual tackling, improving the kick-chase and being more clinical in attack where timing of pass is key. Having allowed the opposition a Try Bonus Point in all 4 games to date we need to reduce the try scoring frequency of future opposition.
However, a 20 point win is a great reaction to recent defeats and there is much for the coaches to be pleased with at this stage in the season.
Next week the 1st XV are away to Castle Douglas to play Stewartry in what will be another tough assignment.
Match photos courtesy of Graham Black