Reds deliver a thumping win with a 13 try bonanza against North Berwick
Linlithgow 83 – 0 North Berwick
Saturday 19 October 2024
Report by David Mitchell; Photos by Graham Black
Old rivals North Berwick were the visitors to Mains Park for this Arnold Clark National League Division 4 fixture and both teams were greeted by sunshine and a healthy crowd as they took to the field on a perfect day for running rugby. The visitors have been having a torrid start to the season and this was a real opportunity for the Reds, playing in blue, to hit back with a winning performance after last week’s disappointing loss at home to Dunfermline.
Adam Buckley started at loose head prop and Ewan Curran was restored to centre in an otherwise unchanged team. Kieran Cochrane also achieved his 100th game for the Reds and celebrated the occasion with a typical try.
North Berwick started the game with 5 minutes of possession, but the home defence were showing a more aggressive approach than last week as they restricted the visitors to midfield territory. It was the Reds who got the ball rolling with a fine team try rounded off by Ross Tulloch after a dominant early scrum led to some excellent handling through the back line after powerful drives from Adam Buckley, Euan Mochrie and Eioan Magee had softened up the defence. Jack Frame added the touchline conversion.
The next score arrived soon after with another try from Luke O’Hara following some excellent interplay between forwards and backs allowing Euan Mochrie to provide the final pass to the scorer. Within 5 minutes, the Reds increased their lead with Ewan Curran rounding off another great bout of handling by taking the final pass from Jack Frame and trotting around behind the posts for a try. The captain added the extra points and the Reds stretched their lead to 19 points within the first 15 minutes of the match.
To their credit the visitors responded by pinning the home side in their own half for the next 10 minutes without any real likelihood of scoring and eventually Conor Findlay executed some fine territorial kicks to put the hosts back on the front foot and it was no surprise when Kieran Cochrane plunged over the line to score the Bonus Point Try after yet another sweeping move involving many players. The floodgates were beginning to open after only 25 minutes of play as both Luke O’Hara and Conor Findlay made breaks for the line only for the ball to be dislodged at the last minute. However, tries then followed in quick succession with a pushover try touched down by No 8 Euan Mochrie followed by a typically battling run from Jamie Tulloch to score wide out on the left. The final try of the half saw Ross Tulloch score for the 2nd time in the game as he weaved past 2 tacklers and placed the ball over the line.
The conversion was missed, and the referee ended the half after a 7 try demolition by the home side and a 41-0 scoreline on which to build. The home support was hungry for more of the same in the 2nd half and the coaches freshened up the side with the introduction of Calum McKeown at prop and the return of the consistently reliable servant to the team that is Fraser Mochrie.
The home fans did not have to wait long for the next score. Following the Reds’ restart, North Berwick opted to kick long but only succeeded in finding Jack Frame just outside his own 22 metre area. He spotted that the defence was spread thinly in midfield and glided past the first 4 defenders before sprinting through the remains of the defence to touch down for a try to which he added the extra points.
Archie Rusack was the next to contribute a try after another dominant scrum gave him the opportunity to dive over near the posts. This was quickly followed by another try when a great drive by the forwards led to Jamie Tulloch being held just short of the line, but the ball was quickly recycled to the backs and Player of the Match Ewan Curran cruised over the line.
The coaches then introduced Cammy Murrie and Stuart Cunningham to give them well deserved game-time and also giving some of the starters a well-earned rest.
Jamie Tulloch was the next to achieve a brace of tries when after a lineout he emerged with the touch down to take the score to 69-0 with more scoring opportunities to come. The North Berwick defence was understandably tired by this stage, and they continued to chase shadows as the Reds attack scored at will in the last few minutes of the game. The final two tries were absolute stunners with the first involving a series of forward thrusts involving a great exchange of passes between Jack Frame and Oscar Davies which led to an unopposed run-in for Archie Rusack to score his 2nd try. The final try was a double act with the tireless Jamie Tulloch galloping up to the halfway line where he found Eioan Magee thundering up alongside him and Jamie timed a beautiful pass to Eioan who swerved around the full back and charged over the line for one of the most popular tries of the afternoon. In the 2nd half, Jack Frame converted all 6 of the tries scored for a personal haul of 23 points on the day.
Final score – Linlithgow Reds 83 – 0 North Berwick
This was the perfect response to last week’s defeat and a blueprint of how to play for the rest of the season e.g. improved ball carrying, showing more patience when looking for the offload, more aggressive running, more aggressive and technically improved tackling and overall better decision making. The confidence levels grew as the game progressed with all players showing for the ball and relishing the opportunity to carry strongly and the communication between team members was much improved.
One weakness that was apparent was the team’s kick off return which was particularly haphazard under the high ball where receivers mishandled on many occasions and against stronger opposition might have created problems.
There were many strong individual performances in what was a very good team effort. There were 9 different try scorers and it was encouraging to see the number of support runners available during the scoring of many of the tries.
The forwards were strong and aggressive with a solid front 5 and a busy back row. Oscar Davies continues to impress in the lineout which is also due to Kyle Ormond’s throwing especially in the absence of main jumpers Mark Caddle and Ross Martin. The half backs enjoyed an afternoon of slick passing and varying their distribution between wide runners and direct runners which was very effective. The centre pairing from last season had a very good afternoon in both defence and attack with some great angles being taken and both running strongly at their opposite numbers. The back 3 all scored tries and could have had more if the ball had been moved more widely but the gaps in midfield often demanded a more direct approach. What is also very encouraging is the strength of the current squad as shown by the 2nd XV’s fine performance in the East Region Reserve League Division 1 where the team sits in 3rd place after a very solid start against tough opponents.
Despite an 83-0 scoreline, it could have been more as the 2nd half only lasted 32 minutes which denied the home side probably around another 15 to 20 points. Hopefully this does not have any effect on the finishing positions at the end of the season. Currently the team lies in 4th place in the Division with 19 points.
Next week the Reds are away to Greenock Wanderers with a 3pm kick off.